Knowledge is information. It might be at a high academic level as a result of years of study and exams or it might be knowing what the neighbors have for dinner. We tend to think of knowledge as being the result of education but knowledge is something we can garner for ourselves, at many different levels and about a variety of subjects.

When we have knowledge we have information which gives us details which help us to know how to deal with situations. How many have felt helpless after an accident because they don't have the knowledge to render first aid? We are frightened of doing more harm than good by our lack of knowledge and we feel powerless.

In a social situation, knowing the local ways of greeting people, what is considered good manners and what sort of behavior is expected help us to perform well. We feel confident that we can fit in.

The pursuit of knowledge can be at many levels. For those with curiosity there are easy ways to acquire it; the library, the net, asking someone else, reading novels, academic books and looking around. All these are useful information gathering methods. This is what detectives do when they search for knowledge when trying to solve a crime. When they have the full story they can make a balanced decision about causes and what led up to the event. It's what makes them powerful and feared by the lawbreakers.

Idle curiosity can be satisfied by searching on the net for details of films, life events of public figures, details of a particular plant or any other subject which crosses the mind. When we have access to this sort of knowledge, we have a growing power because we know and understand more about the world, other people and events. Knowledge helps to give us a clearer understanding, which in turn gives confidence, which allows us power. We know.

For centuries individuals and governments have searched out knowledge about other countries, about other people and gathered as much information as they can. Spying is knowledge gathering and this is something familiar to most of us in stories if not in reality. They did this because it helps them to make informed decisions. The knowledge gained gave them power. The Rothschilds were not only a highly successful banking family, they also had an extremely efficient knowledge gathering system which allowed them to know what was happening politically across Europe and this allowed them to make informed decisions about money.

Knowledge is power because it allows us to act from having the details and not taking a risk, although we can take risks as reasonable deductions from the information we have.