Precious Commodity

Knowledge is power, so it's no wonder that people want to sell knowledge or loan it out, but not give it away. Who would want to give away their power? Well, remember, we are all connected. What happens to one, happens to all. So, if a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, why wouldn't we as a collective, want to strengthen every link? I am just so frustrated with our capitalistic, stingy, greedy society these days. People try to sell everything from water to knowledge. Yes you can find any and everything on the Internet, but you will most likely have to pay for it.

"Buy the truth but do not sell it; also wisdom, instruction, and understanding."(Proverbs 23:23) I was in  a discussion last night with a friend who was upset that he had loaned out a book which hadn't yet been returned. He had a 'feeling' that the individual hadn't even read it yet. So, I asked, 'did your friend know he had a time limit on when to get this knowledge?' Why would he not allow the man to gain wisdom in his own time? Why loan the book out like you're doing a great favor if you are going to wring your hands until it is returned? I had a friend who told me that she had a book that I needed to read. She said it was right in line with my frame of mind at the time and I would benefit from it. But she wouldn't loan it to me. So, she knew it would help me, give me knowledge and wisdom that I needed, but she was afraid to loan it to me?

I take issue with the idea of hoarding knowledge and keeping it only for those who can afford to pay for it. It is a tactic used to keep the lowly, downtrodden, and poor people exactly where they are. Once you receive knowledge and wisdom, I believe you should share it. If you don't intend to share it, you cannot complain about how many ignorant people there are in the world.

If you had to pay or barter for every piece of  information you received in your lifetime, would it make the knowledge more precious to you? Would you make it your purpose in life to work hard enough to obtain all of the knowledge and wisdom you could? Think about it before you answer. Did you like school? What do you work hard to obtain now? Do you know anyone who knew they couldn't afford to go to college so they learned just enough to graduate high school and then went straight into the workforce? Yeah, we bust our butts to buy a house or a car, but what about a book? If there was a book that you could read that would end all of your troubles; financial, health, mental, emotional, love, everything, how much would you be willing to pay for it? Better yet, once you read it, would you share it?