Knowledge: The Gun of the Mind
Knowledge is a dangerous thing. Well, it’s as dangerous as a tooth brush. In order for a toothbrush to become deadly you must sharpen it into a point. Or perhaps this metaphor would be better: knowledge is as about as dangerous as a loaded gun, when untouched it is simply an object waiting to be acted upon. But when it’s picked up by heavy hands, and that fiery finger pulls the trigger, that’s when it becomes dangerous. Knowledge in itself isn’t dangerous. How it’s used, can be.
For knowledge to become dangerous, it needs have a target and it needs to be shaped. Most political debates are filled with sharpened knowledge and pointed tongues. In order for the knowledge to be used it has to be fired, verbally, or written and typed and printed (or posted on social media) for all to see.
Many times has Facebook been the barren land for chiselled knowledge to be thrown across at a tennis match, batting a flaming ball. Fire and ruin is inevitable. Many times we read in the newspaper of knowledge used at the disadvantage of others, used to bring about the despair and destruction of loved ones. Just because you know how to punch, doesn’t mean you should go around punching someone.
This is a time where unlimited knowledge is right there at the touch of a button. Anything you want to know is available, from which colour eye shadow goes well with green eyes to how to make a bomb out of household items. Knowledge always has a target, has a purpose and there’s always two side of the coin.
Limited Knowledge
Gossiping is one of the most malicious and dangerous forms of knowledge. Poisoned tongues and words that cut like knives. This is limited knowledge, usually obtained through misunderstood information, assumptions and unnecessary poor jokes. This kind of information has devastating effects. It also limits your knowledge. You build a brick wall with only the things you’ve been given and sure enough you’ll find that it doesn’t quite look right. It’s best to get your own bricks, or in other words, get the truth.
Biased information is also limited and could be linked to gossiping (or bullying), political disagreements and wars. Seeing only what you want to see, doesn't mean that what you don’t see is wrong. You can look out a window with a few people. One might see the sky, one might see the ground, one might see the glass and another the silhouettes along the horizon, no one is wrong. If you look long enough at the window, you’ll see it all.
Biased knowledge and gossiping chisels away knowledge that would expand your understanding. As a teenager I felt the backlash and pain of such damage. I went to an all girls school. I noticed a very sudden shift, peers were looking at me weirdly, friends I’d spent ages getting to know were leaving me out of their conversations and not including me in their plans. These friends started to say horrible things, shouting at me, making fun of me, throwing bits of rubbish at me. The worst part was that I had no idea why this was all happening. I had no clue what I’d done. I endured my whole year group making fun of me for things I did not understand. It wasn’t until I made new friends that I found out that my close friend during that time — the one who stood beside me listening to the abuse I received, never saying a word, never standing up for me — had spread an untrue fact about my sexuality. My religion suggests that teenagers shouldn’t date until they’re at least 16, and being 14 I wasn’t interested in having a relationship or anything, I didn’t see a problem with not having a desire to be dating or anything until then. Limited knowledge is dangerous, it can destroy, mercilessly, the innocent.
Misinterpreting and Manipulating Knowledge
This is linked to limited knowledge. It’s easier to make assumptions than to do the research right? Not unless you don’t mind looking like a fool or a tool. Sometimes we can misinterpret knowledge as a child, especially if we get information or knowledge from someone who is just as limited in various areas. Often we avoid getting involved in lessons out of fear of misinterpreting what has been taught. However, there are those that use their misinterpretations to justify their actions. ISIS use the Qur’an to justify their acts of hatred, interpreting it to a point that they can use it to their advantage. There is always a target.
Politicians tend to purposely misinterpret and manipulate information when campaigning against each other, and sometimes we tend to do this during arguments. Take one bit of information given us and blow it out of proportion so much so that the recipient is speechless in reply, and then this bit of information can be used to win an argument. This can have devastating effects, especially in a court of law where knowledge is the fundamental part of convicting someone. However, in recent weeks, such manipulation and misinterpretation was used despicably in favour of the defendant, a 27 year old man accused of raping a 17 year old teenager. The man was found not guilty when his lawyer (a female) used the teenager’s underwear as proof of consent. There is always a target.
Knowledge Used for Advantage
Knowledge is for our advantage. This is possibly the only reason people get into incredible debt with regards to their study. We formulate and gather what we feel will be useful for us in coming days. Our brain has this amazing capacity to hold vast amounts of information. It can put two and two together and get four or put two and two together and get two-hundred and forty-four. Knowledge can also be used for the collective our advantage. Take 16-year-old Kiara Nirghin who after experiencing droughts in South Africa used the knowledge she’d gained to find a solution to stop farmlands being wasted and storing what water did fall. No wonder she won at the Google science fair. It always has a target.
Filtering knowledge is not taking out the bits you don’t like and keeping the bits you do. Filtering knowledge is getting rid of the rubbish and using the rest to help you. Dividing the facts from the assumptions, the truth from the lies, the evidence from the lack of evidence. This type of sharpening depends on your target.
Conclusion
Knowledge is the gun of your mind. If you load it with your desired bullet and shoot it, it can inevitably cause damage. But we shouldn’t limit our knowledge we should continue to gain knowledge continually, allow our opinions to change and develop.
