Post by Pimpmaster McSlap-Bitch on Aug 21, 2005 14:59:01 GMT -5
I`ve been thinking about this for a while now. Is learning always a good thing?
On the one hand, the most obvious one to me, of course it`s always a good thing. To learn, and become both more knowledgable and less ignorant could never be something negative. Learning is removing the cloud coverage, revealing the unknown. With the knowledge we discover we can use it to our advantage, and make ourselves more sucessful, which is an instinctual drive. Knowledge is power. Fulfilling our brains potential, the most advanced and intricate organ in our bodies, refining our beings, is a venture I am and forever will be proud to take part in.
And yet, on the other hand is a darker side to the matter of learning. And many a darker aspect there is.
Misinformation. We can be mislead and we can misunderstand. But the process is still one of learning regardless of the content of the information we ultimately end with. With such misinformation on our minds we become potentially dangerous to ourselves and others, teaching them mistruths, taking these mistruths for truths and acting upon them ourselves. Hello snowball effect.
Incomplete Information. We may act on incomplete information. In the woods, we may eat a Black Nightshade berry. From the first, the only information we have is 'It tastes good', but without the complimentary information regarding the Nightshade, 'It will kill you', we'd probably eat ourselves to death, unknowingly. Man had incomplete information when he exterminated the Dodo, probably thinking there was more left to kill (Heh, more left to exterminate... funny that, huh?)
Disagreeable Information. Some information is unhealthy to know. Non-beneficial for the soul. We can learn things we`d rather not know, and would probably be better off knowing. I can`t think of anything I`d rather not know, but that`s my curiosity, and there`s probably some truth in what happened to the cat. Phrases something like, 'the truth is a tough pill to swallow' and 'ignorance is bliss' come to mind.
Mass of Information. There`s a lot of shit to learn, and a lot of it being called truth or valid. And we can`t learn it all. Here we are completely useless in light of what I call ultimate truth. What can we do when we`re faced with two conflicting truths? Or two conflicting outlooks on life, each as valid as the other? What about 10 equally conflicting perspectives? With knowledge of each, where can we stand? Which information could we, or should we, act upon?
Misuse of Power. Knowledge is power. It`s not just some hackneyed and worn out idiom; indeed, the more you know, the less you don`t, and in a dog eat dog world, the less shadows for your enemies to creep (be they actual people, unforeseen events or anything else hazardous to your wellbeing), the better. But with great power comes great responsibility. But some thinking organisms (I also refer to groups of thinkers) aren`t responsible. Methods of torture can be exacted thanks to knowledge of the human anatomy. With knowledge of a specific woman, a man can take advantage of her weaknesses, leaving her in any state he pleases once he has what he wants (and most certainly vice versa). The list stops where infinity does.
I suppose I`ve answered my own question really. Learning isn`t always a good thing. Scrolling over what I`ve typed, I`d call learning the aquisition of oppertunity. The oppertunities we recieve from learning new things can be used for the benefit of oneself and others or the bad, positive use of power and abuse of it respectively. Some oppertunities we jump into will be traps and lead to a negative outcome, as they often can do and some oppertunities simply won`t even be where we think they are. Call these examples of incomplete- and mis- information (probably interchangably). And who`s to know which oppertunity to take when more than one presents itself at any given time?
In the end, I suppose it`s better to acknowledge your windows of oppertunity instead of remaining blissfully unaware of them, or worse, ignoring them.
On the one hand, the most obvious one to me, of course it`s always a good thing. To learn, and become both more knowledgable and less ignorant could never be something negative. Learning is removing the cloud coverage, revealing the unknown. With the knowledge we discover we can use it to our advantage, and make ourselves more sucessful, which is an instinctual drive. Knowledge is power. Fulfilling our brains potential, the most advanced and intricate organ in our bodies, refining our beings, is a venture I am and forever will be proud to take part in.
And yet, on the other hand is a darker side to the matter of learning. And many a darker aspect there is.
Misinformation. We can be mislead and we can misunderstand. But the process is still one of learning regardless of the content of the information we ultimately end with. With such misinformation on our minds we become potentially dangerous to ourselves and others, teaching them mistruths, taking these mistruths for truths and acting upon them ourselves. Hello snowball effect.
Incomplete Information. We may act on incomplete information. In the woods, we may eat a Black Nightshade berry. From the first, the only information we have is 'It tastes good', but without the complimentary information regarding the Nightshade, 'It will kill you', we'd probably eat ourselves to death, unknowingly. Man had incomplete information when he exterminated the Dodo, probably thinking there was more left to kill (Heh, more left to exterminate... funny that, huh?)
Disagreeable Information. Some information is unhealthy to know. Non-beneficial for the soul. We can learn things we`d rather not know, and would probably be better off knowing. I can`t think of anything I`d rather not know, but that`s my curiosity, and there`s probably some truth in what happened to the cat. Phrases something like, 'the truth is a tough pill to swallow' and 'ignorance is bliss' come to mind.
Mass of Information. There`s a lot of shit to learn, and a lot of it being called truth or valid. And we can`t learn it all. Here we are completely useless in light of what I call ultimate truth. What can we do when we`re faced with two conflicting truths? Or two conflicting outlooks on life, each as valid as the other? What about 10 equally conflicting perspectives? With knowledge of each, where can we stand? Which information could we, or should we, act upon?
Misuse of Power. Knowledge is power. It`s not just some hackneyed and worn out idiom; indeed, the more you know, the less you don`t, and in a dog eat dog world, the less shadows for your enemies to creep (be they actual people, unforeseen events or anything else hazardous to your wellbeing), the better. But with great power comes great responsibility. But some thinking organisms (I also refer to groups of thinkers) aren`t responsible. Methods of torture can be exacted thanks to knowledge of the human anatomy. With knowledge of a specific woman, a man can take advantage of her weaknesses, leaving her in any state he pleases once he has what he wants (and most certainly vice versa). The list stops where infinity does.
I suppose I`ve answered my own question really. Learning isn`t always a good thing. Scrolling over what I`ve typed, I`d call learning the aquisition of oppertunity. The oppertunities we recieve from learning new things can be used for the benefit of oneself and others or the bad, positive use of power and abuse of it respectively. Some oppertunities we jump into will be traps and lead to a negative outcome, as they often can do and some oppertunities simply won`t even be where we think they are. Call these examples of incomplete- and mis- information (probably interchangably). And who`s to know which oppertunity to take when more than one presents itself at any given time?
In the end, I suppose it`s better to acknowledge your windows of oppertunity instead of remaining blissfully unaware of them, or worse, ignoring them.
