Reflections on the Fullness of Life
KNOWLEDGE The size of your world is directly proportional to the range of your knowledge.
I sat in Mrs. Lamoureau's class marveling at the ability of the other nine students to answer the questions that the teacher posed. I was in the fourth grade. It was my first year at Frances Blend, a school for the blind located in Hollywood. I was bussed from Compton, where I had previously attended school. It was immediately apparent to me that my classmates knew more than I knew. Each time the teacher asked a student a question about geography or history or science, the student was able to answer. But I did not know the answer. I hoped with all my being that she would not call on me. I did not want to be embarrassed by not knowing and by giving the wrong response. To avoid that potential humiliation, I set out to learn as much as I could.
Upon reflection:
The instant that I was born I began accumulating knowledge. Like a sponge my mind began sopping up facts, figures, and concepts. It was not through formal instruction but through experience. My innate desire for knowledge stems from a mental tendency toward truth and reality. Just as the body cannot move both forward and backward simultaneously, my mind will not retain information or beliefs that lead in opposite directions. As new information is gained, I automatically send it through a test of consistency. I reject it as being inconsistent with my concept of truth and reality or I accept the new and reject the old as no longer useful. Understandably, I am more apt to accept as truth my first knowledge on a particular topic because it is likely not to be inconsistent with information which I already possess. However, if I know something about the topic, it is difficult for me to accept new but conflicting facts. The knowledge that I gain is the raw material for my thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. If I feed the mind information of little value, I will produce worthless thoughts and ideas. If I limit my knowledge intake, I will limit my creativity and innovation. I should seek to know as much as I can. The more that I know, the closer I move toward omniscience. The more I become like God, in whose image I was fashioned. The greater the power I can exercise over my circumstances. There is power in knowledge. ********** Reflect also on: EXPERIENCES, LEARNING, MIND.