The I KNOW Syndrome and How It Is Making Us Foolish and Stupid

My teenage daughter for a period of time kept saying I KNOW, whenever I told her something. Or if I saw that she was out of line I would say something and she says in an agitated tone, "I KNOW", followed by "I'm sorry", just to cut me off.

I responded immediately: It is not enough to say sorry, you say sorry all the time but you still do not do the right thing. If you are really sorry then do the right thing. Plus saying I KNOW only makes you foolish because you will cut people off and stop learning and listening because you think you know when you don't. 

In our information age, how many adults have you met with the I KNOW syndrome? It is mind-boggling. 

Why do people say I know when they don't? 

They don't want to hear the truth, as it requires change. 

They don't want to hear the truth, because that would be admitting a mistake.

Or is it because the internet dispenses censored information like sugar in a candy store? Most people devour this information like it is biblical truth. Information is just information, worse when it is censored information designed to make you think a certain way. Information is not wisdom. The information does not make you smarter. Information certainly does not offer much guidance when it comes to living life fully.

This is the same as people having a mobile phone camera thinking they have become professional photographers. Or buying a graphic design app and thinking they have become graphic designers. How arrogant the human mind has become!

I have witnessed that those who often say I KNOW are usually those who are stagnated, they have not developed further in the scope of personal growth, they have become stale and they are frustrated. The thing is they do not realise that they have become their worst enemy because of their arrogance and their ignorance.

I have always been fond of people who are open to learning no matter how old they are! My best clients are those whom many would consider having reached the age of wisdom, yet they are so open to learning. They are not afraid to appear silly with their questions, because they genuinely desire to learn in their quest for personal development.

The I KNOW syndrome makes us believe that we have all the knowledge and wisdom. Wisdom is wisdom only when information and knowledge are internalised to make it real. We have to apply the information to make it real. The internet offers information only for your reading pleasure, it does not make it real for you in your life.

So watch for the I KNOW syndrome, and watch that it does not lead you down the path of foolishness, it could cost you your health, your inner peace and long-term happiness.

First published in 2018 and edited in 2022 © Shamala Tan

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Shamala Tan is an author, spiritual entrepreneur and healer. Her work focuses on transforming the lives of others on the spiritual, emotional, mental and earthly levels.

One of her success stories as an author: being featured alongside New York’s bestsellers Sonia Choquette, Robert Allen, Arielle Ford, Marci Shimoff as well as Christine Kloser in the book Pebbles In The Pond.

Shamala’s clients include small business owners, holistic practitioners as well as those seeking to find more significant meaning and value in life. Shamala offers laser coaching to her clients on a one-to-one basis or in a group environment, offline as well as online.