Educated Fool

My mom would become angry and tell me, "There's nothing worse than an educated fool."
This would usually happen after I spouted out a row of "big" words. "It doesn't matter if no one understands you Wanda," she'd say. Still, I was determined. I read the entire dictionary one year. I read our encyclopedia set. I spent a lot of time with words.

She was right to a very great degree. Even though I am proud of the 91% rating I received on the "Nerd" test, I will say it can be very awkward to be in a situation where you can see your choice of words has gone over a lot of heads. So, as I developed my communication styles, I began to see how I performed in front of certain people. Among white people I tend to be more crisp in tone and precise. With black people, it all depends. That's the other thing I love about being black, you can be different ways with the same person. The only time I see white folk show different aspects of their personalities is on Saturday Night Live.

Anyway, I know someone who is an educated fool. She is young, vibrant and brilliant. I believe so much in her mental ability, I dare say she just may figure out how to do something to help this country make a huge shift towards becoming more "Green." Even with that said, I am frightened for her. She is a young wife and mother. She seems to have a great start, but she doesn't quite understand the importance of family time. She doesn't understand that is when your kids are young, brand new to the world, that they are most vulnerable to harm and neglect.

She's an educated fool on a collision course with disaster if she continues to be blinded by her self-seeking desires. Her need to control, her need to know, her insistance on being heard, all of this will only lead to heartache and alienation. Been there, done that.