Knowledge is power, or is it?

“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” - Kofi Annan

It is easy to get lost in the sea of information. The era in which we live, is called the information age, or as I’d like to call it, information culture. Did you know that information grows every 6 months, double in size?

Knowledge is power… Or is it?

Kofi Annan once said: “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.”

From a certain perspective he was right. Knowledge is power. We need to have certain levels of skills and knowledge to get a job, have a career and to earn a living, but what happens when knowledge gives us superficial power? Or what if we become addicted to the feeling more knowledge and information gives us? How do our characters change if we have access to a sea of information at a click of a button, or at our fingertips? Many people become more impatient, unfocused and unkind during the process. Although technology can be beneficial in our lives, it can also become a danger to our health and relationships if we allow it to take over our lives.

We live in a world where we became consumers of information, if not addicted to instant knowledge. How does this concept of instant gratification serve you and me? People frequently expect immediate service and answers without wanting to take responsibility on their part. They would sign a contract, but because they didn’t want to invest the time to read it, when time comes to cancel the contract, they want to fight the very terms and conditions of the contract they just ticked off in a hurry. Sometimes people try to multi-task by using their phones while driving…

How liberating can it be when we consume so much information, that we become slaves of information.

Knowledge is power and information can be liberating, but it can become a liability, rather than an asset very easily.

Communication is the lifeblood of relationships

They say communication is the lifeblood of an organisation, but I'd extend it to communication is the lifeblood of any relationship, whether personal or professional. What happens to relationships when you remove communication? How much fulfilment do you enjoy when engaging with someone on social media vs. when engaging with someone in person?

What would happen if you were to use the energy you use to scroll down on Facebook timelines or watching TikToks, for engaging relationships or empowering yourself? How would this impact your life?

Where can you start to make a change?

• Prune your distractions: Promote growth by pruning the leaves and twigs that don't serve you. Sometimes we focus 80% of our time and energy and things that don't serve us. Rather use your time and energy on 80% of the most important things in your life. Things you can add true value to, that serve you and things that contribute to you fulfilling your purpose.

• Create boundaries: Empower yourself be teaching yourself self-discipline.

A delicate balance

Everything in life has an opportunity cost. To have knowledge at our fingertips creates a sense of power, but at what cost?

We need to decide and act with intention where we allow our attention and energy to go. Are we going to choose to spend our time and energy on being a bystander of our own life, allowing information to consume us or are we going to invest in our relationships, people around us and community to live purposefully without regrets?

In all things there is a delicate balance that needs to be kept. If that balance is not kept, chaos can become a lifestyle.