''There
is only one kind of wisdom that has social value, and that's the
knowledge of one's own limitations''
This
is a quote by my favourite author, Dorothy L. Sayers, spoken by a
figure who definetely knows a lot about society, wisdom and social
value as he is a Lord and a detective. A very intelligent one
as he seems to me, but that's not the point. Thinking about it it can
be a very good advice how to behave in any society – especially a
new and unknown one. The most unpleasant experiences will occur when
one pretends to be/know/be able to do something and is discovered to
do so. To be known as a boasting sack of hot air and nothing else is
not something you'd dream of. So: Mind your limitations. If one
doesn't know how to ride, for example, but says he is almost an
expert with horses because it fits in the situation and he has no
other interesting thing to come up with, this can backfire only too
easy when his new friends invite him ever again to riding trips. It
may not be easy to be honest but in the end it's the better thing
most of the time.
Or
something a little more practical: It can be very necessary and
useful to know one's own limitations when it comes to alcohol. Why
is an aspect I don't think I have to explain... lets just say it can
be embarrassing.
And
if you are creating an image of yourself it's even more essential to
know your limitations, to know what you're able to maintain
pretending, what you can and know and what you don't. A bad
self-estimation is rarely a support to succeed – it leads to a lot
of faux-pas. Even when one's aware of what one can't, one makes a lot
of mistakes there (or the other way around: making mistakes create an
awareness of the deficits). They're inevitable, especially in new
surroundings and societys. Here another Sayers-quote could come in
use: ''What is the use in making mistakes if you don't make use
of them ?''
I
like this sentence a lot. When I'm angry about myself making so many
mistakes everywhere I go (yes, I have perfectionist tendencies in a
few places, but only about myself) this is a little comfort. Like
someone's telling me that there's a use in making mistakes because
they are an opportunity to learn. I don't have to think about what
I've done wrong especially how I can do it better next time. That's
making use of it and learning extends one's own limitations
consciously.
All
the wisdom in these books has not as much value as the knowledge of
one's own limitations …
a
little paradox is that I've bought a Sayers book in this antiquariat
in Edinbourgh (it would almost even have been on this picture :)
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