« I KNOW…» told you on and on your son or your daughter. Bang! No parent is ready to take that from his own child.
« I KNOW… » obviously means something like: « I see your point, it’s understood… but leave me alone! » A clear refusal to dialogue. A protection against the outer world, so uncertain and so uncomfortable.

Beware. This fashion for « I know » maybe spread outside the family nest and parent-child relationships.

Communication experts are well aware of the gap between the sender and the addressee of a message. An issue with listening and understanding what the sender meant. How to make sure we’ve been understood and, eventually, that our counterpart will act accordingly? Sales people and marketing pros have all made the bitter experience of sales figure not following initial consumer feedbacks, when decisions differ from recorded speech and blabla!

In Lyon, France, popular phrase says: « c’est pas le tout d’y dire, y faut encore y faire » like a warning signal that saying something is just the beginning of a potentially long process until actual decision and motion. In fact, resistance to change is a universal issue, maybe more brutal nowadays, in a troubled era with giant challenges ahead of us.

Let’s refocus on our dear children. They often don’t wait for adolescence before they express their refusal and, too, try to avoid change. Saying « I know » they display, like it or not, a low wish to discuss with their parents or any adult authority. Very promising for the next years, and a terrible atmosphere at home!

« I know », pretends a famous scientist or a political leader, further to the announcement of a disaster. « I know », or rather « I knew » repeats the economist facing another « bad news » regarding GDP, investment, debt or unemployment. Each and every one, locked in its own field, will say « I know ». However he or she will keep on acting as if nothing changed, denying the real facts. Are we so desperate, lacking motivation or imagination? Remains this « I know » statement, engraved into the stone of official communicate, at a national or supranational level (UN, NATO, etc.) Check out IPCC or other kinds of « I know » statements.

Officially people keep on saying « We know », so keep cool. Stay quiet, stay home, it’s under control. Really? I DON’T KNOW…

At an individual level, we have a feeling of « I know » something but « I don’t want to » talk about it. We’re increasingly getting autistic, and express our anger and refusal to deep and calm communication with others. But are we so scared of sharing views and sentiments?

Let’s all admit that our electronic fetishes do not lead us to real communication! In order to heal from this « I know » illness, we should take some distance from Descartes philosophy. Instead, listen to Montaigne and look back to Socrates who courageously stated that, unlike others, he didn’t know! « All I know is that I know nothing. » Fantastic lesson of humbleness, refreshing just when the Internet and tablets would tend to make us feel like Mr. Know-it-all and Do-it-all, in a childish dream of total power.