On Sunday, January 27, 2002, there was pandemonium in the Mile-2 area of Lagos State. Everyone was running wild except for a chemistry teacher who was walking calmly down the street. The chaos was due to bomb blasts that occurred in a neighboring town (Ikeja Military Cantonment, Lagos). You may wonder why the master did not run with others. Could it be that she was fed up with life? No! She did not run because she had a good knowledge of the atmospheric constituents of which non-combustion nitrogen has the highest percentage composition (about 79%). This made her understand that whatever happened, the explosion could not spread to where she was and that was the secret of her calm.
First of all, what is knowledge? Knowledge is simply the information, understanding, and skills acquired through education or experience. It can also be defined as the state of knowledge about a particular fact or situation. A person who is well informed about something is well informed about that thing. Francis Bacon said “Knowledge is power” and you and I know how important power is. If that is the case, we can emphatically consider that Knowledge, which is Power, is very important. Now, the question is: What is the importance of knowledge?
Knowledge gives you an advantage over others who lack it. In the above tale, one can clearly see how the chemistry teacher had an advantage over others who were ignorantly running and running, some even in the direction of the explosion. He had this air of confidence about him, a characteristic of well-informed people. Giving a correct judgment or showing great discernment is another importance of knowledge. One needs knowledge to be able to discern good from evil. It was this same knowledge that helped the wisest man, King Solomon, to discern who was the true mother of the baby in the popular Biblical story.
Another importance of knowledge is in the area of scientific and technological advancement, which has made life much easier than it was in the past. Nowadays, moving from one place to another can be done in the blink of an eye with the help of planes, helicopters, cars, etc. In addition, interconnectivity has been simplified. Now one can easily connect with people from all over the world through the internet, phones etc. In the area of agriculture, mechanized agriculture has helped increase agricultural production.
If you want to earn the respect of others, acquire knowledge. I say this because knowledge earns respect. Think of any great man or woman whom you respect so much and you will see that the person really reached that height because of his knowledge in certain aspects of life. To reinforce my point, let me mention a few names: Michael Faraday (father of electricity), Ben Carson (a great neurosurgeon), Dr. Alexander Fleming (discoverer of penicillin), and even Barack Hussein Obama (a great lawyer and first black president). of the USA).
The point I am about to make now may sound funny to you, but it is true. Knowledge makes people seem forever young. Chill out! I would explain, but before that I would like to give you some examples of people who fall into this category in my own judgment. The 1986 Nobel Prize winner – Prof. Wole Soyinka, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria – Prof. Charles Soludo and the popular Nigerian actor who appeared years ago in the TV drama “Everything Falls Apart” – Pete Edochie are some of the practical examples that I want to highlight. Year after year, these people look the same or sometimes even younger. This is because knowledgeable people are able to solve problems; it’s easier for them to find solutions to virtually all problems, so they have little to nothing to worry about, as worrying too much causes rapid aging. In addition, the knowledge they have acquired helps them know what to eat and what not to eat, unlike an illiterate person who eats anything as long as it is edible, without considering its effects on health.
The importance of knowledge cannot be overstated because it is an integral part of life. In fact, I would apologize to the ignorant that ‘Knowledge is life’ because both are inseparable. The more you live, the more you learn. As TL Osborn says, “When you stop learning, you start dying.”