The word ‘Knowledge’ is explained as follows in The Positive Dictionary:
Knowledge: Share your knowledge for the good.
Knowledge can be given away without being lost.
The word ‘knowledge’ is a noun which means that which we know. The extent of the total knowledge about everything on our Earth, in our Solar System, in our Galaxy and beyond is immeasurably vast. It entails an endless variety of facts about peoples, their cultures and their behaviours. It entails all the facts about the geographical and physical aspects of Earth and beyond. It entails facts from all the sciences, about subject matter, opinions, theories, methods, and procedures. Of all this total available facts only a minute fraction is stored in each of our brains through learning and experience.
And yet, each of us carries a unique set of specific facts in our brains. We also have access to vast amounts of facts in printed and digital form. The important thing is what we do with the facts that we have acquired.
Facts, however, are merely data which describe something with no interpretation or judgment. Data on its own are of relatively little use in making decisions. For a specific function or project in the work place there is a four-step process to make ultimate use of available data for decision-making. The steps are as follows:
· Accumulate all available accurate and timely data, relevant to the decision problem.
· Create information by analysing and interpreting the data and making judgments.
· Move on to creating new knowledge by reasoning and experimenting with the information created.
· Acquire wisdom by using the available knowledge effectively.
This process can be automated with software, except in the case of wisdom which is still very much a human capability. Careful attention to the steps in this process and proper management of knowledge will lead to positive results for the company or the organization.
Decision-making is, however, not limited to the workplace. As individuals we also have a life outside the workplace. Our lives are filled with situations in which we have to make minor and major decisions. Minor decisions entails daily decisions, for example, daily things to do or how to prioritise our lists of things to do. Most of these minor decisions flow automatically from experience and habits. It can, however, be worthwhile to determine whether the daily decisions that we make are really efficient and effective. By deliberately using the above process we may find that can use our time and resources much more positively.
Major decisions are what can be called crossroads decisions with long-term implications. Examples in this case are, for example, buying a new home or a car, making a career change or deciding on a school for a child. In these cases it becomes important to carefully work through the above process to make the best possible decision. By sitting down and working with the available data through the steps we will gain the necessary knowledge to make the best possible decision.
Knowledge is always positive. Even knowledge about bad things is positive because it enables us to steer away from that which is bad. Converting our data into information and into knowledge and using that which is good will lead to good decisions. Using knowledge only for self-gain is, however, egocentric. Knowledge is indeed something that can be given away without losing it. We actually gain new knowledge by sharing our knowledge with others. Sharing wisdom to uplift people for the good serves a higher positive purpose.
The Positive Dictionary Ebook and other ebooks are available from Phil's website as shown below.
