Charlie Chaplin and the Experts

             

Charlie Chaplin (1889 - 1977) is considered a great humanitarian and one of the most important persons in the history of film making. He loved to entertain himself and people.

In 1975 Charlie Chaplin, decided to enter a Charlie Chaplin look alike contest held in France. His entry was amongst one of many entrants.

                                                     

Well, what do you know? The experts on the panel of judges placed Charlie Chaplin third.

This incident begs the question, 'Who is an expert?' 

An expert is defined as someone who is knowledgable or skilful in a particular area. 

When we perceive someone as an expert, its usually because they demonstrate confidence, in what they say or do.

What if the person doesn't really have that knowledge or skill but pretends to have it.  Obviously we will be fooled and feel sorry for ourselves. 

That is why we often discover that,

Often, an expert is someone who is never in doubt but frequently in error.

                                     

We ourselves, know our situation, problem or needs better than anyone else. Therefore we are best poised to find and implement solutions to our problems.

Spending time alone to look within myself, I have often been able to find answers to doubts and and solutions to challenges.

But we do not trust ourselves. We have grown so distant from ourselves that we rarely look within ourselves for answers. We would rather trust a stranger believing them to be experts.

Maybe its a good idea to take off time to be alone with ourselves at least once a day. One will be surprised by the focus, energy and positiveness it brings into one's life. 

Sure, we will make mistakes, but its useful to remember that, all success is based on failures and setbacks.

Interesting speech by Charlie Chaplin - Final Speech from The Great Dictator  - YouTube

Expert

Some people wanted to make some quick money, and hit upon the idea to have a Charlie Chaplin look alike contest.

There were many entries, and on a lark, Charlie Chaplin himself entered the contest anonymously. 
Well, what do you know? The experts on the panel of judges placed Charlie Chaplin fourth.

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An expert is someone who is never in doubt but frequently in error.

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Do not always go blindly by what the '**experts**' tell you. Be courageous to make your own evaluation and then make an opinion or take action. You might sometimes be wrong, but remember wisdom grows, from learning from our experiences.

Foot in Mouth Disease?

My friend Seema calls me an expert. My chest always puffed up with pride, until one day she shared with me her definition of an 'expert'.
An expert is someone who is never in doubt but frequently in error!!

I realised a little late in the day that she was merely being polite for an ailment which can be labelled as 'foot in mouth' disease.

Upon this great realisation, I was curious to determine if I belonged to a small group or a larger community that had been afflicted with this malady. I am glad to inform you that this problem is quite common but lays dormant until triggered by any of the following phenomena;

A powerful trigger for turning into an expert is to get elected to office. Does not matter which office, any office will do. Even getting elected to the management committee of a housing society or your local club will bestow upon you the crown of all knowledge.

Some acquire money, some are born with it, and some have it thrust upon them. Wealth thrusts people into the world of experts. It does not matter whether it was plundered , earned, or acquired in the old fashioned way, that is to inherit it, the person is instantly transformed into an expert.

The third way to become an expert is to become the boss of some poor creatures at work. The boss knows everything.

The fastest and most certain way to gain expertise is of course to get married. You will immediately acquire an expert. Whether this makes your life better is questionable, but it will certainly make it interesting, at least for a while.

Last but no less powerful and all pervasive mother of all expert sources is to become a parent. No one knows better than a parent. As the quote goes "You may fool some people all the time, you may fool all the people some of the time but you can never fool Mom." Parents apparently wear the crown of all knowledge.

Before you begin to feel sorry for all these different types of experts and the great burden they have to bear in the upliftment of mere mortals you may want to review the mumblings or should I say bumblings of some other great experts;

• We don't need you. You haven't got through college yet. -
  Hewlett Packard excuse to Steve Jobs, who founded Apple Computers instead.


• I think there's a world market for about maybe five computers. -
  Thomas J. Watson, chairman of the board of IBM


• Everything that can be invented has been invented.
  Charles H. Duell, Office of Patents, 1899


• 640K memory for a computer ought to be enough for anybody -
  Bill Gates, Microsoft, 1981


• There will never be a bigger plane built. - A Boeing Engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane that carried ten people.


• Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value. -
  Marechal Ferdinand, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre.


• We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out. -
  Decca Executive, 1962, after turning down the Beatles


• There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home. -
  Ken Olson, president of Digital Equipment Corp. 1977


• This telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. - Western Union, memo, 1876


• No imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?
  David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urging investment in the radio in the 1920's


• Who wants to hear actors talk? -
  H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927


• While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially it is an impossibility. -
  Lee DeForest, inventor


• Radio has no future. Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible. X-rays will prove to be a hoax.
  Lord Kelvin English scientist, 1899 ( William Thomson)