What's the Most Important Knowledge to You ? ~ Unity Toward Freedom community challenge

“The art of knowing, is knowing what to ignore” What a strange way of thinking.

Knowledge can be so many different things. What you view as knowledge might be completely different from what your neighbour views as knowledge. It is influenced by the world and the people around us. Each opportunity given to us, will in turn add to our knowledge. It is something that grows over time and fades away with us. Knowledge shapes why and how we think, how we act and who we are.

What is the most important knowledge? Well, one must first understand the different types of knowledge.

Book Smart: Ah yes, that most used term when speaking about knowledge. “He has a degree you know. He’s so knowledgeable.” Factual knowledge doesn’t mean much on its own. It just proves that you know theories, terminology, concepts and a bunch of words someone else can up with. We gain factual knowledge through exposure, reading up on things, repeating this (great way to learn), observing others and so on. At the end of the day “Book Smart” just mean you saved something to the cloud in your mind.

Knowing the words to a play does not make you an actor. While Factual knowledge is important, it is not the only knowledge you need.
Source: https://motivatinggiraffe.com/2015/01/16/january-16-2014-knowledge-is-power/

If you can’t make use of the “Book Smart” that you have, what is the use of having it? Now we get to move on to the second type of knowledge we as humans have. Organised thought or Conceptual knowledge. It is the ability to know that information can be organised and used for different reasons. Knowing the ingredient list is not the same as knowing the recipe.

By organizing our “book smart”, data and inputs from others, we achieve Conceptual knowledge.
Source: https://learningforsustainability.net/knowledge-management/

So how do we go from knowing something, and organizing the information, to actually doing something? This is where skill comes into play. You see I might know the process of changing a tire; I know which tools to use, where to start and the whole “righty tighty lefty loosey” rime. But does this mean I know “how” to change a tire? There is a difference between knowing and doing. Procedural knowledge is like our skills; to the “how” of what we know. Everyone has a set of skills that help them in their daily lives. A doctor will have a different skill set than a baker, but both still possess knowledge. Both had to learn the facts and the process to get to the “how”.

Procedural knowledge is the “how” of knowledge. It’s the skills you make use of to achieve your goals.
Source: https://betanews.com/2016/12/09/the-most-popular-how-to-guides-of-2016/

So now what? You have the “book smart”, you organised the “process”, and you know the “how”; this still doesn’t make you wise and powerful. Are you aware of the world around you? Do you believe that everyone is the same as you? Do you look down on people who are different from you? Do you judge yourself for being different? We live in a society where no two people are the same. Even siblings raised in the same household will see the world differently. Metacognitive knowledge is understanding that the world is a complex system and that you only account for a teeny tiny part of that system. You need to learn how to interact with people around you, who all view the world differently than you. Their “book smart”, “process” and “how” will without a doubt be different from yours.

We have the opportunity to learn so much from others if you allow yourself to find your spot and be aware of what you know and don’t know.
Source:https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_cultural_differences_shape_your_gratitude

This brings us back to the question: What's the Most Important Knowledge to You?

This is extremely difficult to answer. As an academic, I believe that Factual knowledge is important. How can I be an academic if I don’t have the “book smart”? As a Planner, I believe that Conceptual knowledge is important, for I cannot plan or develop if I’m not able to organise data, information, theories or ideas. But my “book smart and my organisation skills are useless if I don’t have the Procedural knowledge to do things. I also need to be aware of my place in the system. I can’t assume everyone I work with or interact with on a daily has the same background or view about life as me.

And now I’m stuck… Some will say Metacognitive knowledge is the most important to them. Yes, knowing my place in the system is important for me as a person, and for my field of work. But I rely on my Factual, Conceptual and Procedural knowledge every day. It’s impossible for me to only place one on a pedestal.

“The art of knowing”_... know what?

The Most Important Knowledge to ME is knowing. Did I lose you? You see all aspects of knowledge are necessary for me on a daily. And I need to be aware of that. I need to understand all four types of knowledge and organise all the information (Conceptual knowledge), figure out my process and how these work together (Procedural knowledge) and implement it into the system (Metacognitive knowledge).

“The art of knowing” And that in a sense means questioning what you know, why you know it, how you know it and how you can use it. Another famous quote: “Knowledge is power”. This doesn’t mean you have power over others. It means you have power over your own mind. You are aware of what knowledge means to you, and you are able to use it.

Knowing

That’s the Most Important Knowledge to Me.

I want to thank @anttn for mentioning the challenges and creating the community. I'm excited about this community and looking forward to interacting with people from around the world.