TAKING OURSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY?

Do we as guides take ourselves too seriously? There is a tendency, when you have to be qualified to do a job, to consider that you know everything there is to know about the job and that outsiders/civilians/the unqualified are a lesser species of being. While I am proud of my blue badge and the knowledge I have gained and stored I sometimes think we should have a court jester who whispers in our ear reminding us not to become too grand, as ancient rulers were reputed to have.
I write this because of the conflicts going on in the guiding profession between those who want to make the blue badge the only, certainly the pre-eminent, qualification and those who are not ferankly that bothered by letters after your name, certificates, badges, exams passed, etc. The former tend to be guides worried about losing working to the unqualified, while the latter tend to be, well, most of the rest of the world - tourists, tour operators, etc. Most people going on a tour just want to have a good time and want a guide who can help them do that, whatever their background. Sometimes, whisper it, a lack of experience and qualifications is actually a positive benefit, when adrenalin, freshness and enthusiasm make up for lack of knowledge and knowhow. Could not say that in a meeting of guides but I certainly felt it this last week with a rather subdued group who only seemed to rise from their torpor when I made a half-decent joke.
One thing experience has taught me, however, is never to give up on a group. They may take a lot of effort but they do eventually, hopefully, appreciate the effort, although it is usually more for organisisng their drop-offs in London and making phone calls on their behalf, rather than any intellectual excitement you offer...