Pros And Cons Of Sharing Knowledge Options

Danger of an outside influence: does reading too much about other people's experiences with dreams, spells, visions, astral projecting, etc etc...actually corrupt your own personal experience? after all, expectations is a key factor. I get the feeling that it does. I mean, to one extent or another, we all share a general pool of knowledge...but i am careful when trying to distinguish a personal truth from the writhing mass of everyone's thoughts, emotions, and opinions. And if this were the case, that too much knowledge can weigh down and complicate personal revelations...well that would make it significantly harder determining if previous knowledge changes the pure experience we all seek. im hoping that if i am more aware that other's people's experiences DO warp my own, i have the presence of mind to seperate my own from everyone else's.

there are other problems (as well as benefits) to sharing knowledge. Ive only highlighted one of them (and it would be great if any of you had examples or stories highlighting it!). I thought this was a good topic to introduce. but i wasnt too sure what forum this falls under (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused012.gif) , so....hehe hopefully i got it right. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/spoton.gif)

I guess it depends on one's approach. If one is guilible they should do society a favor and live in a cave. However if one is reasonable and able to not take everything they hear as gossple I see no real danger of sharing knowledge. Just deside what is opinion and what is fact based on the evidence and your own experience. The one danger of knowledge I do see is letting others dictate fact over opinion based on their "experience" alone when for all you know they could be cons or liars or crazy.

the coolest thing about uniqke personal experience is that you've never heard or seen it before, but it ties in with what you have seen or heard and open up a whole new meaning for what you saw or heard before

i usually get led into stuff backwards, which is so cool cause i may have heard of something before or even tried it once a long time ago with so-so results, but then my learning experiences are such that after after a series of movements in a particular direction, i suddenly realize that this is what the hell they were talking about before, but it is *way* more involved and cool that it is this way and far neater that they ever let on when they were talking about it before!

es

Ok...so this concept is a little difficult applying just to magick(er...im using a very general term, work with me here!), since there is no STANDARD truth...(an argument i dont want to get into!) Let me expand the subject then, to further highlight my question, "How does sharing knowledge hurt and help, and how does it distort personal revelations or further personal knowledge).:
well, a truth for one person may be completely false for the next. "a lie" or a "craziness" is a bit harsh...ummm, granted there are people whose OWN origional experiences are a bit confused (IMG:style_emoticons/default/insane.gif) and Im not willing to play the telephone game, but I have considered this, that there is much to be learned from other people's stories and experiences (even the altered versions)...and often, this type of learning (learning from watching and listening to other people) is glorified when it should simply be respected and moderately encouraged.
But what happens when it is not in MODERATION, yes yes the golden rule people! i want to know the consequences. And the benefits (there's the challenge!) AND...how can a person draw the line? Is there a definite line? Is it necessary sometimes, to submerge yourself in the myth in order to completely cast off the feters of fiction and face the new world reality?
Im not a Chaos adept so forgive me if i get this wrong...but isnt that what they do with sigils and magic and such and such? They believe in something, if only temporarily, to get the a(e?!)ffects they want? Isnt that to the same extent, what we all do? We share knowledge expecting the same outcome. Its a temporary fix until, say, we trip over a better experience or our own intuition. If there IS doubt, there isnt always an outcome. But there is danger in taking the word for granted too. Knowledge can corrupt evident change or growth too; there is little room for discovery when convenient knowledge dictates the outcome.
ok, my next example is technology. Technology isnt knowledge necessarily; it is a category for a number of devices each created by a narrow field of knowledge. A car engineer cant make computer technology only given his limited knowledge. For this reason, sharing knowledge is GREAT. It means everyone gets ahead...or does it? Just because the engineer now knows how the computer works, there is still the question: could there be anything better and more equipped than this 'computer'? Does using his knowledge on computers limit or advance the engineer's specific skills and natural abilities?
Calculators dont teach math students...calculators aid math students. So that the math student can move further along in his studies. But even the math student is applying borrowed knowledge. (But i guess its hard to be origional in math...when your trying to prove logic with more discernible, proven logic...i mean the whole point is to get results from a universal method, correct me if im wrong)
There is always the choice whether the student will actually apply or ignore or deviate from the rules...but must one know the rules before they can be broken? I think this isnt a good argument..."pure science" is as valuable and dangerous as it is rare.
A person doesnt need previous knowledge to defy an established system of logic...indeed, it might be harder; their natural logic could be handicapped or crushed in the face of LEARNED logic.
Is it safe to assume origional thoughts dont exist? That everything is recycled with time? bah hum bug! [/i][i] cant CANT believe that! If there is an infinity number of things to be learned....there is an infinity number of origional thoughts. Its just getting ourselves out of the rut we put ourselves in that is the problem. Sharing knowledge could help or hurt us. But It IS a choice.
one argument im trying to avoid is whether focusing on one skill is better or worse than general knowledge over a broad spectrum, but i wonder if, in either case, sharing knowledge is avoidable...no, its not impossible...but weve got to make a living somehow! in all matters of human progress (especial in the age of technology) we all must by consensus agree and operate on a specific system that might for the sake of convenience discount or lay aside facts that dont coincide. There is security and structure in it. But when does personal knowledge get trumped by the greater convenience? is it truly convenient? When does sharing knowledge become obsessive (on a personal scale and a public one)? Ideas?
"The one danger of knowledge I do see is letting others dictate fact over opinion based on their "experience" alone when for all you know they could be cons or liars or crazy."
yes, i agree that some people force their "knowledge" on others. Its the worst kind of sharing and its incredibly annoying...also, ummm you said something about the power of suggestion? erp. i was hoping you'd repost it here for the sake of discussion.
me too esoterica! i pretty much learn stuff backwards hehe. i think with some people...talk and talk just doesnt do it. They HAVE to submerge themselves and open a pandora's box, and then work out the nitty gritty later. I usually have to stumble around a lil before i get my sea legs...its my undoing most of the time too, cuz i take on more than i can handle. I suppose it would help if i actually LISTENED to other people's advice, and i am currently working on that character flaw! i shouldn't totally discount an elder's "experience" just because its not a proven fact. I do it, but i shouldnt. Thats where the question of sharing knowledge between generations is brought up.... older people's wisdom is pig fart to the younger generation, hence the youthful folly bit. But the youngster's might question how older wisdom can be applied to the new day and age.
Im sorry i didnt dabble a little deeper...hehe, i was wetting my feet the last post. Please, share some knowledge!

This post has been edited by valkyrie: Apr 4 2007, 09:00 PM

People don't draw things from an empty box. Even then divining something, it comes to us in a concept that we are able to understand, which is essentially based on a past idea or combination of ideas. Ask yourself "WHO AM I?" then look again see if these "things" have any more or less significance on how you answered.