I am not in a position to know very much about the world.

I am not in any position of power. I do not work at a think tank. I have never had dinner with an Ambassador and I am not privy to very many secrets, national, corporate, or otherwise.

What I do have is what almost every first-world middle-class professional has: a good education, high-bandwidth internet access, and my own curiosity. That, and a world of cheap plane tickets and a substantial amount of time to travel. This turns out to be a very striking combination, new in history. And so I constantly wonder: just how much could I know from public sources and random conversations and smart friends?

Because there’s just so much of everything! Wars and famine and art festivals. Economics and the manufacturing and distribution of condoms. Youth culture and how technology changes us. Intellectual property, piracy and parties. Climate change and poppy fields. There are many forces that move the world, and maybe, just maybe, if we could each get a broad enough and deep enough overview into the system as it stands, we might each be able to see our own place in it.

My thesis is that understanding the world– no, the process of trying to understand –  is a necessary first step in changing it for the better.  A necessary first step even in understanding what better means.

Also, reality turns out to be a hell of a lot of fun.

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