We are drowning in information, but starving for wisdom. In the modern world, information is abundant. Anything ever written or recorded is a click away. The Library of Alexandria is in your pocket. You can listen to a podcast of the wisest thinkers in the modern world, read ancient philosophy, and take a course that could change your life within an hour. The internet is arguably the most powerful tool humanity has ever created. But with that power comes great responsibility. All powerful tools are double-edged swords. Power comes with immense downside and risk: The invention of the nuclear bomb put a stop to World War II, but it also killed millions of people and had the world living in a simmering state of anxiety for decades. The invention of the iPhone gave us the power to communicate with our entire network at any time. But it also comes with the downside of a world that’s constantly overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious. The invention of social media gives us access to endless educational and inspirational figures. But it also comes with the price of a generation drowning in shallow pleasure and poor mental health. So how can we use such powerful tools and technologies like social media, smartphones, and computers for our collective benefit, rather than our collective degeneration? By becoming teachers. The old system is dying. For centuries, universities and centralized media outlets have been the gatekeepers of information, knowledge, and wisdom. This is no longer the case. In the modern world, anyone can learn anything. The barrier to entry is minimal. All you need is: A device An internet connection An insatiable desire to learn Anyone with the desire to learn can become whoever they desire to be. To become a beacon of wisdom in a sea of distracted consumers, you need two things: 1) A mentor Until roughly 100 years ago, becoming an influential member of society was limited by your access to a mentor. Access to a wise mentor was often limited to class, status, wealth, or family power. Many of the greatest figures of all time had incredible mentors: Plato had Socrates Alexander The Great had Aristotle Warren Buffet had Benjamin Graham To become a great figure yourself, you had to apprentice under a great mentor. The internet changes the game. No longer do you need direct access to a mentor to learn from them. In fact, your mentors don’t even have to know you exist. You can create your own “tribe of mentors” or “council of elders” through the internet. You have access to any mentor or thinker who ever walked the earth and wrote down their teachings in your pocket. You can create a “mental board of advisors” of Steve Jobs, Socrates, Aristotle, George Washington, and Alan Watts without ever meeting them in real life. Through deliberate study and immersion in their teachings, you can “take advice” from these figures by knowing their philosophies on a deep level, and imagining the advice they would give you. But simply learning and consuming isn’t enough. You must synthesize and teach. 2) A mentee The teacher learns more than the student. The author learns more than the reader. The speaker learns more than the attendee. The way to learn is by doing. ~ James Clear The fastest way to learn anything is to teach it. When you teach, you: Test your understanding Identify gaps in your thinking Uncover subconscious knowledge If you cannot explain a concept or idea to a primary pupil, you don’t know it well enough. But you don’t even need a direct student or mentee to experience the boost in understanding that comes from teaching. The barrier of entry to teaching online is zero. The vessel is writing. By learning information from great thinkers, synthesizing it, and sharing it online through your unique lens, you experience all the benefits of teaching without needing a formal “student.” Your students are your audience. Your curriculum is your content. Writing forces understanding. Clear writing is clear thinking. If you cannot put your ideas into writing in a digestible way, you do not understand it. There is no better forcing function in the modern world for understanding than writing about your ideas on the internet. Here’s a simple three-step process for how to accelerate your understanding via writing online: 1) Learn Anything you learn can become content. A book you read A lecture you watched A podcast you listened to By shifting your identity from consumer to a creator, you begin to consume with the intention to create. And creation is where true understanding occurs. 2) Synthesize As you learn and consume, you need a place to take notes, store ideas, and curate knowledge. The future belongs to the most curious, ferocious, relentless learners, who can digest and synthesize information, and teach it to the general public. 3) Teach Writing about your ideas online forces understanding. If you cannot present your ideas in a clear, understandable way, you do not understand it. Writing online is the tightest feedback loop for testing your knowledge. It’s a forcing function for understanding. The more you share, the more people you educate, and the more you help raise the collective consciousness of humanity. It’s your moral obligation to raise the collective well-being of society. The vessel is teaching through the internet via writing.