Beliefs and Values Essay

Janice Mathew
Mrs. Kim Lucas-Felix
ENG 112
Beliefs and Values Essay
September 21, 2013
Knowledge is Everlasting
One may ask, “What is knowledge?” I understand Knowledge to be the intellectual ability of being able to understand the events in the world based on principles learn from one’s experiences. Once Knowledge is truly gained, can it be lost? I believe that if one is truly knowledgeable about something it is rather impossible that such knowledge can merely vaporize into thin air. Many people claim that they have indeed “lost knowledge”but sadly all they lost was information they memorized. Conversely, knowledge involves the careful observation of events, reasoning as to how and why these observations occur, and also learning through experiencing. Furthermore, I have come to recognize the eternal quality of knowledge based on biological facts, and also during my own daily experiences.
From a biological point of view, the permanency of knowledge has been proven to be true, through the realization of the brain’s vast characteristics such as memory cells. When an individual learns something for the first time, this information gets stored by memory cells in the brain. Then the next time the individual is encountered with a situation involving or requiring such knowledge, for its interpretation, the brain accesses the stored datafrom the memory cells. This data it had gained from prior experiences. For example, the scenario of the first time one peels an orange. Individuals were not created with the instructions of how to peel an orange imprinted in their DNA. Rather, it must be learned from experience. Therefore,the first step in peeling an orange is gathering information from a source about the necessary method of success.After which, one acquires the apparatus (the knife and orange) and sinks the blade into the peel slightly, so the blade goes just beneath the surface. Then gently glides the blade through the peel to reveal the white layer underneath. After removing all the peel, the orange is sliced into two halves revealing the pulp. Of course, on the first try one might make mistakes and not peel the orange so perfectly. However, upon each other trial of peeling an orange one’s technique become more mastered.Soon,a point is reached where it is possible to peel an orange without thinking how to do it. Clearly, knowledge is always permanently stored in the brain’s memory cells for future use. Additionally, knowledge also becomes magnified each time it is applied and verified in different situations.
Often time, true knowledge gets confused with its close relative, memorizing. The fact stands that memorizing and being knowledgeable about something are two completely different concepts. Speaking from my own experiences, studying for an exam is a typical example where memorizing and obtaining knowledge interact closely and may become intertwined. For instance, during the course of studying for an exam there are some definitions of theories that I merely memorized. The result was that I forgot them after the exam since all I did was replicate the definitions on the exam paper. Still, there were some cases in which I had gained knowledge of things I still remember. This was because, I read about the concepts in greater detail beyond their definition and actually understood the concepts and applied them to real life situations. The misperception of memorizations for knowledge is very common among people and so they tend to misinterpret the principle of knowledgeable, thereby failing to see the permanent nature of knowledge relative to the temporary and limited character of memorizing.
I believe rather than dying, knowledge grows with experience and constantly metamorphosis into an even higher level of knowledge. It is intensely evident that knowledge is perpetual. Moreover, knowledge is limitless as it goes beyond mere memorizing of data and events, towards developing an understanding of the observations made during life’s experiences. My belief is reflected in the common rhyme I was taught in school, “silver and gold may vanish away, but a good education will never decay”. Thus, the lifetime of knowledge is so vast and unlimited that it is given higher value above even the most precious minerals on Earth, such as silver and gold.Wouldn’t you agree that the truly most valuable treasure known to mankind is knowledge?

Works Cited
Quindel, Emilie. "our local history." 02 December 2012. Wordpress. 10 September 2013 .

Cited: Quindel, Emilie. "our local history." 02 December 2012. Wordpress. 10 September 2013 .