The Pursuit of Knowledge

Should a knower's personal point of view be considered an asset in the pursuit of knowledge, or an obstacle to overcome.

I believe this can work in two different ways. You see in class, many people were saying this the answer to this question depends on attitude. If a person has a negative point of view, then he will most likely view it as an obstacle. Seeing as how everything in this person's life might be a problem, this is no different. When they pursue something, even if it is knowledge, they probably think of only the bad things that might happen along the way. Whereas an optimist only sees his goal. But if you think about it, he has obstacles to overcome as well. Like with any search, there is a struggle, and to achieve your desired result, you must go through a series of events. Think of it like a test with a reward at the end. To gain six pack abs, one must work day in and day out, having a good diet plan and getting plenty of cardiovascular exercise. Its the same effect with knowledge in general. I view it as if a person wants to learn something knew, he/she must be taught, and depending on how he learns, this could be an interesting experience. Many people use knowledge as a tool to climb higher, and travel greater distances than their peers who view knowledge as nothing more than school work. Never failing a single class all throughout my school career I've never abused my PRIVILEGE to learn. There are many people who take school for granted by dropping out, or ditching class, or just not wanting to participate. These people view the pursuit of knowledge as an obstacle while i see it as an asset because i see nothing negative about education except the fact that its not given to everyone.
Right now i feel as though i explained my point on where i stand in terms of my person view of knowledge, but since MAYVILLE requires 500 words, i guess i might have to "elaborate". What comes next might not even make any sence because, im just going to throw random things out there.
Knowledge is defined as expertise, and skills acquired by a person through experience and education. You see, the key word there is ACQUIRED. In order to acquire something, you must first, "do something" to get it. Even if it is something fairly easy to get, you still have to do something. If its ice cream from an ice cream truck, you have to walk to the truck, pull out your money, and pay the man. And in return, he gives you ice cream. But to me, and probably to most of you, when i think of acquiring something, i think of a person, traveling on a long quest, or journey, facing many challenges, and at the end of the day, are rewarded with what they were searching for when they began their journey.
I believe knowledge is an acquired privledge which is available to anyone, but only a few understand how important it is.