When is Information Power?
When does Information become Powerful?
Robin Morgan : “Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secret or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility.”
Benjamin Franklin also said: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
Information makes you knowledgeable; they both go hand in hand.
Kofi Annan: Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.
In this day and age, we are positively swamped with information to the point of overwhelm. It is no wonder that new generations have a limited attention span. It comes at us from every angle, every medium, 24 hours a day. In fact, there is so much of it, we become naturally selective about what we actually absorb.
It is no wonder then, that we stop listening. Listening differs from hearing. It is, in fact an art we practice. Have you heard the expression “listen and learn”? Great relationships are built on active listening. Many of us are so intent on getting our point heard, we simply do not listen. Further, especially in later life, when we have been there and done that, we become closed to learning anything new, confident that we know it all. We forget that we don’t know what we don’t know. We stop being open.
Sometimes we receive information that is most upsetting. A great example is simply watching the news. Any information we receive, whether personal or not, is immediately layered with our own stories, ego and emotions. Our beliefs come into play and that is unavoidable. When we receive information, we feel something about it. That is when our stories can come into it. Sometimes it actually triggers us, as our ego gets involved. We may think we know better, or we know, or we disagree and the list goes on. These factors stop us from receiving information clearly.
When we don’t receive all the information on a subject, we are also prone to make assumptions. Making assumptions is the fastest way to misunderstanding. When we don’t know the full story, it is easy to make assumptions, you are not alone here. Best selling Author, Don Miguel Ruiz lists this in The 4 Agreements. Do not make Assumptions. Assumptions have been responsible for such misunderstandings, they have even caused war. Imagine the effect on personal relationship.
How, then does Information Become Power?
- It is important to ensure that all the information we need is gathered. This will help us refrain from making assumptions and give us the whole picture.
- Give yourself permission to be Open to Information. When we consciously decide to learn, information becomes readily available to us. Have you ever wanted to learn about something? Did you notice that what you needed was then accessible to you?
- Take the Emotion out of it! This does take practice, if you have awareness however, you can take a moment to assess the information you receive objectively. When you receive information, check to see how you feel about it. Then, see if you can look at it as it is. Just information.
- When you have all the information and you are able to view it objectively, you are then able to assess it. What is it telling you? Which opportunities does this information present? What are the pros and cons? Here, it helps to focus on solutions. Look at the Pandemic for example. In fact, any world crisis has seen a number of people benefit. These people were able to receive information and turn it into power.
- Information becomes power when we can use these tools to then use it strategically. Objectivity and foresight are very powerful instruments. That is how we can receive ANY information and use it to our benefit.
I hope that empowers you today.
Wishing you Amazing Success
Tula Tzoras
