Playing Ostrich
Inside my mailbox today was a flier. Two, actually. Without going into details, neither one had anything good to say, and after totally panicking, I decided to make a phone call. I figured that if I asked questions, I might get answers that would reassure me. I did get answers, but none of them reassured me. In fact, having more knowledge almost made me feel worse.
The gist of the conversation, and the piece of advice the woman on the other end of the phone line was trying to give me, was “at least you know.”
Sir Francis Bacon said “knowledge is power.” I think it’s what you do with that knowledge that determines how much power you actually have. Do you give in? Do you give up? Do you fight back? Do you inform others?
Think about what you do with the knowledge you’re given. Knowledge about a particular subject can be used to help you become a leader in your chosen field, an expert in a particular area. Doctors use their knowledge of medicine to cure people’s illnesses. Teachers use their knowledge to educate our children. Scientists use their knowledge to prove and discover things.
Knowledge about a person in your life can help you better relate to them—what do they like or dislike, what makes them tick? If you’re a sibling, you can use your knowledge to drive the other person crazy. [image error] You can also make a decision when or if to reveal that knowledge. Politicians do this all the time, and are expert manipulators of knowledge.
Usually, knowledge is helpful. But sometimes, all it does is make you worry. How many people search the Internet for medical information, and how many of us don’t?
Sometimes knowledge spoils things. My daughter loves to find out what’s going to happen on her favorite shows before they even air, yet she thinks I’m crazy for reading the last page of a book first.
When the boogie man is a figment of your imagination, he’s somehow less terrifying than when he is an actual person with a face. At the same time, if we know who he is, we can protect ourselves from him.
Yes, at least I know. But sometimes, I wish I didn’t.
