J Tapine Nga-Motu - Senior English

What is the use of Knowledge without action?

Honestly people.. I don't know, when I was reading this topic in my room hunched over with the curtains closed, I came to the conclusion that…. I just didn't know.

Honestly, I thought everything we learnt at school is put into action. For example Maths. I don't know about you guys but I personally use my mathematical skills to count my money, wait no… my parents money.

But I use my English skills to write captions on my Instagram, but no! in all seriousness? I thought the knowledge I gained at school was put into action. But it was at this moment I realised knowledge isn't just the things I learn from books or from teachers. Knowledge is Facts, information and skills acquired from experiences or education.

Boom, there it is; experiences! What experiences have I had that will give a positive impact on our people today, tomorrow and forever. What knowledge do I have, and how can I put it into action to benefit more than just me? The answer to that question is.. I don't know and because I don't know I just decided not to stress about this speech and just carry on with my day.

So it was a Saturday, but not just any Saturday, it was a Saturday night and I had a date. I got a fresh fade, I wore my special cologne, Africa Lynx. I was feeling good, wait noo I was feeling great. However, the magical question you are all wondering is where did I take my princess. And the answer is I was taking her to the movies. I wanted to be a gent, so I bought both tickets, then of course I grabbed out my Student ID to get a discount, but that doesn't matter I still felt great. So I was waiting.. Waiting.. I checked my time and it was past 5 mins..5 mins turned into 10mins.. But I reassured myself I just came too early. Ding there it went. A message a man never wants to see.. "Sorry I won't be able to make it tonight."Anyone would walk out of that cinema with their head down and their spirit low. But not me whanau! I made sure every dollar spent on those tickets was used.

So there I was, sitting alone, procrastinating about my speech and watching Aladdin. While I was watching the movie, I watched Aladdin pick up the lamp, dust it off and out pops the genie. The genie always says one thing "Your wish is my command". It was at this point in the movie where I sat and wondered to myself. "Why can't my life be as easy as this?".Then it hit me, it was that simple. Our whole life and everything in it has been created by us and the actions we have taken. I remembered this American guy, Tony Robins, he said, "Knowledge is not power, knowledge is only potential power, action is power."

Alladin taught me to listen, Alladin taught me to create my own future. BUT with the knowledge I already have, Alladin gave me something I have never had before... That is the courage to stand here before you and tell you that you already have enough knowledge to take action, to pursue your passionate dream.

What we don't have is the confidence or the courage to do so. No I'm not telling you to watch Alladdin and he'll give you the courage to take action. For me, I found my courage after being stood up by my date, but you know what? I already had the knowledge that I would live another day.

Anything you learnt from today onwards only makes you better. Why should we sit and wait and watch the world deteriorate. When we have the knowledge on how to sustain the environment that surrounds us? Why not take action on living healthier lifestyles? David Bohm says, "The ability to perceive or think differently is more important than the knowledge gained." It's about being able to think differently to benefit more than just you. In doing this we are putting in knowledge that is more common sense through action. Although, this doesn't just change the outcomes or give better results, it can change lives whanau!

When I grow up, I want my children to be well educated so they are in the best possible position to help others. In guiding them to do this, I'm applying the knowledge I have gained to teach my children values we need such as respect and love, that is the potential power of knowledge without action.

We are the masters of the universe and our actions are like the genie that serves us. Knowledge is in our everyday lives, we learn even though we don't always pay attention. After watching this movie it became very evident that people aren't aware of the knowledge they have because they are too concerned about the knowledge they don't have. This is the reason why people don't put knowledge into action.

Everything is right in front of us at this very moment, but it is our choice if we want it.Be in the moment. Take action right there, right then!  Knowledge is power but only if we use it. We need to ACT. We need to go beyond just thinking. We are just ordinary people but we can do some extraordinary things. How we put into action the knowledge we have, will determine the results we get, So that begs the question. With the knowledge we have, what would we do with...Kia ora.