Knowledge can be a blessing and a curse. It can get you out of a jam when you least expect it but need it desperately or you can get hurt knowing too much. There are so many levels of knowledge and the amount needed is all relative. It depends on who is making the decision. And how do they know? Where did they get the barometer? Is there a chart where there is a definite answer?
People spend their lives trying to have enough knowledge to be happy, rich, successful and be fulfilled in their relationships. We spend billions of dollars and as many hours trying to find out the answers. Knowledge is power. Is it? I don’t know if that’s the case all the time. I have seen where knowledge is too powerful. Or misused. Where information about someone is misconstrued as “fact” because it came from someone who “knows”.
Take divorce. How many times have you heard people say how they couldn’t believe a couple they knew was getting a divorce? Everything seemed so perfect. They seemed like the perfect couple. But the only ones who knew the truth are the ones that were directly and intimately involved. They knew that it wasn’t working and no matter how successful their front was it was finally over. And the knowledge of that is usually very painful.
I know that I can’t know everything about my profession. There is always something I can learn that will enhance my work. But after so many years the knowledge I look for is still in the same realm. Recently, I find myself looking to pursue other interests that I have put on the back burner because my profession was so time intensive. It took everything to keep up with the knowledge I needed to succeed. I still stay abreast of what the latest and greatest techniques are for my work but I am now testing other waters.
Age allows you a certain privilege to make some other choices about how you will spend the rest of your life. Some people are satisfied to stay in the same field and continue to learn more about the career they have chosen. I am not one of those people. I have always loved to explore different avenues but never on a full-time basis because of time constraints. I have practiced yoga for many years and although I have a good deal of knowledge I am by no means an expert. Now I will pursue something I have wanted to do for years. I will be getting certified to teach yoga. And a whole new world of knowledge will be opening up for me.
I say celebrate the ability to learn! To seek knowledge of anything and everything! Life becomes more exciting the more you know. So what’s your next step?