Cardiac surgeons in the morning, economists at noon, football coaches by night

Opinion Cardiac surgeons in the morning, economists at noon, football coaches by night Foto Apo4i 1024x576 Relevant News Republic of Cyprus: An anniversary and a lament 17 August 2026 Cardiac surgeons in the morning, economists at noon, football coaches by night 17 August 2026 Motorists warned as heavy rain hits Nicosia-Limassol highway 17 August 2026 Charalambos Zakos 17 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber There is one “profession” in which, judging by everyday life, all of us in Cyprus seem to excel: being a know-it-all. Because, basically, we know everything. We know what was said in a meeting we did not attend. We know what was said in a phone call we did not hear. We know how a building should be constructed, how a public service should operate, how the state should be governed and how every problem that arises ought to be solved. And, of course, the issue does not even have to be serious. A pipe bursts at home, for example. We call the plumber because we do not know how to fix it. But the moment the poor man arrives, we suddenly know exactly what the problem is, what needs replacing, which part he should use and how long the job ought to take. The same with the painter. The same with the panel beater. The same with the mechanic. The same with almost every professional. We call them because they are the expert. We pay them because they are the expert. And then we hover over them explaining how they should do the job in which we ourselves are not experts. Why? Because somehow, by some mysterious process known to no one, “we know better”. The phenomenon becomes even more pronounced when we move on to more serious matters. We go to the doctor, but we have already diagnosed ourselves. We know what is wrong with us, which tests should be done, which medicine we should take, and if the doctor dares to disagree, we immediately become suspicious. They may have studied for ten or fifteen years. They may have examined thousands of patients. But we read three articles online, so naturally “we know better”. In football, things go to an entirely different level. There, we are not merely supporters. We are coaches, sporting directors, fitness trainers, analysts and dressing-room insiders all at once. We know what happened in training. We know who fell out with whom. We know what was said in the dressing room. We know what is being discussed in the corridors of the GSP Stadium. We pick the starting eleven, make substitutions in our heads, choose the formation and decide the tactics. And, of course, when the actual coach fails to do what we regard as blindingly obvious, the verdict is simple: “He hasn’t got a clue about football.” Many hats We Cypriots have one characteristic that can be both an advantage and a serious flaw: enormous confidence in our own opinions. So much confidence, in fact, that the same person can change profession four times in the course of a single day. In the morning, he becomes a cardiac surgeon, explaining exactly how an open-heart operation should have been performed. By midday, he has turned into an economist, explaining how the economy, interest rates, banks and the state should be managed. In the afternoon, he becomes an energy expert, knowing precisely how the generators should operate, what the Electricity Authority of Cyprus should do and how the energy problem can be solved. And by evening, he pulls on his tracksuit and takes over as head coach of his football team. All of it delivered with exactly the same unwavering certainty. Opinion is one thing, knowledge another And perhaps this is where the real problem lies. At some point, here in Cyprus, we need finally to learn to distinguish between two completely different things. Opinion is one thing. Knowledge is another. You have every right to hold an opinion. You also have every right to express it. But that does not mean your opinion is correct. It does not mean it is supported by evidence. And it certainly does not mean you can demand that it carry the same weight as the knowledge of someone who has devoted years of study, work and experience to a particular field. In years gone by, an uninformed opinion might be voiced around a dinner table, in a coffee shop or among friends, and that would be the end of it. It was like a drop of water falling and disappearing. Today, however, we live in a different world. One baseless opinion becomes ten. Ten become a hundred. A hundred become thousands. And eventually, all those drops gather into a torrent of supposed certainty, in which facts, knowledge and common sense are often drowned. After all, the most dangerous thing is not simply not knowing. The most dangerous thing is not knowing that you do not know. People who are genuinely knowledgeable usually understand the limits of their expertise very well. A doctor will not pretend to be an electrician. An economist will not pretend to be a cardiac surgeon. An engineer will not pretend to be a football coach. The difference between them and the rest of us is simple: each of those people knows one thing very well. That nobody can know everything. Half-knowledge, by contrast, has a strange gift. It breeds certainty. And confidence. So, to bring this to a close, the central idea is simple. We Cypriots can say absolutely anything — except two words. “I don’t know” simply refuses to come out of our mouths… Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Republic of Cyprus: An anniversary and a lament Motorists warned as heavy rain hits Nicosia-Limassol highway Car fire breaks out in Aglantzia at midday Court of Appeal orders extradition over Russian space funds theft Police await Law Office opinion on Drousiotis fundraiser Four summer drownings put Cyprus’s unstaffed lifeguard towers in the spotlight Father fighting for life after jet ski hits inflatable carrying five off Protaras Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.