{"id":66023,"date":"2026-07-01T08:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T23:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/norimen.net\/?p=66023"},"modified":"2026-07-01T10:04:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T01:04:53","slug":"knowledge-action-unity-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/norimen.net\/en\/knowledge-action-unity-2\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Unity of Knowledge and Action? | Eliminating \u201cKnowing but Not Doing\u201d on the Job: Safety and Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello, everyone.<\/p>\n

This is Enta.<\/p>\n

It's already July!<\/p>\n

It's about to get really hot!<\/p>\n

The sooner you take action, the better, so let's get started right away!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Recently, I saw someone at work repeatedly giving the same warning to a young person, saying, \u201cI told you this before, didn\u2019t I!?\u201d<\/p>\n

Both the person saying it and the person on the receiving end understand this on a rational level.<\/p>\n

But my body won't move.<\/p>\n

I realized this is actually a pretty deep-rooted issue.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to use the phrase \u201cChik\u014d Goitsu\u201d as a starting point to reflect on safety and growth in the workplace.<\/p>\n

\"Knowing\" and \"doing\" are two completely different things, after all.<\/p>\n

\"Status<\/p>\n

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What Is \"Unity of Knowledge and Action\"? | Knowing but not acting is the same as not knowing<\/h2>\n

Have you ever heard of the phrase \u201cunity of knowledge and action\u201d?<\/p>\n

This is said to be a term from the school of thought known as Yangmingism, which was expounded by a man named Wang Yangming during China\u2019s Ming Dynasty.<\/p>\n

The meaning is simple: it seems to be the idea that \u201cknowing\u201d and \u201cdoing\u201d are essentially one and the same, and cannot be separated.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Wang Yangming,Knowing something but not acting on it is the same as not knowing it at all.<\/strong>It is said that he said, \"Da.\"<\/p>\n

It is said that this phrase can be traced back to a passage in the *Analects*, and in Japan, figures such as Yoshida Sh\u014din are believed to have been influenced by it.<\/p>\n

I was really struck by the part that says, \u201cKnowing something but not acting on it is the same as not knowing it at all!\u201d<\/p>\n

In practical terms, the ideal is not \"knowledge action,\" but rather \"knowledge = action.\"<\/p>\n

Only when knowledge and action align perfectly can you truly say, \u201cI get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I think there\u2019s probably no phrase that applies better than this to a construction site.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because, when it comes to on-site work, simply \u201cknowing\u201d something won\u2019t get you even a millimeter further.<\/p>\n

Even if you have the blueprints perfectly memorized, you won\u2019t be able to drill a hole unless you set up the drilling machine.<\/p>\n

Even if you know the mix ratio by heart, you can\u2019t make mortar unless you turn on the mixer and add the ingredients.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not so much that knowledge directly leads to results, but rather a world where results only come about when you take action.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly why I feel that people who put what they\u2019ve learned into practice right away are the ones who grow the most on the job.<\/p>\n

\"It<\/p>\n

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The scariest kind of accident on the job site is one where people \u201cknow what to do but don\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/h2>\n

During on-site investigations of workplace accidents, people often say this.<\/p>\n

\"I knew how to do it,\" and \"I knew the rules,\" he said.<\/p>\n

It seems to me that there are more cases where accidents happen not because people didn't know what to do, but because they knew what to do but didn't do it.<\/p>\n

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For example, working at heights on a slope.<\/p>\n

Wearing a safety harness (fall arrest device) is just common sense these days, isn't it?<\/p>\n

Another fundamental rule is to make sure the main rope is securely draped all the way to the end of the platform.<\/p>\n

But I end up going out without putting on my lipstick, telling myself, \u201cIt\u2019s just a quick trip\u201d or \u201cI\u2019ll be back in a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Accidents happen the moment your actions drop to zero, even if your knowledge is perfect.<\/p>\n

Incidentally, starting in 2022, the government is also tightening safety standards to require the use of full-body harnesses as a general rule for work at heights above a certain level.<\/p>\n

Rules are increasingly being established from the perspective of \"knowledge.\"<\/p>\n

The issue is always on the \"execution\" side\u2014that is, whether it will actually be done on the ground.<\/p>\n

