Enlightenment Vs Knowledge

We spend large part of our life in quest of knowledge. From our early childhood, we are taught to gather knowledge to be successful in life. We learn that two & two make four & all other facts about different subjects. While we are taught all this, we are never told why we are learning these facts or what is the use of these facts. And because we don't have much wisdom, we also fail to ask these questions from our mentors. When we get enough knowledge, some of us learn to ask questions from others & from self. And in the process we also learn the use of knowledge that we gathered over the years. Not necessarily, we find all the facts useful now. So, while knowledge is about gathering answers, wisdom is about asking questions.

But the most important step is to reach enlightenment. When we ask questions from others we know the answers & we start knowing others as well and in the process we gather wisdom. When we ask questions from the self, we get enlightenment. It is in this process that we know the self & know the world around us in a better way.

If we observe the pattern of reaching enlightenment( if one succeeds in reaching to that level), it is knowledge first, wisdom next & enlightenment last. And here, lies the crux of the problem. By the time one reaches the stage of enlightenment, one has spent large part of one's life pursuing something which now seems meaningless. A child is essentially an enlightened soul simply because he doesn't know the facts; hence he doesn't believe in boundaries. It is when he makes borders of knowledge around himself that he gets into a trap & is caught in the rut. 

If we let the child make the choice he will choose questions over answers- means he will either choose wisdom or enlightenment first. Knowledge will be the last in his priority list. By reversing the process he will have major part of his life spent for the right purpose & will live his life in the right earnest. If he knows self first, he will be well placed to know others. So, our emphasis as adults should be to encourage & guide him to know the self rather than encouraging him to gather knowledge. But the most important question is- Are we enlightened to let him follow this process ?