Knowledge Is Power

I was reminded today of something that I always believe in, that knowledge is power. A friend was telling me how he bought this ADSL telephone filter from his ISP who had recommended it. This filter cost $50 and is specially for cordless phones and has a power supply?? I admit that I don't know everything but I do know a lot about computers and ADSL and as far as I know, just a regular in-line filter costing less than $10 will also work for cordless phones.

Anyway the point of this example was how important knowledge is, and the power it contains. Had this friend known that regular filters work, I don't think he would have bought this "high-tech" miracle filter being sold by the ISP, who are probably making a killing off them to all these unsuspecting people.

Any knowledge that you gain is something that can never be taken from you. Knowledge helps you to make better informed decisions, which in general lead to a better situation for you. The power in knowledge has many degrees, from being able to choose the right piece of equipment to make your job easier to making millions of dollars on the stock market. Obvious knowledge such as what you learn at school and work help to keep you employed and fed. The more you know in this field, the better your chances are of moving "up" in the world and making more money while working less.

However, knowledge that you gain from life, friends, family etc also help to enrich your life, and benefit you physically and psychologically. Simple things such as knowing how to bake a cake will give you pleasure when you eat it. Being able to play an instrument will enrich you. Having expertise in various fields will help you have stimulating conversations that will exercise your mind.

I'm a great believer that you should try and learn something everyday. When people tell me about something interesting that I didn't know, I make it a point to try and remember it. If I don't know about something being discussed and its sounds interesting, I'll try to look it up and find out more rather than just forgetting about it. You never know, that knowledge may be vital at another point in life. An extreme example is all those people that know a million pieces of trivia who go on to win quiz shows with large prize pools. One guy, Trevor, went on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, and from remembering a news article he heard about when he was 10, ended up using that piece of knowledge to win half a million dollars. Now if only I had remembered that Alexander Fleming had invented penicillin, I may have won $2 million dollars when I was on Deal or No Deal. I definitely won't be forgetting that fact soon. 8-))

P.S The $2 million was in briefcase 7, which I had told my friend (who went with me to play) that I would pick since it was my lucky number. Ah the way things turn out sometimes, I wonder what would happen if only....