While expanding your knowledge is important, consistently putting what you know into practice is actually much harder.<\/p>\n

Why do people \u201cknow what to do but still don\u2019t do it\u201d?<\/p>\n

Based on what I\u2019ve seen on the job and my own experience, I\u2019ve come to realize that there are usually three reasons.<\/p>\n

1. \u201cHabit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The more times I've done a task\u2014even hundreds of times\u2014the more I tend to cut corners.<\/p>\n

2. \u201cI\u2019m pressed for time.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the production process is demanding, people inevitably feel tempted to cut corners on safety.<\/p>\n

3. \u201cI think I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

It's that whole \"accidents never happen to me\" mentality, isn't it?<\/p>\n

The situation is most dangerous when these three factors coincide.<\/p>\n

Those moments when you skip over something you already know usually fall into one of these categories.<\/p>\n

\"Skid-Type
Manufactured by Teisaku; approximately 2.5 metric tons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Knowledge only becomes your own when you put it to use.<\/h2>\n

This isn't just about safety.<\/p>\n

New construction methods, new machinery, and new systems.<\/p>\n

The world is overflowing with information, and we live in an age where anyone can simply \u201cknow\u201d things.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s CCUS (the Construction Career Upgrading System) or ICT-based construction, there are really a lot of people who just say, \u201cOh, I know about that,\u201d and leave it at that.<\/p>\n

But in terms of the principle of the unity of knowledge and action, knowledge that isn't put into practice is the same as not knowing it at all, isn't it?<\/p>\n

Well, whether I do it or not is a different story, though.<\/p>\n

Personally, there have been tons of times when I\u2019ve just gone, \u201cWow!\u201d at seminars or videos and that\u2019s where it ended, lol.<\/p>\n

In the end, it\u2019s only after you\u2019ve actually tried doing it yourself on-site\u2014even just once\u2014and made some mistakes that it finally clicks and you realize, \u201cOh, so that\u2019s what this is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn, try, fail, and fix.<\/p>\n

I think that only the knowledge I\u2019ve put into practice will remain as my true asset.<\/p>\n

To put it another way, perhaps the strength of a veteran lies not so much in the amount of knowledge they possess, but rather in the habit of \u201cconsistently applying what they know to the task at hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

That's exactly the case with new tools, too.<\/p>\n

If you just find something at a home improvement store, buy it because it \u201clooks handy,\u201d and feel satisfied with that, nothing will change.<\/p>\n

You've got to take it to the job site and actually try it out\u2014you can't complain until you've used it in all kinds of situations lol<\/p>\n

As a result, you\u2019ll start to develop your own criteria for making decisions, such as, \u201cThis tool (machine) has a certain quirk,\u201d or \u201cIt\u2019s actually faster to do this part by hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manufacturers say, \u201cAnyone can do it easily,\u201d but in many cases, you won\u2019t know if it\u2019s actually usable in the field until you try it yourself.<\/p>\n

Only those who have turned knowledge into action have the answer.<\/p>\n

On the flip side, even though manufacturers can make their own machines and tools, it\u2019s pretty surprising to hear that contractors are using them in such outrageous ways, lol.<\/p>\n

Still, one of the great things about contractors is that they can bring out potential that even the manufacturers aren't aware of.<\/p>\n

\"Verify<\/p>\n

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To be honest, gathering knowledge isn't that hard.<\/p>\n

After all, we live in an age where there\u2019s no shortage of books, the internet, and videos.<\/p>\n

The hard part is actually putting what you know into practice every day on the job\u2014and seeing it through properly without getting fed up.<\/p>\n

Use the safety harness's lanyard, let the main rope hang down to the base of the structure, and follow the procedures outlined in the manual.<\/p>\n

Something plain, ordinary, and common knowledge.<\/p>\n

But the worksites that can consistently do this without wavering are, in the end, the ones with the fewest accidents and the highest profits.<\/p>\n

Know it, then do it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to keep steadily working on something as simple as that from now on.<\/p>\n

Don't just be a \"talking-only boss\"!!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

See you later.<\/p>\n

As a general rule, reissuance is handled by the driving school where you received your training | Certification Management<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n