What is Knowledge?
Before I started actually writing posts for this blog, I had a list of topics to write about for the first month. The goal was to have several posts ready to go ahead of time so I wouldn’t be sitting at the keyboard looking at a blank screen and wondering what to write. That has yet to come to fruition. So when I was contemplating what to write about this week, nothing seemed to motivate me enough to actually sit down and start writing. It’s been a busy week with disrupted nap times and lots of running, not knowing if it’s actually accomplishing anything. So now it’s Wednesday and time is running out to get a post out this week. On top of that, today was dentist day for three cavities.
What does that have to do with a blog, you may ask. Good question, and when I figure it out, I’ll let you know. For now, consider this stream of consciousness writing. Not the best for getting information across, but adequate for sharing thoughts. Right now I am taking in so much information that if I don’t start sharing it or doing something with it, it will stagnate and become meaningless. In a blog post on zettelkasten.de on October 27, 2020, Sascha wrote “You should always translate information to knowledge by adding context and relevance.” (https://zettelkasten.de/introduction/) Yet how do we add context and relevance. We are taught how to memorize information and regurgitate facts and data. Very little of that information becomes knowledge according to the previous definition. I remember a 7th grade social studies test where I had to memorize 100 places on the globe and then draw and label them on a blank map. I got 99 things correct on that exam, but what does it mean to me today? Not much. I’ve forgotten most of what was on that test, and beyond random geography facts, found very little application for most of it to everyday life.
I’m hoping that in writing this blog I am able to add context and relevance to the information I have been collecting through sharing it with others. There are varying forms of the saying “you don’t know something until you can explain it to someone else”. We shall see if that’s true. I’m beginning my own Zettelkasten in earnest now, in an effort to make sense of this plethora of information and how it all may relate or interconnect. As I make those connections, and convert my gathered information into knowledge, I will share my progress. And to make sure I truly understand these connections, I’ll share them here. Don’t expect anything earthshattering, but hopefully it will provide perspective and a starting point for your own knowledge.
