What You Know

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We live in an unequal world, where not everyone has an equal chance. Some people have it easier, some have it harder.

Many of us have privileges; I wrote about them a few times already. But there's another privilege we often forget about: access to knowledge.

In theory, there is universal education. In theory, anyone with access to the Internet can visit any URL out there. In practice, knowledge compounds - the more you read, the more you listen, the better you get. Someone who had access to books as a child, will get (knowledge-wise) far beyond a person who started buying books once they became an adult. By age 30, one will have 25 years of accumulated knowledge, while the other only 10. Sure, knowledge doesn't only come from books, but the rule applies to anything else; online courses, private lessons after school, open lectures at museums.

Once you know where to look for knowledge, and have time and space to discover, the process will be much simpler. It's exponentiation, not addition.

It's important to remember, when talking with people, that they might've not had the same chance as you to discover knowledge from different worlds. Don't be mad when they won't get your point; don't lash out at them if they don't see your connections.

Bridge the gap, don't widen it.

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