Monday, August 18, 2014

Knowledge is Still the Wealth That Matters

Sometimes it's easy to think, perhaps this is no longer true. Understandably so, when investment and time spent on one's own education do not necessarily provide the rewards they seemed to promise. Let alone when people now fight over redistributing monetary gains from the already wealthy, instead of the rights to knowledge use which the wealthy so often have. How do we account for the arguments that suggest we need not "waste our time" with wide swathes of knowledge? What's more, how do we approach particularly important aspects of knowledge use, which many of us are supposedly not "smart" enough to take part in?

By rejecting the "not smart enough" rationale of exclusion, it would be possible to generate a stronger economy and a still missing services marketplace. But in order for that to become possible, ongoing commitments would be required, for the mutual support of our own mental capacity at peer to peer levels. Such systems would also require commitment to generate forms of knowledge which particularly matter, so that we can find the means to reintegrate knowledge use and vital services into our economic realities.

One important aspect of knowledge use potential, is a willingness to at least respect the use of logic and hard won wisdom on the part of the disadvantaged and marginalized. Look closer, to discover when these groups are making honest efforts to get along with others in spite of their difficulties. Constantly these individuals are expected to do so, and yet receive little feedback or appreciation for complying with demands on a regular basis.

In too many instances, people who appear as though indigent, are not as thoughtless or irresponsible as they appear to their own families and peers. Not every member of one's extended family can be a "smashing material success", for instance. By ignoring logic and careful reasoning from others where it does exist (particularly when such places prove "inconvenient"), it only becomes more difficult for society, when people forcefully demand these qualities in character from their leaders.

It helps to remember that societies which don't maintain critical thought and logic in high school settings, may believe logic is mostly necessary for those in power, anyway. But without the widespread use of logic or critical thought in ongoing life circumstance, there are too few means for the excluded to help themselves, particularly when their own societies no longer have room for them to come to the negotiation tables of higher affairs.

The good news is that a more inclusive economy is a decision we can make for ourselves. Eventually - should enough of us do so - governments will begin to back us in our efforts. No one has to give in to the notion that "only the best" are needed for knowledge use: a stance which can even put individuals into competition with their closest friends. Including everyone is a real possibility. Governments mostly hesitate to do so, because many individuals have also hesitated for so long.

When all the hesitating is done and we collectively agree to become our own safety net, our own personal chances for long and fulfilling lives are also increased. The only way that knowledge use can stabilize as our primary wealth source, is for the door of knowledge use to open to all who wish to participate. This could be our future, instead of the severe limits which are now imposed on economic growth - let alone the capacity for longevity among lower income levels. With concerted effort, knowledge can still remain the wealth that matters most.

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