Those who can do, those who can’t teach.George Bernard Shaw

The very best 5% at anything may very well never pass on their greatness.

It’s also been said that those who can’t do, review. I’ve written about how the rewards for the very best minds to surface in politics just aren’t there. But what if it’s worse? What if the very best in every field are so busy applying their craft (or getting even better at it, further distancing themselves from the rest of us merely adequate players) that they never teach, never write, never pass on their skills.

Clearly the people who make infomercials for get-rich-quick schemes aren’t selling low-budget DVDs because they are bored. I always read “experts” with a cynical grain of salt.

But even among those that don’t have ulterior motives, most of the real geniuses I know in different fields of study don’t spend time writing about it, they spend time doing it. What if we could harness the knowledge of that top 5% instead of letting it slip away until future generations catch up?