Field of Error

“嘿，克林特！”我喊道，“你知不知道每个玉米秸秆上只结出一根玉米穗？”

“不可能！难道2米高的玉米杆上只能结出一根玉米穗吗？”

“真的！是不是感到很惊奇？明白了吗？一根玉米！

你有没有过这样的经历：宣称自己是某方面专家，但后来自己的专业知识却遭受到了挑战，并被证明是错误的。这样的经历让人羞愧和尴尬，似乎还没完没了。

我在爱荷华州的一个农场长大。那时候，我的傍晚、周末和暑假等空余时间都是在田间地头度过的。在干农活的过程中，我学到了一丁点儿的农业常识，像一根玉米杆只结一根玉米穗之类。高中毕业后，我上了大学。为了确保暑期有不涉及农场劳动的工作可做，我可真是煞费苦心。

大学毕业后，我搬到了城市生活。那里的朋友很喜欢听我讲讲农场生活的趣闻逸事，还有那些所谓的小常识。不过不幸的是，我所知道的那点儿事已经发生了变化。

很显然，当我离开大学开始工作的时候，基因工程已经在农业领域有所应用。现在一根玉米杆已经可以结出两个玉米穗了。我付出惨痛代价后才知道这个改变。

一天，克林特和他的球友在一起打高尔夫球。正要开球的时候，克林特看到一片玉米地。“有个赌我肯定会赢，”他沾沾自喜地想。“嘿，伙计们！我敢打赌那片玉米地里所有的玉米杆上都只有一根玉米穗，敢不敢跟我赌10美元？”“你疯啦！”他的朋友回答，“我们接受你的赌注。”结果怎么样？克林特不但输了10美元，还输了自己的骄傲。

而我呢？在朋友圈里失去了可信度。这事已经过去10年了，可克林特每次见到我，依然会提起那个输掉的赌注。

Field of Error

“Hey, Clint!” I shouted. “Did you know that each stalk of corn only has one ear of corn on it?”

“No way! That seven-foot tall stalk only produces one ear of corn?”

“Really! Isn’t that amazing? Get it? A-maize-ing!”

Have you ever asserted yourself as an expert, only to have your “expertise”challenged and proven wrong? The experience can be humbling, embarrassing, and seemingly never-ending.

I grew up on a farm in Iowa where I spent my evenings, weekends, and summers performing menial labor. In the course of doing my chores, I picked up a few bits of trivia—like the one-ear-of-corn-per-stalk information. After high school, I went away to college, took great pains to ensure that I always had summer jobs lined up that did not involve farm labor.

After college, I moved to the city, where my friends enjoyed hearing occasional anecdotes and bits of trivia about life on the farm. Unfortunately, the truth as I knew it had changed.

Apparently, while I was away at college and beginning my career, genetic engineering had been applied in the field of agriculture, and corn stalks now regularly sported two ears of corn instead of one. I learned this the hard way.

One day, as Clint and his friends were about to tee off while playing golf, Clint spied a cornfield.

“Hey guys! I’ll bet you ten bucks that not one stalk of corn out there has more than one ear on it.” “You’re crazy!” they replied. “We’ll take that bet!”

And so Clint lost ten dollars and some measure of pride. I, on the other hand, lost all credibility. It’s been ten years, and I still cannot see Clint without his reminding me of that lost bet.