The Most Important Question

What kind of world do you want to live in?

To me, this is the single most important question there is. Once you know what kind of world you want to live in, you can start taking action towards making that world a reality.

So, I ask you again. What kind of world do you want to live in?

For me, there is really only one answer. I want to live in a world that is fair. Where every man, woman and child has a fighting chance to succeed and create a good life for themselves.

What can you do to make that world a reality?

Actually, I lied when I said that the most important question was what kind of world you want to live in. That question is meaningless unless it is followed by action. Therefor, the true question is what actions can we take to help create a desirable reality.

I want to live in a world that is fair. What can I do to make that world a reality.

The internet and the information age has bestowed upon us the most powerful tool in human history. With a computer and an internet connection, anyone in the world can have access to the collective sum of humanities wisdom. The power to connect with anyone via Facebook. The power to learn anything via the Khan Academy and Coursera. The power to create anything with Kickstarter.

The internet has the power to make things fair.

But all of that means nothing to you if you are illiterate. If you can’t read, then the power of technology and internet means nothing to you.

Right now, there are 250 million children in the world who are illiterate. And the challenges of educating everyone through traditional means are almost too daunting to comprehend. Many of these people live in developing nations where schools, roads and teachers are in extremely short supply.

There have been billions of dollars spent over the past several decades spent trying to put the necessary infrastructure into place to educate these children. Many brilliant people have spent their time and money trying to extend the reach of literacy. And there have been impressive gains from initiatives such as the Millennium Development goals. But still today, one in ten primary school aged children is out of school.

What if there was a better way

Sugata Mitra made a discovery that will change the world. And it all started with a crazy experiment.

What will happen if I give uneducated children a computer?

Mr. Mitra set up computer kiosks in a remote village in India. Within a couple months, the children of the village had figured out how to use the computer. They had taught themselves English and enough knowledge about computers to request a faster processor.

After extensive study, Mitra proclaimed“In nine months, a group of hildren left alone with a computer in any language will reach the same standard as an office secretary in the West”. His experiment ultimately culminated by successfully teaching molecular biology tochildren in southern India using only a computer.

The future of education

Today marks the next step in the future of education. Today marks the best chance we have had yet for ensuring a fair start for every child.

Today marks the beginning of the global literacy X Prize.

The contest rules of the contest are simple. The results will be world changing. Create an app for Android devices which can take a child from illiterate to literate. The contestants will learn use the lessons of Mr. Mitra to create an app that make a child literate. By harnessing touchscreens, gamification, machine learning and leading theories on primary education, teams around the world will soon start to create the ultimate teaching app.

The top five teams will each receive a million dollars and the opportunity to field test their apps. The winner will walk away with ten million dollars. And the best part — all of the software will be open sourced.

The goal will be to reach every child with this app. Sound crazy? Mozilla is releasing a $25 smartphone by the end of this year. It’s safe to bet there will be one for below $10 soon. Still a lot of money for someone living in extreme poverty. But nothing compared to the resources needed for traditional primary education.

What kind of world do you want to live in?

I want to live in the kind of world where every child knows how to read. Where, if we can’t provide an adequate school for every child, we can at least provide them with all the tools they need to replicate that education.

What can you do to make this world a reality?

X Prize has launched a crowdfunding command to help fund the side costs of their program. All of the prize money has already been raised. This money will go towards implementing and improving the program.

I’d say donating to the Global Literacy X Prize is a great way to help create the world you want to live in.

Why do you get up in the morning? For me, I get up because I believe working towards a better future, creates a life worth living. How do we create meaningful lives worth living — by acting with in support of the causes bringing positive change. The end result is a world where every child gets the opportunity to create their own life worth living.

If you liked this story — please recommend and share on Twitter. Let’s get the word out to as many people as possible.

Disclosures: I have no relation to the X Prize foundation besides being a member of the volunteer X Prize Vanguard program to help promote the launch of the global literacy X Prize. I wrote this column because I believe in the cause. And don’t worry — I’ve already put my money where my mouth is and donated