Information: Wandering Thought #265
It is said that ‘knowledge is power’, but this is only one-third true. Knowledge is truly powerful only when it is based on the truth, and when its recipient also knows how to use it truly skilfully. Abuse knowledge and it becomes power that corrupts oneself and confuses others. Use knowledge well and it becomes empowering for what is good.
In this information technology age, we have quick access to all kinds of information and various means to share it. Yet this does not always mean the power of knowledge is at our fingertips. The greater the information overload, the more discerning we must be to sift the truths from non-truths. Mere information is not always true knowledge. Investigation is needed to fact-check.
Even without technological communications, it is easy to mistake repeated hearsay to represent truth. Remember, information is sometimes misinformation. Mistake misinformation for proper knowledge and you are instantly disempowered. Stick to misinformation and you are constantly disempowered. It is thus more crucial to know how to think, than to know what to think.