“No knowledge comes from outside; it is all inside. What we say man “knows,” should, in strict psychological terms, be what he “discovers” or “unveils”, what a man “learns” is really what he “discovers,” by taking the cover off his own soul, which is a mine of infinite knowledge.”
– Swami Vivekananda
We rely on parents, teachers, friends, books, the media, and the internet for knowledge. But these sources merely give us opinions and information that become thoughts in our minds. When those thoughts arrange themselves in a useful order, they become knowledge.
For example, Swamiji points out that gravity was not waiting for Newton to discover it. When Newton saw the apple fall and studied the phenomenon, the thoughts inside his mind arranged themselves to reveal a link that eventually became the Law of Gravitation.
You’ve experienced this too, even if you’re not a mathematician or a scientist. When you used instinct to solve a problem or when you had an “Aha!” moment while meditating, doing something different, or just taking a break, you were actually tapping into the latent knowledge inside you. This knowledge is food for your mind, and its pursuit gives your life purpose.
Don’t be satisfied with superficial information. Deep-dive. Get to the bottom of a few important things rather than trying to stay on top of a hundred trivial ones. Such first-hand knowledge is far more valuable than theory.