What Are the Concepts of Knowledge and Awareness? To What Extent Is Acquiring Knowledge and Awareness Necessary in Life?
Imagine a tool like a meat grinder. It is a useful and versatile device with multiple parts that has its own specific way of operating. On the other hand, this same useful device can cause serious injury to a person’s hand or fingers. What do you think turns this practical device into a dangerous instrument?
There can be various factors contributing to such unfortunate incidents, but one of them is undoubtedly a lack of knowledge and, consequently, a lack of awareness about the proper use of the device. In the same example, if the user has complete information about how to operate the device, the risks involved, and safety precautions, she will avoid injury while using it.
If we carefully review this example, the necessity of gaining knowledge and awareness becomes clearer to us. Humans need to acquire knowledge and awareness of their surroundings in all aspects of life. This knowledge can be about choosing a path that leads us to our destination, making the right choice of the field of study, understanding the behavioral traits of a friend, or knowing the true way of life. Without having accurate knowledge and awareness, we make mistakes. Sometimes, knowledge is related to a specific issue, while at other times, it includes knowledge and awareness of the entire life journey, which holds greater importance and sensitivity, as its broad scope affects our future.
According to what we stated, we can consider knowledge and awareness as the correct understanding of the conditions and situations we are in or may encounter in the future. Of course, knowledge includes factors such as time, limitations, possibilities, dangers, and such things.
Now, as a human being, of what subjects or conditions should we have knowledge and awareness? The rest of the article answers this question.
During Our Brief Time in This World, What Should We Strive to Gain Knowledge and Awareness of?
The students who are preparing for exams use their time to review the most important points. In other words, they know their priorities and do not waste time on insignificant matters in order to achieve the best results.
Our short lifespan in this world and the swift passage of moments make our situation similar to that of a student. How do you think we can make the most of this limited time and achieve a result that makes our eternal future beautiful and glorious. Do you think there is a more important step than striving to gain a complete and accurate knowledge of worldly life and have a thriving life in the hereafter?
In previous lessons, we stated that worldly life is the continuation of fetal life, and in the same way, our life in the hereafter is actually a continuation of our worldly life. In fact, all stages of our life are interconnected and inseparable. This continuity means that the quality of the fetus’s life in the mother’s womb has a significant impact on the quality of his life after birth. The incomplete growth of the fetus leads to many limitations in his future, or conversely, the ideal weight and complete development of the fetus provides the ground for a healthy life in this world.
If we consider this clear and close relationship between worldly life and the hereafter, we will understand a profound truth. We all know that the nutrition and growth of a fetus depend on his blood connection with his mother. Similarly, our soul, like the body, requires nourishment and energy moment by moment. Throughout our worldly life, our soul is nourished by the quality of our thoughts, decisions, relationships, and behaviors, which will be reflected in our hereafter. Simply put, being in this material world and using all its resources is an opportunity given to us. Now it is up to us to make the most of this limited opportunity by gaining knowledge based on the various levels and faculties of the soul and knowing what is harmful or beneficial for our soul. This way, we can gain the greatest benefit from this limited opportunity. Alternatively, we can ruin our life in the hereafter by being blindly engaged in heedless daily pursuits and feed our souls with anything, without having any knowledge.
This lesson provided an overview of the definition and importance of knowledge and awareness. We mentioned that regardless of the importance and usefulness of the tools or conditions we have, we can only benefit from them if we have true knowledge about them. We also discussed the close relationship between worldly life and the hereafter and their impact on each other. We stated that our peace and happiness in the hereafter are dependent on our knowledge and awareness of the beneficial and harmful things that affect our soul in worldly life.
If you have any thoughts or opinions regarding the nature of knowledge and awareness and their importance in leading a blissful life in both the world and the hereafter, please share them with us in the comments section.