Knowing and Understanding

3 years ago, I was in a leadership camp and I learned from one of the speakers regarding the differences of
"Knowing" and "Understanding".

Some of you reading this post would say "Is there a difference? Sounds the same to me".

In truth, there IS a difference.

First, I'll talk about "Knowing". This is a very commonly used term in our family households when talking back to our elders. I.E. "Harry, remember to take a spare change of clothing" "I know! I know lah~ stop telling me I heard it before...". Knowing only means that you've read, heard or seen something before. It does not mean that you "know" the purpose, application and usage of the advice/lesson/concept you've come across. This goes for most of the situations we encounter everyday. I may have heard about "something" but I might not know in detail what it is all about.

On the other hand, "Understanding" takes it to a whole new level. It is "Knowing" and much more than that. Once you "understand" something, one can basically apply the knowledge learnt/told/seen in practical situations. For example, many people know the role of a drummer in a band. However, not many people understand the importance of a drummer in a band. That's why you see many musicians who underestimate the drummer as merely a metronome or tempo keeper.

To top it off, we should learn to understand things rather than simply knowing things. It prevents you from appearing as shallow-minded between a group of strangers/colleagues/acquaintances when discussing about any topic in detail.

Till this day, I've embraced this thought in my mind and my life. Whenever there's knowledge that is relevant and somebody is sharing about it, I ask in full detail what it is all about. Same thing goes for books or educational videos, I repeatedly sample it to understand it.