There are three main currencies to life. The most precious of all is time. You don’t know how much has been allotted to you, so it is imperative to spend it wisely.

The second currency is money. It is the root of all evil. But also a necessary evil, in order to put the proper value on the trading of goods and services.

Knowledge is the third main currency. It is the one you can do the most about, and it directly influences the course of the other measures of value.

Let me begin by pointing out one singular fact. No one, not one single person in history, has become a leading force for good by being ignorant of the world around them. To be sure, there have been plenty of ignorant leaders. The history books are filled with their failings. But leaders who advance the story of humankind in a positive direction always do so from an informed, knowledgeable position. The awareness of facts is the single-most important element present in every invention, every social construct, every single accomplishment.

Without knowledge, Louis Pasteur would not have developed vaccines, and most of us would die decades earlier than we do now. If Albert Einstein was an ignorant man, his theory of relativity would have gone undeveloped. Never mind our understanding of time, space and energy. Without knowledge we still wouldn’t understand why a rock falls to the ground when we drop it.

Sir Isaac Newton, Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie, Nikola Tesla, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking. These, and thousands more, are people who put their knowledge to work to change the human experience, and we owe all of them a mountain of gratitude. Every single aspect of modern life has come about because someone obtained enough knowledge to advance its dynamic.

The flip side of knowledge is ignorance, and many have also cultivated mass ignorance to create chaos, war, and death. Adolf Hitler controlled knowledge by burning books, exploiting economic hardship, and generating false propaganda. Those who fell under his spell turned a blind eye to awareness, and the world paid the price for it.

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Today, a similar ignorance is gripping humanity as a cadre of wannabe tyrants around the world are exploiting mass ignorance to seize unlimited power for their personal gain. Turning a blind eye to the realities of the world around us is a recipe for disaster. Important issues like climate change, active wars, the unchecked transfer of wealth from the masses to the ultra-rich, are not just buzzwords that pass through your phone as you go doom-scrolling. They are potent world-altering circumstances that require your attention, which you can’t give if you remain ignorant.

Some people believe that knowledge is of little value, because there’s nothing they can do to change the world. They couldn’t be more wrong. For starters, if you don’t have knowledge, of course you won’t be able to affect change or solve that new problem. It’s a fate accompli.

Beyond that, as a journalist and documentary film-maker, I have been witness to many evolutions of the human experience that were affected by knowledge. By using my talents and training to shine an objective light on facts, I have helped millions of people develop rational, informed understanding of events in their world.

Each informed person may be a mere drop in the bucket. But a torrential rainstorm is made of single drops. It may not be your specific knowledge that changes the world. But when your awareness is combined with the downpour of other drops, the resulting deluge can, and does, change the world.

On a more personal level, command of information can be used to better your own place in all of this. You’ll never get that promotion, or snag that next client if you can’t demonstrate that you know what the job requires. Even knowledge as simple as how to change a flat tire on your car could literally save your life

Here’s the thing about knowledge; Just like the other two currencies, you never know which piece of it you’ll need, nor when you’ll need it. A well-rounded, current base of knowledge is your best weapon when facing the challenges of life. The hard part is knowing what is information and what is noise.

The advent of social media has given rise to a massive amount of chatter that seeks to distract you from the truth. The consumption of traditional news media outlets by giant corporations, whose dedication to the truth has been subjugated by their profit motive, has also turned many once-valid sources of information into watered-down eye candy. It gets harder to find the truth every day. But that doesn’t mean you should stop trying.

On the contrary, you have to click through the fluff that seeks to distract you from the truth. You need to first seek information about the source that seeks to inform you. Is it really a trustworthy source, or just another internet charlatan out to make a buck? Do your homework. Learn which sources you can trust. Discard those which have nothing but cheesy catchphrases and pseudo-qualifications. Then inform yourself, always checking and cross-checking. Being a well-informed member of the world isn’t easy, but the value is in the strength it gives you.

Knowledge is Power!