The Importance of Knowledge

Yesterday, I woke up at 6:30 a.m. to a beautiful morning here in Kiserian. I greeted the day with a smile and began crooning the wonderful old hymn "Angels We Have Heard on High" as I made my bed. Then I offered a prayer of thanks for the restful night I had and recited the Lord's Prayer, asking God to give me my daily bread and keep me from evil.

After praying, I went to the living room of our mansion to switch on our smart-TV, not that I wanted to watch it but so that my crippled Mum wouldn't pester me to turn it on when she went to the living room. I just didn't want to be disturbed while reading the previous day's newspaper.

Upon switching the smart-TV on, I headed to the toilet to answer a call of nature. And wa! Before I reached the toilet, I heard a minor explosion. When I turned my head in the direction of the explosion, I saw that a gadget called TV-Guard had blown up and its light-emitting diodes had gone off.

Fearing that I would be blamed for the electrical fault that had blown up the TV-Guard, I silently wished it had been someone else who had switched it on; someone like my nephew Roy who has been watching a lot of TV shows with his two sisters since they came visiting last week.

I was somewhat relieved when Dad phoned about twenty minutes later from his workplace in Nairobi to inform me there was a power surge in our home area that was destroying electrical equipment of our neighbours. (Dad had left home earlier in the morning before I woke up.)

Well, I can't quite remember if I warned other folks at home that there was a power surge in our home area. All I recall is hearing Roy tell Mum that someone wanted to have a bulb turned on so that they could see clearly. Roy switched on the bulb's socket - and bam! - the bulb blew up in a deafening sound that frightened Mum out of her wits.

I, too, was a bit shaken by the bulb's explosion which had been louder than that of the TV-Guard. So as to prevent further damage to our electrical appliances, I switched off the main switch to cut off power supply to all devices at home. Then I informed Roy that there would be no more watching of the telly since our smart-TV had also been damaged.

Besides blowing up the TV-Guard and the bulb, the power surge had also damaged two phone chargers and the extension Dad uses to connect his printer and laptop to electricity. The damn power surge was that devastating.

Fortunately, I hadn't switched on my laptop and piano keyboard - my most treasured possessions - during the power surge. They were therefore spared from damage. Since I usually shower in the afternoon, my bathroom showerhead was also spared. Oh, how I thank God that I will continue enjoying hot showers!

As luck would have it, the power surge didn't destroy the adaptor of our Wi-Fi router despite having switched it on together with the TV-Guard. I unplugged the router's adaptor just before it got damaged. The adaptor felt hot in my hands, meaning that if I had left it plugged for thirty seconds more, it would also have been damaged.

Later on yesterday as I reflected on the events of the day, I marvelled at the way a lack of knowledge on the part of Kenya Power Company employees on how to avoid supplying more power than needed caused damage to valuable electronic gadgets in my home area. And that could lead to losses for the company if it is sued for the damages.

As I reflected more, I realized that knowledge is indeed important. I think that's why God was greatly impressed when King Solomon asked Him for knowledge as it is narrated in the book of 2nd Chronicles. And I also think that's why the Bible exhorts us to get understanding, and to value wisdom and knowledge above everything else.

Realizing the importance of knowledge has made me regret why I didn't acquire more of it during my days at JKUAT where I matriculated in 2007 to pursue a degree in electronic & computer engineering. I took my studies at JKUAT lightly and eventually dropped out in 2009. How I wish I had diligently applied myself to understanding the magical world of electronic gadgets!

All the same, I am glad that over the past two years, I have been reading avidly in an effort to amass knowledge. I am discovering that acquiring knowledge is as exciting as going for a ride on a merry-go-round.

My beloved reader, I beseech you to also get into the habit of amassing knowledge. Read regularly and strive to think clearly. Let's take to heart the words of Henry Ford who said, "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young."

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on the importance of knowledge, you might also enjoy another one on "Developing Mental Clarity" which I wrote about four years ago. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.