The words in the title mean that knowledge and action are one and the same , and knowledge becomes real through action. I am currently reading "Toge" a book about Kawai Tsugunosuke, who led the Nagaoka clan at the end of the Edo period. His philosophy is the unity of knowledge and action.I am energized by the way he gathered information, made decisions, and took action one after another to transform the clan, despite the risks involved, without giving in to the resistance of many. In this article, I would like to express what I think about knowledge and action.   
 
There is no doubt that it is desirable to spend money and time to acquire knowledge that will drive one's direction and actions. I am often conscious of whether I am spending my time to acquire knowledge that contributes to my goals.On the other hand, it is also good to pick up information that you are interested in, but don't know how it will help you in the future. As long as you find it interesting. It may not help you directly, but in some cases, you may be able to extract the essence of something, such as a way of thinking. Just as Lévi-Strauss noted in his book "Wild Thoughts" that Indians have a vast knowledge of reptiles that is not necessarily practical but interesting.
 
In addition, there are things that I was forced to learn in school that I did not find meaning in at the time, but which later became an opportunity for me to develop a new interest. If I had not known, there would be no future. Because I knew about it, it caught my attention at some point and I decided to investigate it, or it was combined with other knowledge and became interesting. Just as the annoying commercials that are shown between programs can be a trigger for you to buy a product that enriches your life just a little bit.
 
When I think that knowledge alone is not enough, the word "qualification mania" comes to mind. I think it is often used to mean that the purpose is to obtain various qualifications, and the qualifications obtained are not useful in improving one's ability to perform actual work. (Although I think there is some jealousy among those who do not have qualifications...)
 
After I became independent, I no longer had the company's signboard. The only thing I could rely on was my own strength, and I struggled in various ways. I had to make them understand what I could do, and then they would pay me what I was worth. So you have to appeal and let them know what you can do. In such a situation, qualifications are not always necessary, but they are useful behind the scenes to support what you are promoting. When you talk about what you have experienced in the past, what you can do now, and what you want to do in the future, having a qualification seems to have the effect of making your appeal a little less phony and more real.
 
The other day, I read a comment in a business magazine by Mr. Noriyuki Inoue, former president of Daikin Industries, "Rather than first-rate strategy and second-rate execution, second-rate strategy and first-rate execution" and it strangely stuck with me. I took the plunge. Of course, it won't go well. But I can only learn from it. One day I will learn from it and correct it, and it will work. I don't want to be just a critic who lectures from a place where the risk is small while laying out technical terms. Recently, I have been staying at home a lot because of the Corona. I'm just thinking. Yes, let's go outside. The state of emergency will be lifted soon. I need to update myself by going out to places I don't know, just like the iPhone, which updates itself to make impossible things possible.
 
Let's Put Away Our Books and Go Out to Town
Shuji Terayama