There's
data, information, knowledge and wisdom. Data isn't information
unless it's useful. Information isn't knowledge until it is placed
in use to form an experience. And ... wisdom only comes with many
related experiences.
We
aspire to be wise and attempt to conduct our business on this premise.
But diving involves a huge environment. There is no way to learn
all there is to know in a single lifetime. That is why association
with a dive center can be valuable - because we can share our knowledge
- and in some cases our wisdom.
Few
of us have ever contemplated that information is a unique commodity.
Material objects can only be shared by passing them from one person
to another. When one person has the object, the other does not.
But information, when shared, can still be possessed simultaneously
by all who hold it. Best of all, information can be offered for
free without losing it.
These
concepts may sound like exotic philosophy, but they are valuable
parts of the diving adventure. You can't experience all there is,
but you can learn from others, form new goals and best of all, prepare
yourself for the unknown.