“Experts”
Ours is a nation whose shores are teeming with experts. They are vital to our existence. We could barely function on daily basis if not for these titans of knowledge, and purveyors of wisdom. We know these things because it’s what they tell us.
We expect much of our experts and they tell us much:
- They tell us what to do.
- They tell us what not to do.
- They tell us what to think.
- They tell us what not to think.
- They tell us where we should go.
- They tell us where we shouldn’t go.
- They tell us what we should or shouldn’t be thinking, while doing what we should or shouldn’t be doing, on way to somewhere we should or shouldn’t be going.
- They tell us not to be long winded.
- The tell us not to be abrupt.
- They tell us not to make things too complicated.
- They tell us not to make things too simple.
- They tell us what to say.
- They tell us what not to say.
- They tell us not to pronounce the T in the word often.
- But when they tell us, they pronounce the T in the word often.
- And they do it often.
- They tell us not to interrupt people.
- But they interrupt us to tell us.
- They tell us what to write.
- They tell us what not to write.
- They tell us not to end a sentence with a preposition.
- But you can end a sentence with the word preposition.
- You can do it twice in a row.
- They tell us what to eat.
- What not to eat.
- How long to boil an egg.
- How long not boil an egg.
- Don’t boil eggs–poach them.
- Stop! Eggs are bad for you.
- Now they’re not.
- Now they are again.
- Now they’re not again, as long as you don’t put salt on them; salt is very bad for you.
- Now salt isn’t bad for you.
- They complain constantly about office politics and their pointy-haired boss. (Sorry, that’s not what experts do–that’s what Dilbert does.)
- They don’t bother to tell us not to wash our hair with flea and tick shampoo.
- They assume some people wouldn’t be stupid enough to wash their hair with flea and tick shampoo.
- They tell us to read labels carefully, so you don’t accidentally cover your head with liquid pesticide.
- They tell us what to read.
- They tell us what not to read.
- Starting with seemingly endless and annoying lists.
- When we feel miserable, they tell us why we feel miserable.
- When we don’t feel miserable, they tell us why we should feel miserable.
- When we feel happy, they knock some sense into us, so we can get back to the business of feeling miserable.
- They tell us what to do to avoid death.
- When we do what they say and die anyway, they tell our relatives why it’s not their fault.
- And they show the importance of employing high powered lawyers, in the event that some people actually follow their advice.
If not for the tireless work of experts, how many of us would still be living under the dark veil of happiness.
It must be exhausting being an expert..
If should happen to see an expert on the street today, stop and be sure to give him a heartfelt thank you. If you don’t know how to do that: ask him, I’m sure he’ll tell you how it should be done.
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