What value does knowledge hold?
Some would say it holds infinite value. That the more knowledge one accrues, the better off they are.
They may be right. But only to a point.
You see, the true value in knowledge lies not in how much of it one can gain. No, it lies in how much of it one can share.
Sharing represents full utilization of knowledge. It represents taking what one has gained and using it to help others. To bridge gaps, build communities and make the world a better place.
This is where value is created. This is where legends are made.
If you don’t believe me, consider how few rewards are given simply for accruing knowledge.
It might get us into Harvard, give us the grand prize in Jeopardy or help us ace the exam.
But then what?
We won’t be remembered for how much we can remember. And we likely won’t be able to make a career out of what we retain in our heads.
We need to do more to leave our mark. We need to be actionable with what we’ve learned. To use our knowledge to solve real world problems.
This is what the world expects of us. And it’s what we must expect of ourselves.
Yes, collaboration a fundamental attribute of humanity. Our society is built upon the value of sharing knowledge. Of taking ideas, building upon them and maximizing their impact.
It’s how we’ve evolved from caves to computers. It’s how we’ve gone from walking through jungles amongst saber-toothed tigers to flying above the clouds in jumbo jets.
If the minds behind these innovations hadn’t shared them, we’d still be in the Stone Age. Or maybe even extinct.
In fact, if we hadn’t shared our accrued knowledge, our entire existence would be anonymous. History, after all, is solely the result of shared knowledge.
Fortunately, those before us have taken on the burden of sharing their ideas. And, in doing so, they’ve provided us with previously unimaginable luxuries.
We can now live longer than our ancestors did. And we can now live in greater comfort than previous generations could ever have imagined.
But we cannot drop the ball.
In an era where endless information is available in our pockets, we cannot afford to act as if our brains are intake valves.
We must remember the importance of taking it in to share it out.
We must share what we know.
We must advance the conversation.
We must leave the world a better place than we found it.
This is our purpose. And our responsibility.
So, let’s commit to it. Together.