The Know It All

The Know It All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by AJ Jacobs

A.J. Jacobs pledges to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica in just one year. Part memoir and part trivia, this book is delightful! Quirky and sometimes introspective--I recommend this to all the other book nerds out there.

A few pages in and I was happy to find  a fellow book geek…be still my heart! I would like to tell Mr. Jacobs that I, too, read the entire Encyclopedia. It was the 1978 version (the year I was born). I read it while I was in high school, although it was super out of date. Being the nerd that I am, I highlighted interesting points to do further research. There might have been some alphabetized file folders involved. Research in those days was a little daunting, pre-internet and all. I did not own a computer, so everything that I wanted to document had to be done via typewriter or good old pen. The file folders were my things before Excel was invented. This should not be surprising to anyone aware of my obsessive personality.

Jacobs touches on thoughts of being educated vs. remaining blissfully unaware. This is a subject I often ponder.

On one side, I often feel overwhelmed by all the things I do not know, but want to know. For example, my 15 year book list frustrates me because I genuinely cannot read any faster. Or when someone brings up an obscure point, I hate it when I don't know what they are talking of. I was born with a brain geared toward learning.

On the flip side, I feel overwhelmed by things that I DO know. For example, does studying the Holocaust truly make me a better person? Or does it make me more fearful and anxious? Maybe both. I have a hunger to learn about it, and I do think I'm a better person because I'm aware, but...what you don't know doesn't hurt you, right? And does being politically aware and active actually do anything except frustrate me? Probably not. Most people are blissfully oblivious in this category.

It’s a conundrum, really. Some days I wish I could regress and become dumber. Could it be true that ignorance is bliss? Sometimes I feel like I should strive to be a little dumber…maybe I’ll work on that.

Anyway, this book made me want to re-read the Encyclopedia! I think I will add it to my list…