220 – Knowledge

We safely returned home to a busier week than I expected; therefore, posting a day later than normal.

Click the video above for several minutes of background waves while reading.

I like to walk on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

I look across the water to the horizon and then into the sky, and two words come to mind: vast and knowledge. Vast because the water and the sky are broad, wide, deep, expansive, and endless to me. Knowledge because I’m looking across the depth and breadth of the sea of knowledge – the body of knowledge – all that is known. Yet, beyond the horizon and deep space take me from the known to the unknown.

I think about how knowledge is many things. Yes, it’s facts, information, and skills, but knowledge also includes understanding, making connections, and using the knowledge. We associate knowledge with formal education and scholarship while recognizing we also gain knowledge by doing, through life experiences, and from others. 

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I think about knowledge terms such as public, common, and expert – even tacit, explicit, and carnal. Knowledge is what humanity knows in a particular field of study, then add all the fields into one body of human knowledge. The body of knowledge is so large, that not one person knows everything. To know what we as individuals know, and to know what we do not know are challenging and knowledgeable.  

When we are born, we are not stupid because a baby doesn’t know better. A baby is ignorant because they don’t know yet. The human experience of learning is a long, slow journey over time. No wonder a child stays at home for so long. 

As life progresses, one must work hard to remain stupid – yet too many choose to be ignorant – even stupid. I know knowledge is powerful and liberating, yet we live in a world with supposedly knowledgeable humans saying and doing stupid things. No wonder some believe ignorance is bliss.

Gaining knowledge is a process. I think about how much information we have at our fingertips today. Well, assuming one uses the right resources. I recall embarking on my self-study in 2009 – a study I fervently engaged in for about 3 years – a self-study of reading books, professional articles, and essays, plus listening to lectures and podcasts. Besides my motivation, selecting the right people to read was paramount.

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I think about all the information that is at our disposal today. It’s overwhelming. Taking it in is one thing, but that information into action is another matter. I wonder, is the time gaining information well spent if we don’t use it?

I think about knowledge in different situations. Times when there is a difference between correct & incorrect (right & wrong) and agree & disagree. I recall a discussion when a person said I was wrong, to which I sternly answered by saying, we may disagree, but I’m not wrong. 

I wonder, is speaking out our opinion a way to demonstrate our stupidity? Perhaps the wise are the ones who know when to remain silent and when to speak.

I think about walls people put up that inhibit learning by either blocking knowledge or clouding it – walls of biases based on politics, religion, culture, race, and probably more. Toss in arrogance by those who think they know much but know so little. 

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I stop to look across the water and then look at the beach in both directions. As I stare at the sea of knowledge, am I standing on the shoreline of wonder? If so, is wonder a light that sparks the will to gain knowledge? Is wonder a starting line? Is wonder a realization of personal ignorance?

My teaching side thinks of three types of knowledge: what I know, what I don’t know, and what I think I know – but don’t. Thankfully I learned to incorporate this thought into developing lessons. 

I think about dealing with misconceptions: incorrect understandings based on misinformation or overgeneralizing a concept. If a person enters a classroom believing some blood is blue, hot air rises, or humans evolved from apes, the teacher has a difficult task. The only chance they have is through lessons that allow the student to process the information and change their mind because the odds of just telling them to do any good are slim.

I think about living in an era with people selecting a news source that fits their paradigm as a news source that tells them what they want to hear – a time of fake news and alternate facts. I think about how to tell the misinformed and those who think they know what they are talking about but are clueless. Here’s a simple rule that I have used: If you don’t want to hear something stupid, don’t give them a chance to talk. 

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Possessing knowledge stimulates wonder and mystery because that is what humans do. I think about how new knowledge leads us to more knowledge and a deeper understanding. I truly believe the more one knows, the more they realize how much there is to learn – therefore, how little they know.

I end this walk where I started – looking at the sea and thinking about the width and depth of knowledge. I see the horizon as a driving force linking the known and the unknown. I see the sky for its infinity into the unknown. I feel the winds bringing the fresh air to stimulate my thoughts. Yes, the fresh smell of seaside air is an elixir stimulating thoughts.

Thinking about knowledge on this day has been good. Then again, I like to walk on the beach. It’s good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

I’m linking to Jo’s Monday Walk in and around Carvoeiro. Tell her I sent you.

See what other bloggers have posted about Knowledge

• Knowledge speaks but Wisdom Listens (an essay)
• Knowledge is Power (an essay)
• The Computer: An Eruption of Knowledge (a poem)
• Imagination is More Important than Knowledge (an essay)
• The Web of Knowledge: Science and Popular Wisdom (an essay)

Next Post: Emotions – Saturday 16th March @ 1 AM (Eastern US)