We Know it All

Something that happened recently in college set me thinking hard first on the importance of context and took me on to a whole lot of other issues.
Context determines our actions, our behaviour, our language - everything that we say and do. Ironically, not many of us attach importance to this, particularly the young. An attitude almost bordering on arrogance ( they call it confidence) is most commonly exhibited by our youngsters which often results in complex /complicated situations they create for themselves. Worse, instead of attempting to wriggle out of those situations they generally aggravate them by their insensitive/ insensible words and actions. Why is it so? Why is this 'I-know-it-all' attitude? Why do we feign omniscience? Is it because the situation demands? Or may be because we live in a consumerist world today where marketing and selling yourself matters so much that you constantly have to wear the garb /mask of a 'super genius', 'a walking encyclopaedia', 'a living god'. I sometimes wonder whether to laugh or to cry when children as young as eighteen years speak of their understanding of the world in absolute terms - it certainly is a cause for concern. Sadly, the ability to be receptive to other perspectives/ possibilities is blatantly lacking. It is always "I do this, i do that, i have read this, i have read that- and therefore i know better". Life would be so simple, so peaceful if only understanding or enlightenment can happen after reading a couple of books, or for that matter doing some research on some specific area for only two years. I feel we all have become so engrossed in this rat race that each one wants to compete and excel in the 'art' of exhibitionism. Everywhere we go we carry huge placards boldly proclaiming our so called expertise, interests, knowledge areas and what not! Unfortunately that has not helped us to even understand / distinguish between situations, act maturely, act differntly in different situations. On the one hand we continue to claim knowledge, on the other our actions betray us and reveal our ignorance.