What separates the weak from the powerful? Is it physical strength? Cunning? Or is it something else? In my mind, knowledge is what truly separates individuals. It’s as the old saying goes, knowledge is power, but we’re not asking the right questions. The question shouldn’t be what makes someone powerful but why? How are people able to succeed even with impossible odds stacked against them? The answer is knowledge.

Say you’re fighting a battle in a war and you’ve just received word that the enemy has somehow gotten through your defenses. How do you think they did it? Was it luck? most likely not. They most likely had a plan, but for it to work they would have needed some information on your defenses, such as how many guards were stationed, or when shift rotation happened. Many military leaders throughout history seek information on their enemy in order to gain the upper hand, but it doesn’t always work in their favor.

An example of this that I encountered happened in my freshman year of high school. My friends had been really excited about lunch, she had made plans to go out with some of her older friends and get some pizza, but I was a bit confused. From what I had heard, only Juniors and Seniors could leave the school for lunch, but she insisted that it was alright. Her older friends had told her that the rule only applied if you went out alone, and that she’d be alright so long as she stuck with them. Needles to say she was caught and reprimanded for her actions, but that’s not the point. My point is that the whole situation could have been avoided if she had the right information. Misinformation can be just as harmful, if not more so, than no information at all.

Another thing to consider is how you use your knowledge. Power means nothing if you can’t wield it properly. Whether a blade is sharp or not doesn’t matter if it hits it’s mark. Think of knowledge as the blade, it’s useless if you miss your target. So if you’re writing a paper about Greek Mythology but have absolutely no prior knowledge on the topic, I suggest you start studying, because someone with the most basic idea about the topic will have more of a chance of succeeding if you don’t.

Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to this stuff is that in this day and age it’s rather easy to gain knowledge, since we have access to many sites, tutorials, and even YouTube channels dedicated to teaching certain topics and facts. I myself have learned so much from some such channels on YouTube, and I quite enjoyed learning about the things taught to me. For instance, There’s a channels on YouTube called Overly Sarcastic Productions which specializes in animations of famous myths and folklore. Another one is Crash Course which gives you quick and easy to remember history lessons. There are many more websites and channels out there, but these are some of my favorites.

At the beginning of this blog I said that knowledge is power, and I stand by this statement. Knowledge is a tricky thing that is sometimes hard to gain, but the out come is worth it. Just remember, with great power comes great responsibility. Good luck.