The Expert…
…Last night Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer had their first TV election debate that was described and analysed by political experts.
…Tomorrow is the anniversary of the D-day landings; we’re reminded of the events of eighty years ago by historical experts.
…Sporting experts talk about the French Open tennis, the European football championships in Germany, the T20 cricket world cup in the West Indies
… Entertainment Experts gave us their opinions regarding the Britain’s Got Talent finals on Sunday…
The Dilemma…
We often form opinions with little knowledge; we’re expert at becoming experts with very little expertise.
Of course… ‘X’ is an unknown quantity, ‘ex’ is someone with a past, and ‘spurt’ is a drip under pressure; an ‘expert’ is an unknown, used-to-be, drip under pressure.
I’ve had recent conversations with friends who are… recovering from a serious assault… undergoing chemotherapy… charged with an alcohol-related offence… managing a failing business… parenting a gay son… Life experiences in which I have no expertise.
Pretend to be an expert, forming opinions with little knowledge, I’m just a drip under pressure.
The Solution…
Sam Cooke sang. ‘Don’t know much about history…’ he’s honest about the many subjects in which he is not an expert. Instead he focuses on what he does know: ‘But I do know that I love you…’
I was reminded this morning of Jesus feeding the five thousand… The expert could analyse the problem – a large crowd with no food… give theoretical solutions, say what ought to be done…
Instead Jesus focuses on what’s there – a small boy with five loaves and two fishes; He thanks his generous, miraculous God; he shares what he has generously.
Musing on…
…Being honest about my lack of expertise in history, politics, cancer…
…Thanking God for what I do have, what I do know, sharing it generously…
…‘But I do know that I love you, And I know that if you love me, too, What a wonderful world this would be.’
malcolmsmusings.org 