Think and Grow Rich - Essay Example

English March 10, Topic: argumentative essay--Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill Argue either for or against Hill’s quote “An educated man is not necessarily, one who has an abundance of general or specialized knowledge. An educated man is one who has so developed the faculties of his mind that he may acquire anything he wants, or its equivalent, without violating the rights of others." Two types of individuals are there in this world. One says, ‘whatever I say is correct.’ The second type is the one who says, ‘whatever correct is there in the world belongs to me.’ Both are educated but their approach to life differs much. The former is egoistic and stops; the other one is willing to learn and moves forward. Napoleon Hills’s above quote is of similar pattern. This quote holds well from the point of view of logic, and in the practical world its veracity is severely tested. Invariably it scores through with flying colors. 1. General or specialised knowledge cannot be weighed in the scale of monetary achievements. The worth of knowledge should not be quantified in terms of money. For example, let us compare two students who have done post-graduation in Economics that is to say they have specialised knowledge of Economics. Is it correct to assume that they should earn equal amount of money, just because their level of education is equal? One of them may choose to join the banking industry and the other one may prefer the teaching job. There can be substantial difference in their monthly compensation. On this count, it is incorrect to draw the conclusion that the banking job is better than the teaching job. The inclination of an individual to take up the job and one’s internal satisfaction has lots of significance. 2. Acquisition of knowledge, aggrandisement and accumulation of wealth cannot be weighed in the same scale. Hill argues that “knowledge will not attract money, unless it is organised, and intelligently directed, through practical plans of action to the definite end of accumulation of money.” Now, who said knowledge has to attract money? An individual with absolutely no skill may suddenly become a rich on winning a lottery. Acquisition of knowledge and acquisition of wealth need to be understood in the correct perspective. They are two independent propositions and need not have beneficial influence on each other in all contexts. 3. With the second part of the quote, “An educated man is one who has so developed the faculties of his mind that he may acquire anything he wants, or its equivalent, without violating the rights of others," Hill hits the mark. For example one can earn money with hard work. But this is a limited and restrictive approach. One can earn more money by working intelligently, meaning thereby by directing men under him to work by applying certain methods and procedures of work and just involve in the supervision part of it. Such an individual is working in principle, without actually working, because directing and inspiring others to work and earn profits is also part of the work. Knowledge need not be in the possession of the man who accumulates the fortune. For example a contractor’s knowledge is in getting the assignment of contract done through may be hundreds or thousands of workers he employs for the purpose in view. He does not do the work by himself nor is it possible to do and complete such a herculean task by one’s own physical efforts. Certain candidates are being interviewed for the post of Human Resources Development Manager. Questions like, “Who is the Finance Minister of Pakistan?” “Who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Army in Iran?” “Who is the Governor of Reserve Bank of India” are asked to the candidates and the Chairman of the Board of Selection expresses poor opinion of the candidates when they fail to answer such questions. In fact, why should the candidates know the answer to such silly questions? If by chance, one of the candidates answers one or two questions correctly, that does not mean he is more knowledgeable than the rest of the candidates. The post for which the candidates are being interviewed has nothing to do with the knowledge or lack of knowledge about the answers to such questions. On a given subject, one can find thousands of answers in sites like ‘Google’ or ‘Yahoo.’ Is it to be supposed that the one who reads all those articles is more knowledgeable than the one who has good grasp of the issue by reading just one article or even without reading one article? In any field, one often comes across, highly talented individuals. Such individuals may not even have formal schooling. They ‘study’ in the college of self-education where their mind is their Principal; their initiative the professors; their hard work, the tutors. They are such individuals who have the capacity to begin any project and lead it to completion. Do we consider them as not knowledgeable? Their experience and expertise is their education and knowledge. Education is not complete by acquiring a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or a doctorate. Education is a continuous process. An inquisitive individual is a life-time student, willing to learn at all times and on all occasions. This approach has added significance in this age of internet revolution, where the volume of knowledge is increasing by leaps and bounds and new technologies result in total changes in work culture and procedures adopted. This is the reason, in organisations even senior executives who are on the verge of retirement, are sent to the training colleges for refresher courses. Therefore, suffix of degrees assumes less importance, once an employee joins an organisation. Organisations of now need men who make exceptional in-service progress, in keeping with the needs of the organisation. Educational background takes the back seat and men with character, intelligence and personality and who have the practical sense to apply the theory knowledge to practical situations with imagination are encouraged by the managements. Conclusion: Napoleon Hill is right. His assertion is one of the best related to practical management. It is applicable to all types of establishments, be it business organisations, educational institutions, or administrative offices of the government. What we need today is not great projects drawn by highly qualified individuals with specialised knowledge, but great individuals who know what to do, how to do and when to do it. The wise saying goes, ‘what you do is not important; how you do, what you do, is important.’ Knowledge and its practical application are like the two parallel tracks of a train. Without their support, the train cannot move and gather speed. Read More