Why Should We Share Knowledge?
It was through Kunal Shah that I came to know about the Indian Crab Mentality. When crabs are put in a bucket, it’s easy for them to climb out of it. But the other crabs tend to pull down the ones trying to get out.
“If I can’t have it, neither can you.”
In India, be it in the case of family, education, politics, or workplace the crab mentality is prevalent. Compared to places like San Francisco, there is very little openness in India.
“India is a country where if we shared notes, we think we could not score good marks. This is the zero-sum mindset we have. In entrepreneurship, we could all become extremely wealthy by sharing notes.” ~Kunal Shah
We are set to believe that success is a zero-sum game and helping or even listening to others is a sure way to go down in the “game of life.”
Like Kunal mentions, students are even discouraged from sharing their notes. What if the other student answered a question because of your notes. Does it mean that you gave away a good chance to be the “best?”
Since we are nurtured in this mindset, it’s obvious why the workplaces in India are riddled with politics. After the gossiping and these struggle for becoming the next star performer, there won’t be time for the actual contribution to the company and self. I used to wonder why Indian engineers are working this hard for a below-market salary. I guess we are not frogs in a well but crabs in a bucket. Thinking inside the bucket, while pulling down the others trying to break the convention.
I was amazed when I stumbled upon Patrick Collison’s website. He is the founder and CEO of Stripe, a well-known startup that is making a huge dent in the domain of internet payments. On his website he has made public, all the books he read and is planning on reading, the people he is learning from, and the lessons he has learned. I couldn’t believe it. We were taught not to share our notes. But here is one of the most successful people I know openly sharing his learnings.
This is not limited to Patrick. It is a common trend among people who are “different,” I don't want to use the word “successful” because we tend to associate being rich with being successful.
These people share their notes and learnings; they are open to suggestions and new knowledge. Internet is their playground and it has made this whole sharing process much easier.
Even though it sounds clichéd, when we share our knowledge we learn better. We become humble. I don’t know about karma, but when we are open to sharing and receiving, better opportunities and new knowledge finds us. This network opens up new horizons. It is a positive-sum game.
Among the startups in India, some companies are embracing this culture of sharing and learning. The existence of such companies and culture motivates me. A place where everyone is working towards a common goal and learning every day. Who knows maybe we will end up having someplace similar to San Francisco, where such curious, optimistic and people with high-openness flock together.
I am still skeptical about whether the crab mentality in India will change because as Faust tells Wagner:
The few who knew what might be learned,
Foolish enough to put their whole heart on show,
And reveal their feelings to the crowd below,
Mankind has always crucified and burned.
This is where I believe the internet comes to the rescue. Without traveling, this hyperconnectivity of the internet helps us in meeting new people. This paves the way for better learning and sharing. Meeting such people and enabling more and more of us to get such exposure is a way for us to escape the dreaded crab mentality.
Note: Creating such cultures and societies is the only way to minimize brain drain in our country. Would you live in a place that drags you down?
