Is knowledge really power?

My mind has been constantly occupied by one question recently: Is knowledge really power? This question has been on my mind because of a comment I heard from a group of "nerds"(I'll explain why I call them that). I was eating a quick lunch before heading to class as I happened to stumble upon a conversation these fellow colleagues of mine were having. It was impeccable timing on my part! They were having a discussion on athletes, and how undeserving they are of possessing power. I happen to be an athlete myself so this discussion was of great interest to me. I decided to get comfortable, and that sandwich I was ready to scarf down was no longer a necessity. I was going to take all the time in the world to eat my food and hear what these "intelligent" individuals have to say.

I obviously can't remember every word of the conversation but I can definitely remember the content. The statement that stuck out to me the most came from a young woman who said, "I can't stand jocks!(that's why I call them nerds). She went on expressing her feelings by saying, "they think they are so powerful, but they don't know anything! Knowledge is supposed to be power, and they don't know anything, so why are they so famous and have so much money?" I decided to keep my cool and avoid any confrontation, so I kept my composure and continued listening. The group continued to ramble on about how everyone needs to stop admiring athletes, or people who don't go to school, and should start looking up more to those individuals who complete many years of school and earn every dollar they receive because of their education. Now I can see can see where they are coming from, but I can completely disagree on another one of their points.

When answering the question is knowledge power, one has to define what power is first. It is clear that the young woman thought money and fame is what gives you power. That is completely false! It is a rotten misconception that so many have fallen prey to believing. Yes, there are many powerful individuals who could use benjamin franklins as toilet paper, but that is not what makes you powerful. And fame is just a result of power, but not everyone who is famous is powerful. So what makes someone powerful? Knowledge is the answer. But it's not the knowledge that the young woman at the table, and many other humans believe. There is admiration to be found in those who highly value their education and devote all their time to learning and gaining knowledge. But if that was the only way to have power, than there would be very few role models. It takes more than just attaining knowledge. The difference maker is how someone uses their knowledge. If you were to look at anyone today and throughout history that is known as a powerful person, not only did they have knowledge, but they knew exactly how to use their knowledge. This principle is analogous to a bank account. If one were to save up and store all the money they receive into a savings account and never touch it, what good is that money? Or if one were to store up money for a period of time and just blow it on something useless, what good is that money? Knowing how to spend money is what separates the rich from the wealthy. The rich have all the money but very rarely know what to do with it. It is the wealthy individuals who know exactly what to do with their money.

Here is a list of several individuals who are powerful in my eyes:
-Albert Einstein
-Andrew Jackson
-Princess Diana
-Bill Gates
-Walt Disney
-Thomas Edison
-William Shakespeare
-Bill Cosby
-Malcolm X

You may wonder what made me pick out these individuals? I could've listed many more people, but these great human beings all have something in common. Every single one of them dropped out of school. From elementary to high school. There are many more that could fit into this group but for the sake space and your time I will spare the list. This is just to prove to those who fall into the misconception of believing that following the outline of educational progression to the T is the only way you'll become someone of great power or influence, is not always the case.

Michael Jordan is an extremely powerful man. Many people(once again, like my friend at the table) may feel Michael is undeserving of such power. But he proves he has knowledge. He may not have read and mastered every textbook throughout his education, but he has knowledge in his craft. It is knowledge that the regular basketball player doesn't have or is aspiring to attain. It is the knowledge he has in his art that makes him great and powerful. Bill Gates sits at the top of one of the worlds largest monopolies not because he got his degree at harvard, but he has mastered the knowledge necessary for his field. Even Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G are men of great power in their field. So to my friends who entertained me with an unexpected experience at lunch, I thank you for making me engulf myself in one of the most profound statements out there. So with all respect to the founder of the quote, may I add my two cents and say that: Knowledge is power....IF you use it right.

Will America forgive Tiger?

What perfect timing to express my feelings on the recent apology of Tiger Woods on national television. My first post was on how confession will bring forgiveness. In that example I was specifically speaking of steroids. However, I made it a point that it applies not only to illegal substances, but anything, including infidelity. Now some may probably think I'm contradicting myself after Tiger's apology, but I still stand 100% behind my point. There will always be a group of the "unforgiving" who could care less about a public confession. Even though millions found it in them to forgive A-Rod of steroid abuse, there is still a large amount who will never forgive him. The same applies to Tiger.
In the beginning of his apology he said, "everyone has the right to be critical of me." And many have taken advantage of that. Since his apology, I've heard countless opinions on Tiger's sincerity and I respect every single opinion. In return, I hope mine is respected. So here it is:
I've watched his entire interview 5 different times. Each one for a reason.

1st- Live. Just wanted to listen
2nd- His body language and gestures
3rd- Counting how many times he looked down
4th- Understand his targets for the apology
5th- Listen to the word usage and tone of voice

The first encounter was interesting. I pulled out plenty of observations but it was too much to come to any conclusion of my final judgement. From his body language I only pulled out one gesture in the 14 minutes. He put his hand on his heart. Every other word expressed had his hands on the pulpit. Counting the number of times his head went down was a big surprise. To be exact I counted 200 times he looked down at his paper and back up! That means he averaged looking down every 4 seconds. While apologizing he made it a point to say sorry to his family, friends, fellow golfers, sponsors, fans, parents of children, and himself. So basically, everybody. And my last time listening I came to the conclusion that he used weird words and emphasized words at weird times. I also found very little emotion in his overall apology and it just seemed robotic. With all this said and observed, many may think I throw the bull crap flag on Tiger. But even with all the negativity I can pull out, I forgive him! I'm sure my forgiveness means nothing to him. He doesn't even need my apology! But he publically asked for it, so I might as well give it. Yes, he could've improved on so many aspects. In my opinion, he should've written down bullet points, and then expressed his feelings on the spot, giving him a chance to show a little more emotion. He could've been better with the body language and the word usage. He could've taken questions for a little bit. He could've cried. He could've looked directly into the camera more. He could've done so much more, but he didn't. And guess what? Who cares! Tiger may be different than many people. He just may not be that emotional. Yes he may show extreme emotion on the golf course, but that's a completely different emotion at a completely different stage. We're all the same as well. We have some emotions that our stronger than our others. The best thing Tiger did was to repeat over and over that the personal issues are between him and his wife. He did his part in apologizing and we should do our part in accepting it, or at least believe in him. We have very little room to criticize the way he speaks or looks and base our judgement solely on that. If he happens to fall prey again to such an immoral act, then there's room for questioning his integrity. But for now, I feel it's the best to just give him a chance and believe that he can improve. He's the most dominate ahtlete in his sport on this earth, and there's a lot on his plate. I enjoy watching him in his craft and I know that my acceptance of his apology may have little, if any, meaning to him. But with the help of millions of people on the earth in believeing, we can help restore feelings of confidence, hope, and excitement back in the life of a HUMAN BEING who makes mistakes, just as we do.