Opinion: I don't like the word "Expert".

I actually dont like being called an "expert". Dont get me wrong, I'm honored to be appreciated in this way by my peers. but if I may go off on a tangent, I don't just dont believe in the word "expert". I don't even think its good for us.

I think it implies a finality of knowledge that I don't believe exists. There are things I don't know. I'm definitely still learning all the time and everyone else is too. That's a good thing. That's how it should be. 

​I don't believe in a hierarchy of knowledge, because it's been my experience that knowledge is not linear. You don't start as "beginner" and gain everything there is to know at that level and then ok advance to intermediate so now you know  everything a beginner can possible know and now more, and so on until you reach "expert" and once you are the "expert" you know everything! here comes the EXPERT! dun dun duuun! 

I find that really yucky. 

There have been people keeping half the time I have that have great ideas I never thought of- and that's so cool you know? But if you need to be seen as an "expert" having all the answers, you may not be able to get that input. People may not share those ideas because "you're the expert", so you must of thought of it already right? That sucks. "Experts" also lose out from the ego the term creates. If you're the expert, and you run into trouble, you may not seek help from the community for fear of losing your "expert" status. That's not good for your snakes. So the concept inhibits the growth of people who often are relied upon by others for support. That's a shame. 

Of course It definitely hurts those that are not the "expert" too. Say you haven't been doing this decades but you have truly great ideas. Only to find you get silenced because its not the way the "expert" does it. That denies the truth that great ideas can come from anywhere- and the person the great idea smacked into may not be an expert... So we alienate them and we lose their spark. They may have been someone great. They may have done something great that benefits thousands of snakes later. That is a loss to us all. I lament all the brilliant ideas, good caring people, and their innovations the community has lost due to the concept of them not being the "expert". That's sad. We don't move forward this way.

I'm not saying that people with less experience shouldn't listen to people that have a lot of experience. People with more experience are aware of pitfalls and have more perspective on what works and doesn't. What I am saying is people shouldnt be afraid to share, or to receive ideas. The art of snake keeping is a journey with no destination-only a continual strive to learn more, do better, become more efficient. You do that by sharing with others, and being open to learning new things. 

So yeah, I don't aspire to be an "expert". I am a person who has been fortunate enough to be able to offer a broad range of support for others in the community- but I will never be done learning myself. all move forward. That's how I see it at least.