The internet has given access to information that just 10 years ago was incredibly hard to find. In a simple Google search, you could find the gross national product of Norway or simply strive to understand what a “Gross National Product” is in the first place. (yes, I had to look it up to just make sure I remembered Econ-101.)
🙂
There, see? I just opened this post with a “Smart” move to the internet to make sure I wasn’t just referencing subject matter that made me sound astute.
That’s the conundrum of endlessly accessible content.
Some (most, I assume) will use this blessing of the internet for learning and fulfillment. They will better be able to define, understand, comprehend, decipher and manage their lives. At the same time they can choose to “spread the wealth” – teaching, mentoring and providing leadership for those that need it most.
At the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. breakfast at Bristol Community College, Dr. Clarel Antoine a Haitian-born doctor, was the keynote speaker. And while events like BCC’s took place around the country, I was particularly drawn by his personal statement:
“I was told they wouldn’t take someone like me in medical school,” Antoine said. “‘You can’t do it,’ people have told me,” Antoine said. “I ask ‘Why?’”
“Rarely was I given an answer,” he said.
His speech went on to talk about his efforts to “self educate” in the poverty-stricken streets of Haiti – overcoming incredible odds to ultimately earn his doctorate from Colombia University.
“Wicked Smaht.”
While on the other hand, like in our video sample above, some will choose to reference obscure facts and ultimately trivial morsels of information to superficially boost their perceived intelligence (and value). While, in time, it’s not hard to see through most of these charlatans, it’s VERY difficult to tolerate them.
As my favorite childhood commercial series stated, “Knowledge Is Power.” The internet has provided the power to virtually EVERYONE (with a power outlet) the ability to harness that power. It’s up to the individual’s TRUE character to determine whether that power is used for good.
scientia potentia est
When stymied with “You cant,” we now have the power to answer it with “Why not?”
How do you wield the power of information in your day-to-day dealings?
Food for thought…
Keep Cooking (for the good of all)
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef
