I wrote my last post about a phenomenon I dubbed ‘Meta-Ignorance’ – being unaware of exactly how much you don’t know. I called it a serious problem and suggested that everyone become aware of just how ignorant they are. I think now that should be a warning – challenging your meta-ignorance can be a really depressing process. I spent the last semester of graduate school paralyzed by the realization of everything that I didn’t know. New topics that I learned became gaping black holes of unknown facts, into which endless hours of study could be poured without any hope of obtaining mastery. I recalled a saying from one of my undergrad professors: “As my island of knowledge grows, so does my perimeter of ignorance. ”
Confidence is a tricky thing. If you have too much of it, you run the risk of making foolish mistakes. If you don’t have enough, you’ll never accomplish anything. It’s tough to remain confident in the face of overwhelming ignorance, but I’m working on it. Personal growth for the win.