Knowledge is the application of information into action. It’s the intentional collection and use of information, answering the question, “How to, or how do we do this?”

Understanding is the assignment of meaning to a thing, event, or action. It’s the intentional process of valuing and organizing information, answering the question, “Why, or why does this matter?” Understanding goes beyond the How. It digs into the Why by answering “Why is this important? Why it works the way it does? Why do we care?”

Knowledge is gathering the right data, learning the right methods, and putting them into practice. That process requires a guide, and they come in numerous forms – books, teachers, gurus, or ChatGPT. The guide shows us where to find the information and instructs us on how to use and apply the information. This is almost always based on the orientation of the GUIDE.

Understanding demands more than following. It is reflecting on information, seeing how it plays out, and making connections for ourselves. That process requires outcomes. The outcomes in terms of how they matter to us, outcomes we like, and outcomes we don’t. These outcomes are necessary so we have additional reference to capture learning that will help OUR orientation with the information.

When we apply information, we gain knowledge. When we translate information, we gain understanding.

Asking for an explanation and hoping to get an understanding is not possible.

It’s up to us to translate it into our OWN understanding.