The link between information and transformation

There is a saying “knowledge is bliss” but is it really? Knowledge of itself is great to have and can be of tremendous value but knowledge of itself is useless unless it is used, brings about change and leads to transformation.
Knowledge comes about as a result of our curiosity. We become curious about something and make a conscious effort to find out more. Our curiosity is stimulated and this curiosity leads to a more in depth stimulation of interest. Take for instance a school leaver who becomes curious about electronics. Never having even considered electronics in the past the curiosity stimulates an interest in the subject.
He develops the interest and subsequently decides to study electronics. Through studying he gains knowledge of the subject and this knowledge in turn leads to his belief in the importance of electronics and what can be achieved if the theories and philosophies are applied. This now leads to a situation where the student who was just curious initially now becomes a firm believer and it is this new found belief that brings about change and transformation. So in summary – the combination of curiosity, interest, knowledge and belief can bring about change and transformation.
I say “can” bring about transformation rather than “does” bring about transformation for the simple reason that information gained or knowledge gained will not of itself bring about change and transformation. It will only do so if we believe and act upon our beliefs. Let’s take the young person who decides to study management. There is no real interest but it is a possible career path. So the young person completes the full curriculum and is awarded a diploma or some other qualification in management.
Problem of course is that the young person has not had any practical experience and has no means of confirming if what he has learned is in fact true and if it in fact works. The belief is not there - it has not been confirmed or authenticated. So the young person has the information related to management and managerial philosophies but nothing has been verified – it therefore remains just that – information or knowledge. Because it is just information there will be no transformation until the information becomes a part of the belief system .
This by the way can be considered where any course of studies is concerned and this is a big problem with many of our school leavers today. They decide on a course of studies for the sake of studying but have no belief in what they are studying and in many instances have never shown any interest in the subject matter before. On completion of the course and on gaining a qualification many gain nothing more than a piece of paper and a great deal of information and knowledge. Nothing has happened in many instances to impact the belief system that leads to change and transformation.
In South Africa today we all have a great deal of knowledge about the problems that exist. We express opinions about the causes and potential solutions. We use the right words and we have the right information but that is as far as it goes. The problem is many do not believe in what they are saying and many do not understand the information at their disposal or interpret it to suit their own requirements. This belief I have can be applied to our belief in the bible and to our lives as Christians. We have all the information we need, we can use the right word at the right time (quotes) but do we use them as they were intended or as we deem suitable to our own belief and philosophies.
We must ask ourselves when we gain information if we accept or reject the knowledge gained – do we believe what we have learned? If we do then change and transformation will occur naturally if we allow it to. The belief brings about the transformation.
Des Squire (Managing member) AMSI and Associates cc – [email protected]