KNOWLEDGE & WISDOM

Knowledge: Knowledge is something that is or may be known, information. The fact or state of knowing, awareness of a fact or circumstance. Knowledge is also used to mean the confident understanding of a subject; potentially with the ability to use it for a specific purpose”.

There is however no single agreed upon definition of knowledge

Since there is no universally accepted definition for knowledge I feel it’s perfectly acceptable to present one of my own. To me, knowledge is the accumulation of information or facts pertaining to a particular subject. A person can amass this knowledge through his or her experiences, or by educating themselves in a traditional manner ie, reading books watching others, or by simple listening and learning from those who have more information on that particular subject.

Therefore, it is entirely possible for an intelligent person to have knowledge of a certain subject or area of expertise and be totally ignorant in another.

If you took a doctor, or lawyer and placed them totally naked in the middle of the African bush what percentage would you put on their survival ? The same could be said if you placed the African bushman in a fast paced technological environment. I used this example to make a point that all knowledge is relative to the particular circumstances one finds themselves in.

“Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”

Romans 12:2

It is imperative that we as a people and as a culture gain an understanding of the circumstances that we find ourselves in. The question therefore is how do we gain that understanding, that knowledge necessary to not only survive, but to prosper in that environment.

The first thing we should do, and this is gonna be difficult, is turn off the television. This “plug-in drug’s” purpose is to, for the most part, placate our minds with  mindless “entertainment”, provide useless, false information and promote negative stereotypes sometimes disguised as humor.

Let me ask you (reader), “When is the last time you read a book?”. I recently heard a statistic that stated 85% of the American households did not buy a nonfiction book in the last year. If this is true of the black community, this is a sad commentary. So don’t just read a blog (keep reading mine of course), READ A BOOK ! Increase your knowledge of self and the condition you live in.

On that note here is a suggested reading list:

1. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley

2. Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery by Dr. Na’im Akbar

3. Survival Strategies, For African Americans, Anthony T. Browder

4. The Mis-Education of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson

5. BRAINWASHED, Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority, Tom Burrell

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding"

Proverbs 4:7

Wisdom: Wisdom is the ability to effectively and efficiently apply perceptions and knowledge to produce the desired results. Wisdom is comprehension of what is true or right coupled with optimum judgment as to action”.

In a nutshell wisdom is the proper application of acquired knowledge. Knowledge or information has no effectiveness if not implemented for a noble and righteous purpose.

Over the coarse of my life I’ve often had the opportunity to observe various cultures and ethnic groups. One of the things they all seem to have in common is a love and appreciation for their motherland, or country of origin. This provides them with a foundation from which they can build and eventually “weave” themselves into the multi-cultural fabric of  American society. Because we have a “disconnect” with our motherland we are prone to imitate the actions and customs of the dominate culture in the environment we inhabit. This action is foreign to our essential nature and as a result, we are in constant conflict with our true selves. Only through gaining understanding, and knowledge of self can we begin to reverse the negative direction our culture appears to be heading in.

"Black People are not dark skinned White People" !
Tom Burrell, Brainwashed, Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority

The principal purpose in life is to accumulate wisdom and with that acquired wisdom make the condition you find yourself in, better for you and those around you. We must amass as much information (knowledge) about who we are, our heritage, our place in history as possible. Take this knowledge of self (understanding) and develop a foundation from which we can build a sense of pride, dignity and self worth. Once we achieve this, we can teach our youth, who will have this wisdom to apply in their lives, allowing them to interact with others from a foundation of strength (purpose).

We will never gain contentment, or peace through  material acquisition. You will never accumulate enough gold, rims, or money to pacify the sense of self  hate that manifest itself as violent actions against persons, who look like you. Every thing you think you own will someday belong to someone else, your paid off house, money, your car, jewelry, etc. will all be in the possession of someone else, someday. When you start to think you own something, eventually it ends up owning you. The only thing you can “own” is your knowledge, experiences, and the wisdom gained from them. Put that wisdom into action and pass it on to our youth, so they can have success, live in harmony, exercising an understanding of the forces that constitute their environment. What could be a more noble and righteous purpose.

Knowledge is Intellectual - Wisdom is Divine

PEACE