Most Important Knowledge
What knowledge is most important to all humans?
I think that everyone should know how to lead a good life: that is, the knowledge that leads to personal utopia. We are not born with this knowledge. This is something that one has to learn.
Everyone wants a good life. If an individual wants a good life, then they need to know how to achieve it. To do so, they must acquire it, understand it, and practice applying that knowledge routinely.
What percentage of people actively seek knowledge about how to live a good life?
Why would a person not actively seek knowledge regarding how to live a good life?
People do seek knowledge. Here is one such example: People watch videos on how the GPS works. They know that it has something to do with GPS satellites. They know that the satellites go round and round the Earth at a very high speed, and this causes time dilation on the clocks of those satellites. Because of the theory of relativity, the GPS software needs to do some kind of correction in order to give you your accurate location. So people dive into videos and books about these concepts. At the end they might say, "Oh, now I know this thing". But how many of these people are ever going to use that knowledge for some practical purpose?
Here are some more examples of people seeking knowledge for non-use purposes: We do not need to know how an automobile is constructed in order for us to drive it. We don't need to know how to build a house in order to live in it. We don't need to know how to clean water so that it becomes fit for drinking; we just need to open our taps and pour some of it in a glass and drink it. We don't need to know how a hydroelectric dam works; we just have to flick a switch to turn on the light. And yet, many people find this kind of knowledge interesting, fascinating, amusing, and entertaining; and they consume several hours worth of such information daily.
The knowledge associated with how to lead a good life is like the operations manual for a human being. This knowledge is unlikely to be amusing. This knowledge is not required for day-to-day work that earns a living. So, people automatically classify this kind of knowledge as not necessary. Further, amusement is easily available in many forms. Consuming such entertainment is a passive activity, whereas learning how to lead a good life requires effort. Some people use amusement as a distraction from life's challenges, rather than learning how to meet them and succeed. All these aspects of amusement and entertainment contribute to a person's choice of seeking entertainment over actively seek this kind of information.
There is nothing wrong in finding knowledge amusing. In fact, finding knowledge amusing indicates several virtues in such an individual. There is nothing wrong in having an adequate amount of amusement. In fact, some amusement is necessary for everyone.
But there are people who amuse themselves while neglecting to learn about how to live well. These people are missing an opportunity for a better life; a good life. If they consume information that they can actually use to make their lives better, then they will not have to be satisfied with calling an amusement-filled life a good life.
If a person's life, outside of their working hours, is spent entirely in amusement, then they have not examined the true meaning "living", and they are far from understanding the concept "living a good life".
I know that people are always seeking something. I am sure that everyone thinks of having a good life. I am also sure that people pursue their idea of a good life in the way they know best. What more can one ask for? How about spending half an hour a day enriching one's knowledge about living well?