More on Being Dumb

I continue my meandering inquiries into being dumb, and the dumb things I do.

For the purpose of this conversation, being dumb is defined as:

• Doing things that I really do know better than to do
• Doing things that I really should know better than to do

So notice that this does not include any of the following:

• Things I did because I was young and naive and didn't know any better
• What my mother warned me against, but I never took her seriously
• Things that are important to me that other people think are stupid

No, we are not talking about any such things that the world might think are dumb, but aren't dumb to me. Being dumb is here defined as doing things that I know, or ought to know, to be dumb.

Today I went to the bank especially to pay in a cheque which has been sitting around waiting to be paid in for a month. I forgot to take the cheque.

Now it is not necessarily the forgetting that is dumb.

I was actually sure I had taken it, until I got to the bank and discovered otherwise.

Perhaps the dumbness lies in not carefully preparing and packing what I need before I go out.

Perhaps it lies in not allowing for the time I need to prepare and pack.

Perhaps it lies in allowing myself to get absorbed in my thoughts, and not do what I know to do - be systematic about packing and preparing what I need.

I think this is going to be a very fruitful line of inquiry.