Seven Reasons You Don’t Want to Forget
“Scientia potentia est,” or, “knowledge is power” is a Latin aphorism most commonly attributed to 16th-century philosopher Francis Bacon.
This phrase has existed in various versions across cultures and across times. Earlier versions of the phrase date back to the 10th century, such as in the Nahj Al-Balagha:
“Knowledge is power and it can command obedience,”
or the words of the Persian poet Ferdowsi:
“Capable is he who is wise.”
There’s a Hebrew phrase in the biblical Book of Proverbs that was translated nearly the same; first into Latin as:
“Vir sapiens et fortis est et vir doctus robustus et validus,”
and then into the English King James Bible as:
“A wise man is strong, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.”
I’m sure we’ve all heard it before.
Most of us have probably heard it enough that it has become one of those corny, hackneyed phrases that we might roll our eyes at. It’s one of those things you know is true, but that you might feel like a dork saying.
Platitudinous though it may be, I feel this is a phrase worth remembering.
While knowledge and wisdom are not quite the same thing (like knowing what to say vs when you should say it), for these purposes they can both be thought of as valuable things that accumulate as one lives.
Here are some things to remember about wisdom and/or knowledge, to remind you why it is never a waste of time to pursue it:
It’s free
While you might pay a sort of karmic price for your golden nuggets of wisdom (like burning your hand when the stove is hot), you really can learn pretty much anything for free, if you put your mind to it.
There’s free articles, videos, textbooks, even open courseware for pretty much everything on the internet. Your local library probably has some cool stuff. Your grandpa probably knows some things that he’d be willing to tell you. Hell, a lot of things you can probably just figure out through trial and error, like how to kiss someone, or how to stand on your head.
Even if you’re paying for someone else to teach you something, it’s really you who ends up teaching yourself in the end, isn’t it? The time and attention you give something is the true price you pay for it, but it doesn’t always have to cost dollars.
It’s renewable
Knowledge doesn’t expire– you can use it over and over again.
As long as you remember where the blackberries grow you’ll be able to go and pick them. You can harvest a quail egg if you know the right bush to check underneath.
There’s no limit to sharing it
The renewability of your knowledge isn’t limited to you.
If you know where the berries grow and where the quail lay their eggs, you can teach your friends, and you and your friends can make berry pies and quails-egg omelets for you all to enjoy in the future.
It’s interesting
It’s another thing that sounds awfully cheesy to say, but learning is fun.
Did I need to know that certain animals– like mantis shrimp, pythons and some birds– can see a whole spectrum of color that we humans can’t even really comprehend?
No.
Do I have any current practical application for that knowledge?
No.
Am I still glad I found out?
Yes!
Why the hell wouldn’t I be? That’s fascinating.
Things like this are what make living on Earth exciting and engaging. Aren’t we lucky to exist on this badass planet? You only live once (theoretically), and you might as well discover some things to entertain you while you’re doing it, if you haven’t already.
It can’t be taken from you
Short of a Men in Black-style memory eraser wand type situation, I can’t imagine a situation where someone could take your knowledge from you.
Even if everything else was taken from you, like your possessions, your social status, or your health-– you would still have all the information you’ve learned that you could manage to remember.
Actually, you’d probably end up with more knowledge than you started with if you endured a worst-case scenario like that. Wisdom too, definitely. Which brings me to my next point:
It’s the best silver lining
No matter what totally crazy messed-up stuff goes down in your life, you will be wiser for the experience.
If things are horrible at this particular moment, you can at least take comfort in the fact that you’ll have this as a consolation prize. Sometimes it even turns out to add up to more than that- something tangibly useful instead of just an abstract life participation trophy.
You might end up finding that whatever you learned was more valuable than whatever you thought you lost, or decide that whatever pain you went through was worth what you found out about yourself or about life.
It liberates us
Knowledge gives us the ability to survive and thrive in the world. This is freedom, and you can’t have real power without freedom.
More knowledge makes us better able to make decisions, as well as to decide the logical and ethical grounds on which we want to be making our decisions.
Knowledge and wisdom help us to make better choices. We respect ourselves more when we make better choices, and when we respect ourselves more, we want to continue to make better choices. This cycle is powerful.
When it’s clear that we respect ourselves, others come to respect us more, which is also immensely powerful.
There’s no denying that knowledge is power– but it’s also important to remember that
with great power comes great responsibility.
Never stop learning, and remember to use your powers for good.
Originally published on medium.com on September 12, 2019.
Esoteric Epistemology 