chunks of flommus
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‘jor-el has been frightened by a few earthquakes’

I’ve had 3 interactions with KNOWN experts in 3 different fields and ALL of them prefaced their expertise with:

“I’m sorry but …”

I responded with gratitude because they’re … experts.

I feel like the conversation thread broke. As if the defacto response has become:

“Let’s interpret your diagnoses as opinion.”

I’m kind of horrified that this trend has permeated every field.

The prevailing wisdom SHOULD be:

Professional tells you a thing.
You listen.
You pay them.
You thank them.
There’s no apology needed.
Ever.

Otherwise it’s an Atlantis scenario –
You know the one where a small group of technocrats hide in their airtight libraries as the city plummets into an ocean of ignorance.

And yet, I know this is where we are.

I know it’s hard to sell innovative products and ideas.
It’s probably hard to teach now.
It’s got to be hard to fix all the cracks in our infrastructure.
I’ll bet its hard to diagnose and treat people.

Because expertise isn’t sought after anymore. It’s reviled.

This will keep me up at night for a bit.

I can’t swim that well.

—louis hernandez