Suffering Fools

Being highly intelligent (and equally impatient), Sperbs aren't too keen on suffering the company of fools. We always want to learn, and logic dictates one learns best from those whose knowledge of a particular subject equals or exceeds his own. However Life (meaning school, work, waiting in line, etc.) makes sure we gets our recommended daily exposure to idiots, so it would be best to manage such a situation the the best benefit of all concerned.

Fools will talk, so you have three options: (1) tell the fool to shut up; (2) ignore the fool; (3) listen to the fool and try to learn something from him/her. The first one is quite rude and should only be used in extreme situations - especially if the fool is large and/or predisposed to violence. The second option is quite tempting, however there is a reason "ignore", "ignorance", and "ignoramus" all start with the same letters. As difficult as it may be to apply, the best option is the listen to the fool and try to learn.

Odds are you won't learn anything about the subject matter, but perhaps you can discover why this person is so lost as to the topic at hand. Should this happen, you will at least learn why this (and possibly many others) person is a fool. Offering help seems like the right thing to do, but unless you'll be working with this fool a lot, doing so will more than likely complicate things - especially for the fool. On rare occasions, fools may have an angle or insight on the topic at hand that you have never considered before - a new perspective is the most frequent source of difficult problem solving.

On the human side of the equation, it's also a good idea to listen to new people just to be a better person. Often when we're at a task, we forget the others involved are complete human beings rather than faceless helpers to be used for a purpose. People - fools as well as peers - as still people, and should be treated as such. Besides, there will be times when you are the fool of the group (new school, new job, first time trying a new activity, etc.) - and you'll appreciate being treated like a person when it happens.