Sharing knowledge is more important than protecting your ego

There's a quote I saw somewhere on the internet around 2012 and I used to repeat to myself whenever I was preparing to give a talk at a university.

I can't remember who said it, or even the exact wording. I've searched for it more times that I care to admit, but it either disappeared from the internet, or my Google-fu (is that an anachronism already?) is rusty.

The closest I can get is something like:

“Sharing knowledge is more important than protecting your ego.”

It stuck with me for two reasons. First, because it resonated deeply with my beliefs, and second, because impostor syndrome always had something to say before I got on stage. Who do you think you are to teach people anything? There are people way more capable than you. What if someone asks a question you can’t answer?

The point of the quote, or the idea behind it, is that none of that matters. Or it matters a lot less than the difference your knowledge and your ideas can make in someone else's life.

Keeping it to yourself because you're afraid is a very selfish thing to do.

All this is very useful in the software industry, my world, where, very similarly to science, community thrives on shared knowledge.

But the reason I've been thinking about it lately is because in the past two years I've been very open about my mental health, my neurodivergence, and the drugs I'm taking.

Sometimes, in private conversations, people precede any question about the subject with "I'm not sure if it's ok to ask this, but...".

But also, I've had friends, acquaintances and random people on the internet approaching me to ask specifically about my diagnosis, or my symptoms, or my experience with depression, anxiety, ADHD, or autism. And the possibility that my experience, or my limited knowledge, helps clear the path to them or someone else getting better makes me so happy.

So, yeah. It's always ok to ask. Whether to answer or not, or the scope of my answer, that's my decision to make. But I will most likely give you a straight and complete answer.

At the bottom of this page you can find several ways to contact me. You will always be welcome to do so.