THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWLEDGE
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was the third President of the USA from 1801 to 1809. A man of great erudition, he had a knowledge of English, Latin, Greek, French, Spanish and Anglo Saxon. Historians have rightly called him an “extraordinarily learned man.” He studied all the disciplines from philosophy and science to religion and, in his later days, attempted an analysis of the New Testament to discover what Jesus had really said, as opposed to what he is reported to have said.
In his will, Jefferson expressed the desire to have on his gravestone (Monticello), not an inscription to say that he had been president of America, but simply the words:
“Here was buried Thomas Jefferson… father of the University of Virginia”
Knowledge is the greatest treasures. This is one of the great truths of life. For those who have learnt the importance of knowledge, even the presidentship of the USA will appear lacking in significance.
Knowledge is the only branch of human existence which, having no outer limits, never becomes tedious for man. There is no field in which it cannot be put to use. It gives man a keen awareness, which helps him to discover the world, and enables him to understand things in depth. Knowledge, the currency with which you can buy everything in this world, is what sets man’s feet upon the high road to success.
Knowledge is the key to all progress—for both individuals and nations. Whoever possesses knowledge, it is as if they have everything.
On February 5, 1987, Mr. Abdul Rahman Antulay (Barrister-at-Law and former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, who died in 2014) recounted an incident. Around 1954, when he was a law student at the Council of Legal Education in London, his English professor shared this story during a lecture while explaining a legal issue.
A large industrial factory suddenly shut down. The engineers tried to restart it but were unsuccessful. Finally, a renowned expert was called in. He arrived, examined the factory, and inspected its machines. Then he paused at one point and requested a hammer. When the hammer was brought, he struck once at a specific spot. Immediately, the machine started up, and the factory was operational again.
Later, the expert sent a bill for one hundred pounds. The factory manager thought the amount was excessive. He wrote to the expert: “You hardly did anything. You only struck once with a hammer. We cannot understand how you can charge one hundred pounds for that. Please furnish my client with further and better particulars.”
In his reply, the expert explained that the bill was fully justified. He said that the one shilling was for using the hammer to strike the correct spot, and the remainder was for identifying the fault and pinpointing its exact location. In his words:
“£99.19 to diagnose the problem, and one shilling to pick up the hammer and strike the right spot.”
In this world, the highest value belongs to knowledge. Out of a hundred, if one part is the value of labor, ninety-nine parts must be counted as the value of knowledge.
