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Quoting from my previous post, "A Helping Hand?" -> "I have this theory that if a person has ambition, he will come up no matter what caste he is born in, in spite of his financial situation, regardless of physical disabilities."

This year's U.S. presidential election has proved my point. Senator Barack Obama, an African- American, born to estranged parents, has won a landslide victory. What seperated him from the numerous other Afrian- Americans who languish in prisons, do menial chores or just don't come out of regarding themselves as oppressed. It is ambition, the drive to succeed. If you have ambition, the world is your oyster.

I had an intellectually stimulating discussion with my friend regarding my post "Empowerment through knowledge". He said knowledge is not the key, it is experience. I do admit that experience is important, but it is not the key issue. Knowledge can be obtained even by the inexperienced, but for experience to be obtained by them, they must first make a start as a fresher. Choosing between developing knowledge and developing experience, I would say that developing knowledge is more important, as, when we go through life, we will anyway gain experience. Here are a few arguments to support my view:

Venture capitalists fund ideas. They don't look for experience, as long as the idea is marketable and has a reasonable chance of bringing in profits. Ideas stem from creatively analyzing available knowledge.

Quoting from a book I recently read, Working with emotional intelligence- "In the chaotic modern world of work, the sheer volume of data- and the queasy feeling that we are falling behind in tracking it- can be a source of gnawing anxiety. One way to alleviate that anxiety is to monitor relentlessly what's going on, and so reduce the level of uncertainty. Information gathering minimizes unpleasant surprises and maximizes the likelihood of spotting and seizing potential opportunities.

Lastly, knowledge of all sorts helps in the sense that we critically examine whatever knowledge we take in, and even if it doesn't result in any work related benefits, it shapes our view of the environment around us, gives us a talking point in social gatherings, etc. And whereas experience comes naturally, knowledge does not.

I found a supportive view for my other post too, "3 things you need to get yourself a girlfriend." Few girls themselves have posted the following comments in a news article which started that women were attracted to smart men. Here is the link to the article:
ttp://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=5951979&page=1

The comments: "What I do care about is respect, liking yourself enough to care what others think of you (dressing nice), having a plan of what you're doing with your life, so I can figure out whether I want to share it, and someone who likes me for me; all those require brains, not pecs. So stop whining, wash your clothes, grab a shower, shave; try to dress nicely, it doesn't have to be in style, as long as you're comfortable in your own skin."

"I have been with my boyfriend over a year and almost three months. And he isn't really on the "oh my God he's so sexy I wanna date him." When I started talking to him though, that's when I knew he was the one for me. The way he thinks about life and how interested he is in his education, just weirdly enough turns me on."

"I've always considered high intelligence to be extremely sexy. What's more, in my experience, brainier men are, on average, better in bed than the dumb jocks. That's one of the reasons I married one. On the other hand, even a smart man needs to offer a bit more than his intelligence. A badly-groomed, badly-dressed geek who was incapable of conversing on a variety of subjects and who had no interests outside of his work never excited me much. Take it from an Ivy League PhD who prefers brains to brawn: it is entirely possible for a man to be very smart and to present himself in a manner that attracts women, and he doesn't need to be an Adonis."

"I have been with my boyfriend over a year and almost four months. He's not much on the looker, good looking, just not all that.He is from Iowa, and the first thing that caught my eye was his intelligence.It turned me on."