I prefer violists to sciolists

We’ve all had that teacher, mentor, elder who at some point in our childhood uttered the phrase, “Take that idea and fly with it". I’m not a fan of that phrase, some ideas aren’t meant to be flown with. The phrase elicits a sense of hasty pursuit that I find to be quite damaging. Why is it that I have such strong feelings about such a seemingly mundane phrase? Let’s bring this all back to the word, sciolist.

Sciolist: (noun) a person who pretends to be knowledgeable and well informed

-from the Latin sciolus - knowing

This word is a bit archaic and has fallen out of favor in every day vernacular, but I find it to be a delightful word that has all the pejorative qualities I’m looking for. My greatest fear in life is to be known as a sciolist but alas some people are built different. We all know that person in our life, who when they learn something new make it their mission to demonstrate to all around them just how much of an expert they are in their newly collected knowledge. There’s nothing wrong with not knowing. Accepting this and learning more is the best way forward. Flying with it is how Icarus ended up dead.