Knowing what you don’t know is as important as understanding what you do know

FROM MY FRONT PORCH

Sam Houston is the publisher of the Hood County News. He is also an actor, author, playwright, performer and entertainment producer/promoter.

Education is a fine thing. Having knowledge of the world around you, how things work, and understanding science, math and history shape a mind toward critical thinking. Not only does knowledge enrich an individual’s life, but it allows a person to function better in the world around them.

At the same time, life experience and what some people call “common sense” are very valuable and essential commodities. Books contain lots of information, but effectively applying that knowledge in a practical and meaningful way is the goal. It does little good to understand the workings of a firearm and the physics and engineering that make it function if a man does not have the common sense of when to pull the trigger.

Everyone is ignorant, only about different subjects. There are brilliant orthopedic surgeons who can replace a hip, or repair a herniated disc, but they might not have any idea of how to deliver a calf or how to change the oil in their car. There are expert mechanics who would have no idea how to program a computer. A man may know how to be an effective “fry cook” and keep 15 orders of food grilling in the right order, but they would be lost if you asked them to give valuable insights on the stock market.

It is OK to be ignorant! It doesn’t mean you are stupid; it means you simply do not know because you have neither the formal educational training on a particular subject, nor the practical life experience. When finding yourself in a situation where you are ignorant on a matter, a wise man relies on people who really do know.

Just this past week, our Goss Community press — the machine that prints the newspaper — stopped running. The Hood County News prints not only our own newspaper, but a significant number of other publications for newspapers around Texas. When the press went down, we had two papers to print with a deadline looming. We also understood there would be 10 newspapers to print the following day. We were in a fix!

Our press crew could not troubleshoot the problem. One longtime staff member said, “This has never happened before, and I have no idea what is wrong.” There are not many big printing presses still in operation and as you might imagine, there was not a repairman within 100 miles.

The staff got on the phone to Goss and got their troubleshooter on the line, and he suggested the issue was probably electrical. He advised we needed to get a commercial electrician who was accustomed to dealing with industrial equipment, so together the Goss rep and the electrician could walk through voltage issues. Even though it was after normal work hours, we managed to secure an electrician who had the right experience. With the Goss employee on the phone, they talked and worked their way through the elaborate wiring until the short was found and we were back in business.

I am an educated man with multiple degrees but Heaven above knows if the Hood County News had to rise or fall on me fixing that press, we would still be out of business. I understood what I didn’t know and I relied on the people who do, and the problem was resolved.

The invention of the internet and the constant supply of information has been a great source of knowledge for our world. Yet for some reason some people seem to believe because they saw a TikTok video, or read a story on the internet, they magically are infectious disease experts, constitutional law scholars, or a host of other kinds of experts. Sad when you learn of people dying or being hospitalized from decisions based on inadequate or poor information.

It doesn’t matter if you spent the night in a Holiday Inn Express or not, understand what you know and what you don’t know, and trust to the people who do. Sometimes your life depends on the choices you make.

Thought for the day: Everyone must climb ignorant mountain, but some people choose to pitch their tent and live there forever.

Until next time.

sam@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 260