The Smartest in the Room

The girls at the table next to me are cramming for a final right now. I mean, I'm not trying to eavesdrop, they're just pretty loud. They’re going over their notes, asking each other questions, etc. But one of them is also clearly, in my opinion, using this as an opportunity to demonstrate her superior knowledge.  Even when she’s asking a question, the phrasing she’s selecting is designed to show that she knows her stuff. It’s like she’s less interested in the answer and more interested in tossing out big words and technical terms, not because of what they mean but because of how she feels it makes her sound. She, like many of us, wants to be the smartest in the room.

Here’s the thing I’ve learned though: you’re never the smartest in the room. That’s not a real thing. Everyone knows more than you about something. Maybe it’s music or dog breeds or fashion or landfills or astrophysics…but it’s something. And how cool is that? Isn’t it amazing that everyone around us has the capacity to teach us something? That there’s an infinite amount to learn?

And maybe this girl is brilliant. Maybe she’s going to go ace this final. But I wonder if she’ll get to a question that her friend could’ve provided insight for, had she been listening for the answer. And I wonder, as she goes through life, how many opportunities to learn she’ll miss out on. Must be a bummer, being the smartest in the room…