Knowledge comes at a price. It takes time and energy to understand something new. If we have gained that understanding, it’s because we were willing to invest in the effort. If other people want to learn it, they can make the same level of investment, or so we tell ourselves.
Take reading music, for example. There are plenty of musicians who say they can play by ear and they don’t need to read music. Music notation for them might as well be like this. There are shapes that are recognizable, but overall it seems chaotic.
It has no meaning or value. But what if those of us who understand music notation make it easier to learn? What if we lower the price of acquiring that knowledge? What if more people could follow their curiosity and learn that reading music allows them to understand the printed music as easily as reading this paragraph? Many musicians will look at this example and be able to hum the melody and maybe even identify the composer.
It’s the same bits and pieces, but now there is order in the chaos and it makes sense—if you know how to read music.
Good explanations make sense and they can save lots of time. Lower the price of knowledge, let others learn what you already know, and we all benefit.
