Knowledge on an Abandoned Island

Let me tell you a story about a plane crash, somewhere on an island far, far away in the Great Pacific Ocean.

There were two men on the plane. One of them — the co-pilot — managed to eject himself from the plane a few seconds before impact with the ground. The pilot was less fortunate and crashed on the island.

But, a miracle happened. As if God wanted it, both men survived the crash without so much as a scratch. But, because the co-pilot used his parachute, the two men got separated from each other. They didn’t know it at that moment, but the plane was the last place at which they would see each other.

Luck struck twice. The plane’s communication system survived the crash and made contact with the nearest communication post on the mainland. Help was on the way! But, remember that this is the Pacific Ocean. Calculating the exact position of the plane crash takes time. And even then, it takes days to reach the island.

The men were on their own.

Although both men were pilots, there were a lot of differences between them. The co-pilot was a very theoretical man, obtaining all the knowledge he ever got from books and videos. He knew exactly how to do stuff — in his head.

The pilot knew a lot as well but got his knowledge in other ways. Instead of reading about them, he actually practiced. Whatever he learned, he immediately put into action.

It’s like watching others tying knots in videos versus being a scout and tie those knots yourself. Theory versus practice.

After the crash, the co-pilot very soon remembered his theory. He knew where to find water and food, how to light a fire and how to survive for days. Or so he thought. It turned out there were exceptions in the theoretical knowledge. After struggling to put his theory into practice, the co-pilot died of thirst after a few days. The island his final resting place.

The pilot’s destiny was better. His time with the scouts taught him how to light a fire, find food and water and survive the wilderness. He knew the same as the co-pilot, but the real world taught him about exceptions. It taught him how to survive when a situation turned out the be different from the book. After managing to survive the island’s gruels for two weeks, rescue came for him.

Last year, I’ve dedicated quite some time to read books about personal development. Unfortunately, I’ve been acting too much like the co-pilot. I’ve read things, resonated with some, thought about implementing them in my life. But I never did.

The final result? I’ve learned a lot, but I also failed to take the next step. I forgot to put theory into practice.

At first, I thought I wasted a year. Wasted time I’ll never get back. But on second thought, that’s not completely true. What happened, then? It took me a year to come to the realization that only reading about things doesn’t make you an expert on them. It takes practice and real-world experience to actually become better. To actually make a change.

If there’s one takeaway from this all, it’s my goal for next year.

2019. The year in which theory becomes real. Here we go!

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