Knowledge As A Weapon
KNOWLEDGE AS A WEAPON
There's no doubt...these are stressful times! It seems there is a "perfect storm" of events going on all at once. Wars! Genocide! Economic meltdown! Unemployment! Personal bankruptcy! Family home mortgage foreclosures! Natural disasters! Famine! Political unrest! What is a person to do to effectively deal with the stress on our minds and bodies brought on by all of these calamities.
I know! Let's all get personal control of our individual situations. The fact is none of us can wave a wand and fix all that is wrong with our wider world. But, we can focus on those things we personally control and achieve some sense of stability and sanity in our individual worlds. But, what does that take?
Well, for an answer, how about this idea expressed by William James. "The greatest weapon against our stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." Think about it. What's he really saying?
I believe the thought embodies the idea of having options in life from which to choose. Options that quickly allow us to move to "Plan B" when our original plans don't work as expected. Options that can only be created by having first exercised our option to continually acquire a broader base of knowledge. Because, you see, with out a broad knowledge of the world around us, we don't have a basis from which to create options.
I believe life is not about retiring. It's about constantly aspiring. Aspiring to higher and higher levels of knowledge and understanding of how to maximize our lives as we live them in the uncontrollable, wider world.
You want to reduce the stress in your life? Then, wield the weapon of knowledge in a way so you can strike down stress with a mighty blow!
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