Dealing with Knowledge

The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability. – Henry Ford

A click on google for any quest for knowledge offers you millions of responses. If you analyse these then you will find the following category of responses: 1. Thousands of these responses can simply be rated as crap.?2. Another thousand responses do not answer your question but are an answer to some other question.?3. Yet another thousand responses are meant to distract you as someone has to sell his or her solution.4. Then you are left with certain hundreds of responses which once filtered by you will give you some final options and hence an answer.?

This is how knowledge is available for all of us otherwise also, be it knowledge from institutions or be it knowledge from coaches, it's chaotic and hence it calls for having absolute clarity before beginning your journey into any form of knowledge. Following are some critical factors while dealing with Knowledge

"Be Aware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance." - George Bernard Shaw

Source of Knowledge: What one may assume as knowledge can be propaganda with maligned intentions. It's hereby prudent to check the source of knowledge and get it validated.

Prioritise the knowledge that you wish to acquire: Knowledge can be divided into two categories viz. "Must have" & "Good to have". Many people keep adding a lot of knowledge in a particular domain and keep ignoring the enhancement of knowledge of some other important domain. It's practically not possible to attain all the knowledge in one go but it makes sense to first acquire knowledge that can contribute to your present situation and offer solutions. So at any given time, it makes sense to prefer "Must have" knowledge over "Good to have" Knowledge.

“Learn, unlearn, relearn” should be the practice: In our journey as learners, we acquire the correct, incorrect, and partially correct knowledge, and to start with we should forgive ourselves for that. Since it's the precise knowledge only that contributes and hence we have to remain open to unlearning and relearning. It's a common observation that people typically look for knowledge to confirm their beliefs and undervalue evidence that could disprove their beliefs. Such a learning attitude does not take you anywhere. Learning logic is more lasting and brings in newer ideas and thoughts.

Implementation after learning is a must: “Knowledge comes from learning. Wisdom comes from living.” said Anthony Douglas Williams. ?Many individuals are knowledge enthusiasts and are almost like a live encyclopedia. They have gathered so much knowledge but this entire knowledge didn't either help them in achieving nor did it contribute to them in any way. The concern here is about the implementation of knowledge. The real value of knowledge is in its implementation as It's not about the quantum of knowledge you absorb, it's about the knowledge you apply.

Knowledge is like money: to be of value it must circulate, and in circulating it can increase in quantity and, hopefully, in value. – Louis L’Amour

Knowledge grows on Sharing: Many people attain knowledge and keep it close to their chest. This does not benefit anyone in a long run. As knowledge increases by sharing but not by savings. The more you share knowledge with others it helps you in a bigger way. By sharing you refine your understanding of the knowledge and you also contribute to society.

Learner for Life: "Knowledge has to be improved, challenged and increased constantly, or it vanishes" quoting Peter Drucker. Many people fall prey to this trap of "I Know", especially after they have attained some success from the application of acquired knowledge. With this attitude, they stop learning new things and are not interested in updating their existing knowledge. Gaining knowledge is an ongoing process. We all are learners for life wherein our learning begins from the cradle and ends at the coffin.?

Adapted from, “The Winning Wheel”, a self-help book by Ravi Dangwal, e-Book link?https://www.amazon.in/dp/B09BCF6QMF/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_K7WQTWB73FQEQ8EG0ETP