... recognize what you don't know.
Art Small
Through his years as an educator and 16 years in the state legislator, one thing Art Small learned is the wisdom of recognizing what you don't know.
"Acknowledge and recognize how little a person knows," the 74-year-old Iowa City resident said. "You might know a lot about one subject, but that doesn't flop over to everything else."
People can't know everything. When they pretend to, it can have a range of negative consequences that could be avoided by simply exercising some humility, Small said.
Small, a Democrat, served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1971 to 1978 and in the Iowa Senate from 1979 to 1986. He taught at St. Ambrose University and Purdue University and worked at Westinghouse Learning Corp., owned a legislative news service and has had a legal practice.
Working on the commerce subcommittee shortly after being elected to the Iowa House, Small quickly learned a lesson in taking a reserved approach, and found value accepting the knowledge of others.
"Nothing ever happened (at first). We failed to bring consensus," Small said of the subcommittee. "It's not, 'Boom, here is the answer.' It takes a bunch of groups working together . there is an element of humility you learn that makes you a little more cautious."
At the national level, President Bush's posture during the early stages of the Iraq War and the infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech were other examples of a person getting "tripped up" by thinking he knows more than he does, Small said.
"At best, nothing happens," he said. "At worst, look at Iraq. Thousands of people have lost their lives unnecessarily. He was not only wrong about (weapons of mass destruction), he was wrong about their culture. It was just one assumption after the other."
People should try to tone down their hubris and try harder to work toward solutions, he said.
"No one knows a fraction of what they need to handle all the problems they encounter," he said. "They need to work together."
— Brian Morelli
