The Power Of Knowledge

Although the relationship with my father was turbulent, it is now coming to pass that many of my perceptions are based upon his views. At 15 years old he gave me Malcolm X’s biography. He explained why he thought MLK and Gandhi were tools of government to appease the masses, by preaching peace and not revolution. When I played “Free Nelson Mandela” he talked to me of Steve Biko…

My father’s quest for knowledge was limited to libraries and reading; he did not have the immediate information at his fingertips, he could not cross reference worldwide information in a matter of minutes: he studied book by book…

I wonder what his views would have been had he the power of the World Wide Web; his thoughts on Colonel Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein and the Western deconstruction in he Middle East. How would have felt about the Israel, Egypt and Saudi allegiance or extreme right wing groups flying Israeli flags…?

He had strong views on the American Civil Rights Movement; how would he feel about the present situation and the impression that we are now moving backwards rather than forward…?

Would his views have differed had he had such vast information available...?

We now have the privilege of watching and reading the daily news and then within seconds we can cross reference with unlimited sources. We may not be fed the truth yet we have the power of knowledge to decipher for ourselves and create our own perceptions…