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Chapter 15
Processes that Convert information into wisdom
The adage: Learning but not thinking is a wasted effort.
Thinking without learning is dangerous for themselves and others around.
K: We have come to the end of the book. Shall we start discussing the processes which converts the learnings to knowledge?
Me: When are we talking about wisdom?
K: In my opinion, it can be the at the end. We have chosen pur model of knowledge building or acquisition based on Chinese thinker’s. We can open this chapter with the the great quote on learning and thinking.
Learning and thinking:
Me: True, Since knowledge, Skill learning are non physical entities. We found the model suggested by Chinese thinkers, who lived thousand years ago suited us the most.
They defined a two step to become knowledgeable. First is the learning which we discussed at length earlier.
The second part is thinking. That is what we will discuss now.
K: I am unable to comprehend the message in the adage
Me: We saw that gathering Knowledge, is a two step process. First step is like buying rice, vegetables and fruits. That itself is quite some effort. After buying all these, if you do not cook them and eat, all the effort and expense in buying becomes a waste.
K: The second line is threatening. How?
Me: True. The second line is intimidating.
There are certain knowledge that is universally applicable irrespective of individual’s situation. Also, there are many that depend upon the individual’s situation.
Just think, what happens if you do not gather the data yourself which is meant for your situation. You end up using what other’s gathered for themselves and lead your life on that learning.
Other’s learning is not always relevant to us. Every one has unique situations.
Assume that there are two neighbors. One is an affluent businessman or a well- to-do person. He buys a motor bike for his only college going son. A neighbor, with more sons and a meager pay cannot think (do) what his neighbor thought it fit to do. This is a smaller problem.
There is a greater problem. One do not learn, could see any information as valid information and start working on that.
Today every society is confronted with extremism, violence and agitation causing loss of life, property and peace. The bad leaders use the inability of those who cannot learn, supply them information and put them on violent activities. No person from the middle class can be traced to taking part in such activities.
The anger of the people are often justified. But the actions may only to further accelerate the problem and not bring about a desirable solution. Those who indulge in violence never learnt it for several decades now. The miscreants with money power make use of the people who do not learn but (think) on what they supply as learning and act. So those who cannot think / process the information can lead themselves and others around to disaster.
Any doubt about it Mr Kandasamy?
K: I stand clarified now sir. Is it not that, whatever we read, see or hear contains knowledge. Why should be process them before using?
Me: An example will explain easily than a detailed explanation.
There are some several food items such as vegetables, fruits Cereals, rice and wheat, that we consume. There are a few that can be eaten without any processing. For example most fruits, Carrot and Tomato, Even most fruits require peeling off their out sheath or skin. Apple can be eaten with its skin but not Jack fruit, oranges, bananas. There are other vegetables, cereals, rice and wheat, which has to one or more of processes before they can be consumed.
K: So, your favourite theory that the entire universe and events must have a few patterns, comes handy here too. Also the knowledge as well as food are essential inputs to us for healthy existence or well being of every human being.
Me: We will definitely discuss pattern identification, mapping as a process.
Just as carrot, tomato and apple do not need a process before use, there are very few situations in life which do not require processing before admission to a system. Other wise, most situations need a process before use.
A passenger is admitted into an aircraft, after a series of processing. Starts from Security check on your person, checking your baggage, verifying your ticket and issuing a boarding pass for admission into aircraft, at entrance to aircraft.
Boarding a city transport bus or local rail transport has no processing involved..
K: I am sure that the readers will not question on the necessity of processing the information, like I did,. I gather that the processed information becomes knowledge. Why do we need to process all the information in advance. When the situation arise, we can processes them. That would perhaps save unwanted effort.
Me: By processing, the large information (and related data) can be compressed into a compact rule.
For instance, we read about several ways people loose their precious earnings in investment companies.
Large number of people need to invest their earnings for one or the other of several future needs. For example, children’s education, marriage of their children and for post retirement life.
There are endless list of poor and middle class people who lost their savings in private chit funds and finance companies, annually.
They should know where one can and where should not put their money? News paper reports breaks the news on several fraudulent finance companies One way is to gather in mind several pages of news read and heard. The better way is use a thinking process and compact them as simple set of rules.
(1) Not to get lured by high interest rates.
(2) There are secure financial saving instruments (as it is called) which may offer relatively lesser interest. They are safe. You will get your money when you need it.
The knowledge, one gets, as a result of processing will be just two lines and they would never loose their life time earnings to some crooks.
K: I am convinced sir. The education has given the ability to gather information. What is required to save us from the crooks all around us is not merely information but the decision making tool. that you call it as Knowledge. .
Me: No education system can provide all the knowledge that a man would need during the course of life.
K: Yes. The knowledge required is so large that it is not possible to deliver them at education institutions. More over, the individual’s life situations vary from one to another. So, besides the most common rules of life, the individuals should search for and generate his own knowledge on specifics.
Me: You might have heard of a saying that, give a fishing-rod to the poor and not , just the fish. Do not expect a fish market in an education institute.
K: The problem confronting education system today is they do not deliver the fishing-rod to fish the knowledge.
We will proceed from here to understand the knowledge processing techniques.