Knowledge is a value that allows us to use reason and past experience to evaluate ethical decisions we may be confronted with. It can easily be seen relative to leadership (#), as we allow knowledgeable persons to assume roles of leaders. Common sense (#) is typically a precursor to it as it is developed through life experiences as well and can be used as a foundation for knowledge. We see formal education (#) used in conjunction with it. We often will consider wisdom (#) and understanding (#) synonymous to knowledge.
What Happens If People Forget This Value? MSN boasts ads saying “25 Things Every Man Must Know” and “Clueless About Cosmetics? Get Help from Oprah.” There are self-help quizzes in nearly every supermarket magazine on the rack. So when did we quit relying on each other to acquire knowledge and start asking Oprah in a chat room? Some of the consequences of learning basic knowledge from the TV, internet, and other outside sources rather than the traditional family sources have forced us to take this route. We seem to be simply adapting to less influence from parents and family and throughout the generations.
Knowledge is defined in the Webster’s Dictionary as, the act, fact, or state of knowing; range of information, awareness, or familiarity; all that has been perceived or grasped by the mind; learning, or enlightenment. By this definition, it would be easy for one to assume that an absence of knowledge could produce problems as minor as not knowing where a certain type of soup is located on the shelves at the grocery store, to major problems such as ignorance in foreign affairs. Our president is often labeled as one who is not knowledgeable simply by the statements he makes. This would lead to further assumption that often your worthiness or simple intelligence is measured by others in your outward, public display of knowledge. Our society often idolizes the big winners on Jeopardy and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, reflecting a deep appreciation for knowledge of information, but why does this not prompt us to achieve that same knowledge? On the other end of the spectrum, some younger generations idolize rich heiresses that have greater knowledge of where to get the best latte than how to drive their own car, much less fill it with gas. Is this possibly indicating a decreased emphasis on knowledge of life experiences and hard work in exchange for increased knowledge of drug abuse, fowl language and the latest fashions? If so where does that leave public policy, foreign relations, and so many other areas of life in the Midwest all the way down to knowledge of farming and ranching? There are mass migrations of people out of the rural areas into more populated areas exchanging the knowledge offered by hometown and community for the experience gained by contact with a huge variety of other views and opinions. Not necessarily bad knowledge, just different.
I would think that knowledge is valuable to everyone especially if we have any hope in the nation’s future. We all possess it, and we all unknowingly pass it on. The true solution is for us all to be open in recognizing and receiving it.
In order to exemplify knowledge, one must exhibit common sense (#), wisdom (#), and understanding (#). Knowledge can be seen in most of the values, as you can be knowledgeable in many areas of life. It is most often seen in careers (#), formal education (#), governance (#), leadership (#), local life (#), patriotism (#), and political savvy (#).
