“We Pay a Price For Everything” by Kevin Dunn – Book Review
We pay a price for everything, not just food and shelter, but the knowledge of how to make things work. The fact is that we pay a price for everything because without the knowledge, we are left to our own devices to deal with the problems that arise. Knowledge empowers us and frees us from the constraints of life that can cause us undue stress and anxiety. Herein lies the answer to the age-old question, “What price do you pay for everything?”
Knowledge is not a tangible thing that can be taken with us. Knowledge is something that must be learned through experience and developed through thought and argument. It is something that is not for sale and certainly not free. It’s no wonder then that many find it hard to take on knowledge because they fear the process of acquiring knowledge and learning and exposing their young minds to ideas that are not accepted by most in their social circles.
We do pay a price for everything else – except for the knowledge we develop on how to make all things work. In essence, we pay a price for everything because we pay a price for not living life fully. In other words, we pay a price for not living up to the expectations of those around us. When we live our lives according to the society’s expectations, we have little room for self-growth.
The process of paying a price for this knowledge is not one that should be taken lightly. It is never too early to start preparing oneself for the challenges ahead. It is never too late to begin preparing oneself for the knowledge that will inevitably come when we finally accomplish something noteworthy. For those who have the drive, it is never too early or too late to begin developing the mental preparation necessary in order to take on knowledge as we enter the next phase of our lives.
One way to prepare mentally is to pay a price for things that are seen as non-essential by most. Things like spending time with friends and family, spending time with co-workers, and other areas of personal growth can all be considered non-essential to some and are thus seen as unnecessary by others. Paying a price for these things allows us the opportunity to get to know those whom we have come to know on a deeper level – to know them deeper.
The other way to pay a price for knowing all that we need to know is to accept the fact of living in a world where knowledge is almost entirely relative. Knowledge is not absolute, because knowledge can be relative. Knowledge is only absolute when it serves the purpose of humankind. That purpose is only served when knowledge becomes a means of living instead of just a means of surviving. Living means putting meaning and value into one’s existence. Surviving means putting meaning and value into one’s existence in the face of danger.
The price we pay for this is the knowledge that there will always be things that are more important than our survival. We don’t have to live at all. We can choose to become a Saint Justement instead. We can make the choice to put the interests of others before our own. We can choose to live the life of the mind rather than the body.
It doesn’t matter what type of Saint we become – a Saint for knowledge or for being a better person, we will always pay a price for becoming who we are meant to be. Our essence will always change based on what happens to us. Our essence will change because we allow ourselves to be held captive by the realities of our world. If we want to be free, we need to recognize that we have to start by looking at what we’re doing right now to ourselves in the wake of everything else. We need to ask ourselves if there is anything we are allowing ourselves to do wrong – are we doing anything worthwhile?