Learning in Public

Picture this. You announce publicly that you are completely clueless. You know absolutely nothing. Everyone laughs. It’s quite uncomfortable. But you know they have every reason to laugh. You are clueless. You know nothing.

Then the next day you figure something out and think about it a bit and then announce to the world that you know something. Just this one little thing. But it’s a thing. And you know it. Everyone laughs. This is hilarious. You know just this one little thing, and you’re shamelessly announcing it for everyone to see.

Then the next day someone else says they also learned something. And now they know two things. And so do you. The thing you already knew, and that new thing, that now you also know. Isn’t this ridiculous? Like, some people have a PhD in this. And you two? You know two things. Big deal.

But the day after a third person comes and says, hey, guess what, now we know three things - the thing she knows, and that thing he knows, and this thing I just learned. Isn’t this great?

And on the fourth day … and the fifth … and … you get the point. You actually know quite a few things. And there are quite a few of you. And you are all laughing. Because the world belong to the learners. The world belongs to you.