I recently attended a small private gathering of some well to do friends. Friends gathering for an evening social hour. Among them were a couple of Doctors, several Lawyers, a stock broker and a well known real estate broker.

The neighbor on the other side of the fence, who was a plumber by trade, was playing with his children. There was a lot of giggling and laughing coming from their direction.

During the course of conversation I heard the Doctor say he wished that the uneducated boob would take his kid inside, be quiet and just stay out of sight.

Uneducated boob? His statement upset me a little and got me thinking. Between the boob and the Doctor which was really more intelligent.

I thought I would conduct an experiment of my own. Just to satisfy my own mind.

I asked the Doctor how many years he had gone to school to learn his trade. He said that he had studied for over 12 years to learn what he knows, with annual refresher courses.

I personally know the plumber and I also know that he learned his trade on the job. Working long and hard learning enough to get licensed as a plumber.

I then asked the Doctor if he could do his own surgery. Of course the answer was no. The plumber could, however, do his own plumbing.

I asked the Doctor if he could rewire his home, rebuild a carburetor, repair a toaster or grow a garden. He answered no to all questions. The Plumber answered yes to the same questions.

I also ask if the Doctor had children. He replied that he had 3, 2 boys and a girl. He said a nanny cared for them and took them to school functions and the local park.

The plumber has 5 kids and attends each and every school function as well as boy scouts and gets the kids to dance class and music lessons.

The Doctor actually knew little about family, the common plumber was well versed in family life and participated completely in all aspects.

The Doctor began to fumble and squirm and then stated that he could fly an airplane. Could the plumber do that?
The reply was, yes, I learned that a long time ago in my spare time and have my own plane. He was also teaching his son to fly.

This is where it became humorous. I asked the Doctor if he still thought the uneducated boob was dumber than dirt. He paused for a few moments and then left the room without an answer.

The point is, the Doctor who thinks he is one of the most intelligent people in the world is not. Oh, don't get me wrong, I do think Doctors and Lawyers are intelligent, but only in one field.

The plumber has educated himself in many different fields including humility.

We are all intelligent in some field. Some are more educated in one field or another, but I don't think anything beats the school of hard knocks.

So, I ask you, which is smarter, the Doctor with one field of education or the plumber with true knowledge of life?

You decide. If you have a story like this I'd like to hear about it. Leave me a comment.

Len Roe is the Owner and CEO of Diversified Distribution of Oregon. He is also the author of several books and has written articles for both business and pleasure. Some of his articles are humorous and emotional. To see more of what he has written go here: http://honestmoneymakers.blogspot.com/ and here: http://www.InternetMoneyInfo-noscams.com http://www.TravelWestVacation.com.