People have a tendency, a liking to share what they know. It feels nice, gratifying actually.
The methods vary from person to person. Some are emphatic, some are matter-of-fact, some do it to show-off, some do it with under-confidence, some do it with kindness, some with the stick. No matter what the style, sharing of one’s knowledge is a natural tendency of humans. It helps in overall evolution of the human race. It in an integral part of the human ecosystem.
Information is the basis for knowledge. Information is a fact or situation.
Knowledge is distilled from information. It evolves after the person processes the information with his or her perspective and makes conclusions. The process of converting information to knowledge is also influenced by others. But the final take is always of the person who uses the information. Thus, a nuclear scientist uses information on nuclear reactions to create the knowledge useful to make either a power plant or an atom bomb. It’s a question of perspective and intent.
Information thus processed to knowledge can do many things to people – make them arrogant, humble, silent, talkative, able to forget and forgive, vindictive, all those contrasting things.
Our world today is greatly driven by information. It’s a flood, a deluge, rather. It’s too much for a person to handle. Yet the addiction for more information is strong. More the supply, greater the demand.
Along with information, gets passed knowledge created by people with their own perspective and intent. In the flood which rushes in, it is difficult for people to discern what is information and what is opinion. People end up taking in knowledge of others unwittingly. A large contribution, of course, is from social media. Other’s opinions are taken as facts and these borrowed opinions influence one’s thinking.
However, what I’m trying to say here is that the knowledge that one acquires is exclusively his or her choice. While there is access to vast stores of information and knowledge on the Internet, people only take what they are attracted to. A person is drawn to that he or she wishes to see. No amount of coaxing, forcing, presenting, requesting makes someone take in knowledge he or she did not seek out.
That is the really funny thing about knowledge. It can’t be pushed down someone throat. One only picks up that knowledge which he or she is seeking.
The crux of the matter, while there are enough messages floating on the positive side of things, the general tendency is to take in huge amounts of negative sentiments. Its futile to expect people to lap up what they do not intend to. This is the greatest challenge to positivism. Even if one person is trying to spread positive thoughts, it really depends on the whole lot of others whether the thought is really carried forward.
It’s necessary that each person does his or her bit to spread positivism. Doing it without expectations is the best that one can do. A good thought will find its way to one who needs it and one who seeks good thoughts will come up the same. It’s beautiful the way the world works with everyone doing their part in this huge cosmic design.
Subhash Iyer 