Personal Success

We are often told that we are in the Information Age because through the Internet, encyclopedias, CD-ROM and with access to international satellite television, the collective knowledge of the planet is available instantly to everyone. Politicians, commentators and numerous writers argue that we are spectacularly well informed.

 

 

But is this really so?

 

 

We frequently read or hear reports that literacy levels are decreasing and that many of our children need additional training to cope with basic mathematics, reading and writing skills. A recent survey of employers found that many school leavers had poor literacy and communication skills. I have also found that many young adults who visit our home have a rather limited vocabulary and a surprisingly poor knowledge of history and world events. Many have not even given much thought to some of the critical issues facing our society and our planet.

 

 

If we are so well informed, why is it that so much evidence appears to indicate the opposite? Why is it that so many people are more concerned with the latest sporting scores, the lotto results and showbiz gossip than with appreciating the arts, gaining an understanding of investment fundamentals, with the environmental issues facing our planet and the structural changes occurring in our economies and society. I�m not suggesting that we all need to be money wizards or cultural snobs. Not at all! What I am saying, is that given the abundance of information, we have a greater opportunity for self-improvement than ever before, however so few people are taking advantage of this opportunity. Rather than reading books, thousands of people are wrapped up in watching unreal soap operas or endless videos in search of entertainment.

 

 

The internet has been heralded as a major information source and indeed for some it has certainly become a very useful research tool. Industry sources will confirm however that the most profitable internet sites are those selling sex or pornographic photos. The most common word used in searching the net as reported by search engines is �sex,� while other sexual references occupy the remaining top spots. Next in order of priority are sporting sites and entertainment channels featuring interactive soap operas and clips from the latest movies and TV shows. The simple fact is that the internet has not had a major impact on how well informed we are.

 

 

As television ratings have become more important to secure advertising dollars, shows have become more focused on entertainment and more information-poor. The �news� is presented with the objective of attracting the greatest viewing audience rather than being informative. Careful editing is used to shock, entertain or to serve particular corporate interests.

 

 

The irony is that we have progressed into the �information age� with the result that we are now experiencing �information overload� and �knowledge scarcity.�

 

 

Although we are bombarded with masses of information from a large variety of sources, people no longer have the knowledge that�s vital to sustaining their lives such as growing their own food, how to identify, collect and prepare bush foods, how to find drinkable water, what�s in our food, how to build a fire and keep warm, how to survive in the bush, when the growing seasons begin and end, how to farm sustainably without chemicals and tractors, how to treat broken bones and other common medical emergencies among other things. Rather than taking responsibility for themselves, people prefer to have others manage their finances, take care of their homes and cars, provide their food and treat their ailments. In doing so, we have become a society which is totally oil-dependent and reliant on the provision of essential supplies and services for us to survive.

 

 

What would happen if these were disrupted, the prices increased or if supplies were exhausted?

 

 

What would we do without the necessary knowledge to survive?

 

 

In the midst of an information explosion we have become starved of knowledge and out of touch with reality. People living in cities as well as the country have become dependent on large corporations and frequently rely on advertising for their information. This provides a tremendous advantage for those who benefit from our being dependent on their systems, information, fuel, food and medical services. It makes us easier to manage and easier to control. It means we become the victims of our circumstances rather than the creators of our own destiny. Our political choices are based more on the charisma of the candidates and the appeal of their advertising rather than their principles and policies.

 

 

As a result, we are now being sold the benefits of genetically engineered foods, large scale immunisation, common currencies and a cash-less society, world armies, micro-chipping, chemicals and drugs, trade alliances and so many other ideas which are more akin to a new world order than our own welfare.

 

 

Even though we are living in the �Information Age� and most people today can recite the names of the latest movie stars and how much their movies grossed, the names of their sporting heroes and their incomes, or the level of the all-ordinaries index, very few could survive for two months if suddenly the supermarket shelves were bare. Information is abundant but knowledge has become scarce!

 

 

So why is all this important?

 

 

As we proceed through the new millennium, it is likely that we will also experience major changes and challenges. Those who are well informed, those who have refined important practical skills and have a wealth of knowledge will have many of the necessary tools to survive and more importantly, to prosper in the new age. Those who are mearly well-entertained and �knowledge poor� will find it very difficult because they have no resource base to draw on. By all means enjoy your entertainment and also make the acquisition of important and useful information a priority.

 

 

About Hans Jakobi

 

Hans Jakobi is an educator, author and investor. He is the author of six best-selling books including, How To Be Rich & Happy On Your Income which is available at: www.supersecrets.com Join Hans Jakobi�s FREE Super Secrets Online Newsletter

 

� 2002 Hans Jakobi. All rights reserved worldwide

 

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