KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. So's Sharing It.

Article by Cinthia Singleton
Photo Credit: Dasha & Mari
Magazine: Issue #28

Knowledge is power. Well, that’s what Sir Francis Bacon first said, then many many others after him in one way or another. Then we all assumed that if one KNOWS something, extra-special, super powers are bestowed upon us. This, of course, also assumes a few things, that our knowledge is:

1. a vast amount of information
2. exclusive and specialized, unlike another’s
3. recalled swiftly and on demand
4. providing deep enlightenment
5. not only guaranteeing the extra-special, super powers but in perpetuity

Problem is this is also assumes that knowledge is wisdom when, without application, it’s just data, statistics, etc. So use it or lose it. Share it. THIS is part of being a compassionate member of a community, and it’s wise. True wisdom is the act of sharing the information you got. Therein lies the empowerment.

So what’s the reason not to? No good one but the very real one is insecurity. We fear not being as expert as we perceive in our own head.

The Chopin preludes we play at home sound pretty darn good and skilled. Then we meet that person who can play anything by ear. [Insert Sound Effect: sad trombone]

Question is asked of us, “How do you prune roses?,” and while we can garden like Mother Nature herself, we suffer a sort of stage fright as the librarian for the Gardening Dept. in our head can’t get to the filing cabinet fast enough. [Insert Sound Effect: crazy run-slip-crash]

Maybe it’s difficult for to explain step by steps and dry hows in an interesting, energized way. [Insert Homer Simpson loop: Youreboringeveryonequitboringeveryone]

Perhaps we’re too attached to our title of Expert to share an iota of what we know because, well, then everyone will know and it/we won’t seem as precious. On the flip side, we might feel like only the real experts (Nobel Laureates, Golden Globe winners, published author agents) are listened to so why bother?

Yes, it can be awfully scary and risky to share this stuff but …

THE INFORMATION DOESN’T BECOME KNOWLEDGE UNTIL IT’S SHARED.

This is the true super power bestowed upon us. The dynamic of sharing. You and another. You and the class, workshop or the people who read your blog. The discussions. The questions. The comments that make you think. The answers that aren’t quite being grasped and need further extrapolation. The person who asks WHY in such a way we really need to deviate from rote explanation and challenge ourselves. New seeds are planted and from them grow further curiosity and passion. Doesn’t matter if it’s native “intelligence” or laboriously acquired with years of study; to not share what we know or what we’ve learned it is wasted arsenal. Henry Miller said something interesting about books, which also holds true for the information we can share with others: “When you have possessed a book with mind and spirit, you are enriched. But when you pass it on, you are enriched threefold.”

So whether it’s treating laundry stains, speaking a foreign language, splitting atoms or dancing swing, the dynamic of sharing (teaching, helping, healing) is the glue. It, not the information we amass, is why we’re here. Sharing it is the power, wise one.

“It ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have none.” — Snoop Dogg

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