Knowing about and Knowing

           I had this insight a few years ago while ruminating for some piece of writing. There’s a difference between the two: knowing someone or something, or knowing about someone or something, and knowing that someone or something.

           When I first had this thought, I immediately began looking for some example to understand this more fully. And that example rolled in immediately.

           I was thinking about the prime minister then, and I asked myself. Do I know the prime minister? Well, first I thought certainly, I do know who he is, how does he look, and what his voice sounds like. But then I was struck by the idea that I do not know him – I just know about him. His biographic details, his sound, his looks – these are only his “abouts”. But do I know him? Well, not really.

           Today many religious leaders and keystones claim knowing God and His universe, while what they actually know is something about Him. Similarly, if some scientist makes a claim that he has known the universe or some force in it, he might not be fully correct – he might be just knowing about it. I liked this insight and this idea of “knowing” and “knowing about” and made a note of it right away. I daresay, those days, I was having showering a good many “shower” thoughts.

           Anyhow, despite having grown in age by some years, I have not begged to differ on this idea and still go by it. This idea has helped me analyze many situations and sometimes even my own actions and thoughts. And I believe if we all understand this difference, it could work as a great check for ourselves more than once.