Knowledge is potential power, applied knowledge is power.
“Oh, I heard of this…” “Ya, I know this…” … these are some of the common reactions people give when being informed about something.
What separates those who achieve something with what they know and those who simply know something on the very surface of the same piece of information is the level of understanding and the power to relate.
Level of Understanding
Information remains as it is when you do nothing about it (that’s why the phrase “for your information only”).
It becomes part of your knowledge when it is implanted in your mind.
Cognition – the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses – is an interesting topic.
To be able to see through mere information, understand it and give it a deeper thought may not be enough. We need to be able to relate it to other matters.
In the simplest form of example:
- Information – what is being presented
- Knowledge – I am aware / familiar to that information and the details
- Understanding – I know what it means / how it works etc
- Deep Thought – I know further details / the real meaning / message behind that
- Relate – I can see the linkage of this information with other matters that somehow relates.
Different people may have different understanding about the same piece of information, and sometimes there is no definite right or wrong on that.
It’s a matter of perspective.
If you simply accept what is being fed without giving much deep thought about it, you might be intentionally misled.
You have to think, thoroughly.
The power to relate, in other words, is about connecting the dots.
Remember that small little game most of us play when we were still kids?
When you are able to go through to the deepest part of the information, you may be facing a situation where you need to make some hardest choice.
It’s about freedom of choices and being responsible for your own decisions.
Stay hungry. Stay foolish.
Steve Jobs
Image by Darwin Laganzon from Pixabay
Featured Image by John Hain from Pixabay
p/s: How to apply knowledge? You just got to start something somewhere, somehow with what you know. Take that leap of faith once you found your purpose or set your ultimate goal, because you will be going nowhere if you don’t know where you want to go.
