WISDOM, NOT KNOWLEDGE HELPS TO OVERCOME “DIFFICULT TIMES”

By Nnabugwu Chizoba (Development Practitioner)

Let me start this piece, noting that “learning” without “doing” will never make you functional. The same is applicable to “knowing” and not “doing”. An indication that you’re unable or cannot do. Sounds like you do not actually know.  

Knowledge, no matter how useful you may consider it to be after acquiring it, may not add any real value to your life, until something else is done. Knowledge, in this wise could even become a toxic; constitute a clog in the wheel of progress, and a time bomb, waiting to explode. This is because of its tendency to trigger off frustration, anger and sorrow. Strife, is also a possible outcome. Individuals with penchant for accumulating knowledge, and doing nothing to deploy it, never have the opportunity to experience their knowledge. At best they are stagnated, and never celebrated.

In the light of the above, it is necessary for me to state, without mincing words that the real joy of learning and knowing, lies in “doing”. Simply put, “learning and knowing” make more sense when put in use or practiced. It is only in this regard that they become functional instruments for problem solving. After all, what is the use of “learning and knowing” if they cannot be deployed to overcome the challenges that characterize the existence of Man, in his earthly sojourn? Note that Man, is used here for both Male and Female.

Let me at this point underscore the long established fact by the great minds of old that the better we get at doing anything, the more the nature of the challenge changes. This saying of the sage, is a pointer that action is critical to the whole efforts of Man, at surmounting earthly challenges. Here, indeed, lies the joy in learning and doing, and as a matter of fact, exposes the ineffectiveness or weakness of knowing without doing (inaction).

You will agree that more often than not, the extra efforts necessary to overcome the very changing nature of the challenges, people face daily, require the skill and competence developed or that come from the experience acquired through the deployment and manipulation of knowledge (action or doing).

You will do well to explore the lesson in the saying “Doing things right” is not the same thing as “Doing the right things”. Since this statement holds, it is indicative of the fact that huge difference exists between knowing things and doing things. Action throws up, separates and establishes the huge difference that exists between “Doing things right” from “Doing the right things”.

My work as a trainer and human resource developer, have led me to deeper understanding of how people perceive and relate with the popular expression “difficult times”. This interface, reveals that a section of the society, views “difficult time” as: bad time, hard time, or tough time. Another group, considers it as Problem time, evil time, wicked time or reign of terror, etc. There are also those that perceive it as challenging times, demanding times or trying times.

Quite significant from the above, are the different words, with which the different people, represent the adjective “difficult”. The various words, reflect their perception and inform their relationship with the situation or condition in life considered as “difficult times”.

The choice of words notwithstanding, one thing is easily deductible from the above. It is the fact that all the groups are aware or recognize the obvious truth that there is a present challenge, an imminent danger. A challenge that speaks volume of an existing gap; with the capacity to affect the future significantly, if not destroying it totally.

Please, stay on . We shall continue in a subsequent post.