Want to try a fun experiment. Post a question on a Facebook group that you already know the answer to. You might expect a few odd answers but I think you’ll be amazed at the plethora of wrong answers. This is the world we live in and we must be better at using our judgment to discern fact from opinion.
With the anonymity of the internet, it’s amazing how quickly everyone has become an expert. Need medical, tax, or legal advice – there is no shortage of commenters who have no problem shouting their opinion as if it were fact.
But here’s the problem… when we start taking someone’s opinion as fact we miss the vital importance of experience. An expert is not someone who just researches, it’s someone who has done the work, put in the hours, and knows the subject through experience.
Yes, an opinion counts, but only when it comes from experience or true knowledge.
So, now do you know who is an expert rather than an armchair quarterback. Experience tells all.
Look at someone’s personal history. Have they worked in the world they’re commenting on? Have they worked near the world they’re commenting on? Have they experienced the world they’re commenting on. Reading this you’re thinking “this is all obvious” but how often have we each fallen prey to the self proclaimed expert? How often have we seen a post on social media and accepted it as fact.
There are many ways to be an expert, but all of them include some sort of practical experience.
So, take this advice from a self proclaimed expert. Always take experience over opinion!
