Knowledge is Power

There is not an iota of doubt that knowledge is Power. Power

originates from state of fearlessness and fear exists till there is lack of
knowledge. Knowledge is the state of awareness and understanding
gained from experience and education and acquiring specific
information about various phenomenons taking place around us. A
well educated and well informed human being can make intelligent
decisions based upon their understanding and awareness of everyday
situations and overcome difficult condition prevailing at a particular
time.
Power here should not be considered as brute power or mussel
power. Well, power is said to be the ability or capacity to act or
perform effectively and without knowledge this ability to perform
effectively is not possible at all.
This thought of considering knowledge as a power is not the outcome
of present day society. At the dawn of civilization, man was a hapless
creature. He was at the mercy of nature and was both the hunter and
nomad. He used to live the life of a nomad and wandered from one
place to another in search of food and shelter to protect him from
predators and other dangers. At that time he was not aware of many
natural phenomenons. Soon he started being resourceful by
coordination his mind with his body. He started gaining knowledge by
observing the phenomenon around him. He started making tools to do
hunting effectively. Verbal communication also developed. Man
discovered fire and also learnt to produce it as and when required.
With his improved knowledge and intelligence man understood natural
phenomenon and began harnessing the forces of nature for his
benefits. In fact those very phenomenon like fire, wild animals etc.
which were a cause of worry for him when he was ignorant became a
source of comfort for him. Knowledge about these things make his life
comfortable. He did not have to live in constant fear now. He started
living a settled life. One settled he had ample time to think about
various interesting happening around him. He started thinking to
unravel the mysteries of nature out of curiosity. He became aware that

once unraveled these mysteries and gained knowledge about these,

his life will improve a lot. As he unraveled natures mysteries, he no
longer held it in awe.
Even if we go by the modern society we can see that the leading
countries of the world make use of their knowledge to gain the power
and dominate the other not so knowledgeable countries. America is a
perfect example, what made America the most powerful country in the
world is known to everybody. This proves that knowledge is very much
a necessity to gain Power.
It is invariably true that every person who is knowledgeable leads a
successful life. A knowledgeable and educated person plays an
important role in promoting a nations economic growth, as well.
Knowledge gave him the feeling of strength and power. He realized
that he could defeat a physically stronger adversary by using his
mental prowess and skill. In his quest for knowledge man has civilized
himself and the community. His crusade in the field of science and
technology has helped him to eradicate a number of diseases from the
face of earth. Inventions of various communication devises have
shrunk the world into a global village and make the man all the more
powerful as he can control the things in one part of the world while
sitting in another part.
Even in the day to day life there are various examples that can prove
that knowledge is power. One such simple example of how knowledge
is power can be seen in the fact that we pay our plumbers,
electricians, physicians, mechanics, dentists, educationist and others
professionals for their knowledge in their fields.
Sadly, with the passage of time, man started using knowledge
misusing knowledge. With the power he gained from this knowledge
he started interfering with natural scheme of things and disturbed the
ecological balance. He forgot to respect the law of nature. He started
thinking that he has become the ultimate master of the universe owing
to his power. He started making materials of mass destruction to
compete with each other. He forgot that the weapons of mass
destruction which he had developed could annihilate the very

knowledgeable mankind. Because of his intellect, man is now posing a

threat to the existence of the flora and fauna and that of this fellow
being on the earth. Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombing during Second
World War are the perfect example of it. Recent sunami in Japan
followed by the explosion in nuclear reactors can also be perfect
example of destructive use of power obtained through the knowledge
by man kind.
Man has become egoistical and claims that knowledge is power which
true to some extent too. It is power only if used in judicious manner.
Our religious scriptures have preached since ancient times that
original knowledge is the knowledge of the self. It is the self
knowledge which gives man moral and spiritual powers to withstands
ups and downs in the life.
Man cannot make thing happen according to his will despite gaining
all his knowledge. He is still at the mercy of forces of nature and
nature keep on reminding him about it every now and then.
So it can be said that in spite of all his knowledge, even today, he is a
helpless creature and a victim of chance and fate. Knowledge has
certainly given him the power and this is a fact, but he still require the
much needed wisdom to use it for the benefit of mankind.