Knowledge Unlocks The Galaxy Within
Knowledge Expands Your Universe
Welcome to the YouTopian Journey. Each week I will be sharing unique wisdom as well as a more in-depth overview of the artwork that is featured on the Instagram @youtopianjourney. This week we discuss how knowledge can change your life by unlocking the galaxy within.
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KNOWLEDGE RAISES YOU ABOVE THE SOUND AND FURY OF SOCIETY
“Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”-William Shakespeare, Macbeth.
We live in an age of noise. Noise from the media. Noise from advertisers. Noise from influencers and gurus, pawns and politicians. Noise from our peers. A society so full of noise that individual thought is drowned out, replaced with meaningless clamor.
This noise cancels out our inner thoughts. It silences the yearning within, replacing it with advice we don’t need and distractions that stifle our aspirations.
Distractions from our social networks, where meaningless and constant content separates us from what is important.
Distractions from our entertainment, which seek to monopolize our time.
Distractions from our friends and family, whose constant drama exhausts us.
And these distractions can be deadly to the goals that we hold so dear.
“Your hopes, dreams and aspirations are legitimate. They are trying to take you airborne, above the clouds, above the storms, if you only let them.”-William James
Sticking to your goals in this world of distraction is difficult, but not impossible. With the right guidance and the right knowledge, we can elevate ourselves to a new and higher path.
But where to find this guidance? Where can we locate such wisdom that is fast, efficient, and most importantly, useful?
Is it from our teachers? The people whose knowledge and experience may no longer stand the test of time?
Is it from our peers? The self-appointed masters of everything and anything?
Is it from the gurus? The self-proclaimed experts whose only significant achievements are a blue checkmark?
Is it from webinars? Seminars? Forums? Workshops?
Even when we find this source of knowledge, the questions only increase.
How do we know which knowledge is the correct knowledge? Where do we begin among the countless books that are available? Who do we listen to in a world where everyone proclaims to be an expert?
The past. The vast reservoir of knowledge that is there for the taking.
Yes!
The knowledge of our predecessors. The philosophers who contemplated the great questions. The scientists who dared to push the limits and fail. The innovators who sought improvement. The thinkers who questioned their way into infamy. The writers, creators, dreamers, and warriors of days gone by.
Their knowledge can be your knowledge, if you have a desire to discover and use it.
Because action is required. The knowledge will not be automatically downloaded into your mind. You must strive to learn!
“The only defense against the world is a thorough knowledge of it.”-John Locke
It is up to you!
It is up to you to seek out this knowledge. Up to you to make a commitment to learning. Up to you to learn from our best minds, arming yourself with the knowledge of the successful and using it to make your way in the world.
“The one necessary thing.— A person must have one or the other. Either a cheerful disposition by nature, or a disposition made cheerful by art and knowledge.”-Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits
KNOWLEDGE UNLOCKS THE GALAXY WITHIN
“The failure to read good books both enfeebles the vision and strengthens our most fatal tendency -- the belief that the here and now is all there is.”-Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind
Among the feedback I receive each week is the love for the quotes I utilize, both within the comic itself and on this newsletter. With that being said, I have decided to launch a Twitter for YouTopian Journey (@YouTopianJ) which showcases not only the art, but my favorite quotes. If you can follow it, I would greatly appreciate it and I promise you that the knowledge shared will truly help you. You can follow by clicking here.
I have spent years reading some of the greatest books ever written. Whenever I find a quote that I think is important, I immediately write it down. Not only has this helped me compound my own knowledge, but it has helped others as well. More importantly, I believe these quotes can help you.
Why?
Because a single quote can unlock the galaxy within. One quote can lead down a rabbit hole of discovery, where new methods of thinking and knowledge await. New books just waiting to be read. New knowledge awaiting someone who is courageous enough and dedicated enough to make the search. One only needs to have the desire to set down that path.
But dozens of quotes? That puts you in another league. You open yourself up to the multitude of great human beings who have come before you. This allows you to stand on the shoulders of giants, absorbing the knowledge of the greatest minds in history.
And the best part?
It costs nothing, but it sure does pay!
So please follow our Twitter and let these quotes unlock the curiosity and greatness within.
“We all have everything we need within us to create our fullest potential.”-Abraham H. Maslow
WE NEED KNOWLEDGEABLE PEOPLE
“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.”-Isaac Asimov
The artist crafting their magnum opus, the inventor tinkering away in some lab, the teacher offering information in a unique way, the dreamer who starts a company to provide a product that the world doesn’t even realize that they need. What do they all have in common?
Knowledge. Knowledge of their niche. Knowledge of their specialties. Most importantly, the knowledge to go forward into the darkness and forge their own path. These are the people we need. The world is changed for the better not by the fools, but by the knowledgeable.
Yet these knowledgeable people are a rarity.
It doesn’t take a genius to realize the sheer amount of ignorance in our society. You have no doubt encountered some of these people in your daily life. The multitude, this mediocre majority, are lacking in knowledge. They take whatever information they find on social networks to be gospel, believing what they watch or learn in a discussion to be truth. They may have gone to school, but their learning stopped once they received a diploma. They don’t read books, unless it is by some celebrity or someone who has achieved a celebrity level of attention.
They lack curiosity and they are content with ignorance. Worse yet, because they only converse with one another, they can only think like one another. There are no new ideas or facts, there is only the acceptance of the group. This begins as a bubble and then turns into an alternative world, complete with their own self-appointed knowledge and beliefs. This world appears just as reality does, but the minds are warped. New knowledge only comes from specific voices, leaders among the herd, whose own sources are not valid nor verified. This spreads until it becomes a crooked fact, a falsehood sprinkled with suspect data and wrapped in twisted opinions. This is a false sense of reality where it makes sense only to the group. Try and speak truth to them and you will be looked at as the irrational one.
“Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.”-Euripedes
The successful and knowledgeable individual, the one who must carve their own path, needs to constantly learn, grow, and to ultimately succeed. The human organism is in a state of flux, one of constant change. This change is fueled by constantly learning and growing. By stepping out of one’s comfort zone and delving into this world of change, where new ideas and thoughts can alter mindsets and realities. But so many are the antithesis of this idea. They are content with their knowledge, or lack of knowledge, their standard reactions, and their manufactured emotions. That is why one must always have a mindset of being a lifelong student. Mediocrity rewards ignorance and laziness, but success rewards knowledge and work. Choose knowledge each and every time and I promise you that you will be successful!
“Diligence is the mother of good fortune, and idleness, it’s opposite, never led to a good intention’s goal.”-Miguel de Cervantes
CRAMP YOUR CRANIUM
I truly believe that the best advantage one can have in this world is to be armed with knowledge. I recently came across Letters for Creatives, a newsletter on creativity, writing, mental wellness and mindset. The letters help you to get rid of creative blocks and keep you sane in a world that is anything but. They include writing prompts, reading lists, writing and creative resources. Check it out here and cramp your cranium!
ONE LAST THING
If you are enjoying this newsletter, please share it with a friend that needs to see it. Not only could it help them, but they will gain access to exclusive artwork and become part of the growing YouTopian Journey community.
There is a lot of cool stuff on the horizon. If you want to be involved and help the community grow, drop me a comment. You can connect with YouTopian Journey further at:
I’m Shaun Gold and if you are reading this, you are already on your journey. Catch you next week.
Really great content. I feel the same way. Awesome artwork. Congrats on Twitter launch.
Hmmm...seeing some art here for insertion into memes. I Will credit and link if I use. Many thanks. As I said earlier I love your content.