"The essence of knowledge is, having it, to apply it; not having it to confess your ignorance"-Confucius.* How do I know what I know? And why should anyone believe me?

University Degree Historical and Philosophical studies

“The essence of knowledge is, having it, to apply it; not having it to confess your ignorance”-Confucius.*

How do I know what I know? And why should anyone believe me? These are the 2 questions I will attempt to clarify in my essay.

Knowledge in its most basic form would be what helps me to make it to the next day. I know that when I wake up in the morning the ground will be there, unless some catastrophe occurs and land as we know ceases to exist. To know that when I wake in the morning I won’t have to gasp for air is knowledge, this knowledge helps me survive and surviving in this world to me is a great accomplishment. A lot of us derive our knowledge from the daily newspaper, it is the best source to derive information and until they can come up with a better and more convenient source I’m all for it. I know what I know through the fact that I make it to the next day. It’s because of what I know I’m alive, because without knowledge or thought we would be lifeless objects. My brain tells me everything I know, my brain records everything I know, being able to right an essay on a complicated topic like this proves that I know what I’m doing and knowing something is knowledge.

Why should we believe what’s in the paper and why should anyone believe me? Why should they take time out from their somewhat busy lives and listen to me? Why should they care about what I think and know? Well the answer is simple. They don’t have to believe me, it’s a free world they can do whatever they want and believe whatever they want and by they I mean the rest of the world. Julius Caesar once said “Men freely believe that which they desire”.

Every human being is born with free will (unless you’re born in a place ...

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Every human being is born with free will (unless you’re born in a place like Afghanistan or Iraq where either free will is a thing of the past or just doesn’t exist). We are all unique and have different opinions about everything ranging from politics to the color of the common stray cat that wanders around aimlessly. An individual by the name of Bowker once said “It’s all right to have a train of thoughts, if you have a terminal” meaning that as long as we can channel our thoughts and feelings out to people in our society should be assurance enough to know that we possess knowledge and if someone doesn’t want to believe us at their expense and not ours then its all good. As long as I believe in what I know and that could be in anything from mythical monsters to the double standards that most of us live by. I am no one to force people to believe me. Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) never forced religion on to anyone all he did was explain it to people and it was up to them to except this religion if they didn’t want to he didn’t curse them or shout at them he just walked away. If to me what I say is good enough then I should be happy with what I know. There isn’t a soul on the face of this earth that can make me think otherwise.

Applying myself in this godforsaken world and having my thoughts channeled out into the minds of other people and knowing in my mind that I’m making a difference is enough assurance for me to know what I know and if people don’t want to believe me it’s their loss. Some of us find bliss in ignorance some of us don’t, frankly I do because what I don’t know can’t hurt me.

We live in a world of mixed opinions and double standards to merely think for one self rationally is a gift. –H.F.D

*quotes taken from “4800 wisecracks and witty remarks and epigrams” by Fuller Avenel.