How many times has the saying, “Knowledge is power,” been preached from someone’s mouth, an author’s book on historical figures, or a small poster that has hung up in the corner of that ambitious scholar’s room?
More than enough. That’s because it is a phrase that gets some attention – in an era of volatile political and economic occurrences throughout the world and our country, the quote may even get a little too much attention and not enough clarification (well, at least for me).
It seems that there are so many things that this phrase is implying. Such as if you have more degrees you are more powerful… Or is it implying that if you read a little more than the next person you have surpassed them… Or maybe if you know more people on Facebook you will have a leg up in life.
See, we have to realize that the words are only meaningful if we allow them to be. So for the purpose of my serenity, I want to address Mr. Three Letter Statement and put him in his rightful place- the exact opposite of what he portrayed himself to be throughout the years.
One of the most beautiful things about having close family and friends? They can sometimes see a vision through your looking glass better than you can; essentially, you can have your own network of personal binoculars that can zoom in on things that you alone have yet to see as amazing… or better yet, powerful.
So a few weeks ago, I was talking with one of my older sisters on the phone about a something I was going through. In summation, there was a situation between myself and another person that I was dealing with, and I was more conscious about a major factor that was hindering the growth of the relationship.
However, out of fear and worry, I let the situation go unspoken and it was continuing to build unnecessary stresses in my day-to-day activities. ,After explaining this to my sister, she added a new perspective and saw what I didn’t see — a piece of the missing equation.
Yes, it was clear that I had complete knowledge of what was going on, but at the end of the day I was feeling powerless. “The key,” she told me, “is being responsible with the knowledge that you have…it’s about responsibility- how are you going to respond to the knowledge that you have acquired.” That single revelation she shared with me had never been broken down like that to before. It was exactly what I needed to move on for not only that circumstance, but many other things in my life as well.
So where and how does all this tie in to what is going with you, me, and the next person?
Well, the new goal for us can be twofold. On the other hand, let’s see if we can eliminate the desire to seek ultimate, dominating power in the things that we are involved in. Is it really healthy for us to constantly put tons of energy into seeking this individual superiority, being that we are all in some light surrounded by great minds?
But then again, how about we let our presence, our creativity, our direction, our goals, our work, our minds, and our relationships have an all-encompassing powerful impact. A powerful impact is much greater than just power, now it’s a personal choice of which type of leader we want to be known as.
Moving forward, whatever knowledge or exposure you encounter, make it a habit to respond to it and watch just how powerful your own life becomes. So, no! Knowledge is not power… Instead, we will be powerful because we are responsible with the knowledge that we have. Peace!!