spark.
how it all started
In the late autumn of 2022, a groundbreaking technology which was labeled as the biggest breakthrough of 21st century was first demonstrated to the world. It created a shockwave in the markets around the globe whose impact will continue to shape the industries in the most unexpected ways for decades to come. The man behind this breakthrough was Sam Altman and product was called Chat GPT3.5.
This marked a significant milestone in human history, shifting the trajectory of human kind in a new direction. The shift in the job market and tech industry had a profound impact on a very large workforce. Losing my own job to AI was a trigger that made me reevaluate what it would take to be successful in the age of AI.
In the words of many great thinkers of our time, AI is the greatest lever invented by humans. So how we make use of it?
When I was a kid, whenever I looked forward to something great and imagined it, the opposite or something different would happen. This led me to believe that imagining something in the future would prevent it from occurring. So, I stopped imagining good things happening, hoping to avoid making them not happen.
Eventually, I realized that my imagination wasn’t the issue; it was my inability to predict what would actually happen. I was simply bad at forecasting the future.
The future does not honor predictions. It honors the ones who dance with change.
Maps are useful, yes — but adaptability is the sail. Understanding is the rudder.
And sometimes, the wind itself is the teacher.
What was that spark that made Newton discover gravity?
We all carry that withing us like a forgotten superpower...
Understanding is deeply rooted in the uniquely human ability to create explanatory knowledge. It goes beyond simply describing what is—it seeks to uncover the underlying mechanisms, principles, and laws of nature. True understanding is about grasping the why, not just the what. It’s about discovering how things really are beneath the surface of appearances.
All of this explanatory knowledge accumulates into what we might call a Framework of Understanding (FOU)—a personal and collective mental map of reality. This framework shapes how we perceive the world, interpret events, and make decisions. The depth and power of our FOU depend on the accuracy, scope, and strength of the explanations it contains.
I believe that in India, we have Babas, and in developed countries, we have self-help gurus. They all do the same thing: they give hope and promise clarity by offering temporary solutions or pseudo-order to relieve anxiety and provide some justified belief. This gives comfort to people, and many need it. However, it makes them dependent on these Babas or gurus, as we keep looking to them for answers.
I have been reading books, watching podcasts and following self help content creators for over 10 years now. I believe that many others like me may have felt the same frustration of endless loop of consumption of advice which leads to nothing other than offering this comfort or sense of temporary clarity. It is a kind of a drug many of us are addicted to.
Over time I realized that current model of self development or advice seeking is flawed.
So, I started working on creating one of my own...
from advice... to agency...
More coming...
There are other parts of Framework of Understanding that I will posting out... Stay tuned!