The Framework of Understanding
Knowledge is a skyscraper. You can take a shortcut with a fragile foundation of memorization, or build slowly upon a steel frame of understanding.” - Naval Ravikant
That skyscraper steel framework is The Framework of Understanding...
“When we tune out the opinions, expectations, and obligations of the world around us, we begin to hear ourselves.” - Jay Shetty, Think Like a Monk
That voice of ours is generated from this Framework of Understanding...
"Behind it all is surely an idea so simple, so beautiful, that when we grasp it – in a decade, a century, or a millennium – we will all say to each other, how could it have been otherwise?" - John Archibald Wheeler, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 480 (1986)
This is where the problem begins. The solutions are simple—just like Newton’s three laws.
When we finally figure something out and share it with the world, it often looks obvious—even silly. But the real complexity lies in the journey of arriving at that insight.
Take the theory of evolution. It’s so elegantly simple, so easy to grasp. And yet, for thousands of years, no one made that leap.
Blows my mind off... every time I think about it...
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.
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.
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!