From Knowledge to relevant Knowledge

Knowledge is power. This much is a given in today’s world where societies, organizations even governments are run on the power of connection economy. Connection of one man to another who in turn is connected with another, the way we all are connected on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

And then, thanks to technology, attaining knowledge isn’t that hard either. A quick search on the internet and one can get answer to almost any question under the Sun.

So what’s the problem?

The transition from knowledge to relevant knowledge.

It is definitely possible to become a walking encyclopedia. One only needs to spend all their free time reading about stuff on the internet. But will be that required for what you are trying to accomplish in your life?

It is definitely possible to know a lot of things about a lot of things. Will all that knowledge be put to some good use? Maybe. One day. No one knows with certainty.

The transition from knowledge to relevant knowledge is uncertain, unclear and not at all fixed. Eventually we use only 20% of what we know, leaving 80% of the clutter hidden inside our heads. As for the question of what that 20 is, well, that’s the reason the other 80 is important!

Acquiring knowledge with a purpose can certainly help bring focus to the process of knowing. Knowing things relevant to the subject of one’s profession for example adds further meaning and retention to the knowledge acquired.

Random reading is random reading. It may give a sense of pleasure and satisfaction of acquiring knowledge yet the extent to which it would be put to some good use is certainly unclear.