F2F #38: Build or be built
One of the biggest privileges in life is the freedom to create. Make it count.
Most people don’t live their lives. They live others' lives, constantly.
They scroll, consume, obey, react and their feelings are reactive to the content they absentmindedly ingest. Their lives are algorithmically curated, their opinions steered by trending topics, their ambitions limited to not falling behind.
But a small fraction (the creators/builders) move the world forward. They set the trends, shape the culture, craft the narrative of what will be discussed today and going forward.
I take the subway every day. All I see is people staring at their phones constantly, doom-scrolling to the rhythm of their mental drooling and frantically sharing, retweeting and mass-forwarding content to other people, thus propelling forward this wildfire of mental indigence.
Alt-right, toxic masculinity, false claims against immigrants, fake news and obvious deepfake videos are sent left and right (literally and metaphorically) and wolfed down without a single second of thinking whether that's factually true or not or if it even constitutes actual danger for someone else.
There’s a growing divide in modern society. Not locals vs. foreigners. Not USA vs the world. Not capitalism vs. everything else. Not left vs. right. But creators vs. consumers.
Creators make things: products, code, businesses, music, what have you. Some modern creators have originated in a meme or parody account, even.
Consumers, on the other hand, absorb. They watch Netflix, scroll Instagram, listen to podcasts, use ChatGPT. They don't output. They only input.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with consuming - I do it all the time, too - but if you never switch sides, you’re not driving your own life. You’re riding in someone else’s car, on someone else’s road, toward someone else’s destination.
I feel like this all the time:
I feel like I'm only listening to podcasts and therefore subconsciously adopt someone else's postures and opinions all the time.
When you're force-feeding content into your brain non-stop, it leaves little to no space for critical reasoning. It seems like we're only confined to shower thoughts territory because we actually don't bring our airpods in the shower - or do we? 😇
I'd have a hard time trying to remember the last time I walked alone without a podcast or music on. What have I become?
Back to topic: Narrative is power. History remembers creators. Whether it’s Da Vinci, Ada Lovelace, Mozart, or the hundreds of thousands of inventors, creators, artists, journalists who left a mark in history. Those who create shape how we understand the present and imagine the future. On the other hand, no one remembers consumers.
No, you won't get any prize for having listened to the most podcasts in a lifetime, Christopher.
In 2025, narrative power is up for grabs. You don’t need a TV network or a printing press. You need something to say and the guts to say it. Virtually everyone can become a creator with just a mobile phone and some grit.
Everyone? We'll get back to that a bit later. Bear with me.
Most people think they want leisure. Endless time to do nothing. But studies show that meaningful work - creative work -is what brings lasting fulfillment.
We want leisure because we're trapped in the hamster wheel of 1) working and 2) consuming other people's lives. After 8 hours (if you're lucky) at work, the family/house chores and an episode or two of the current popular TV series, you're left with thinking "man, I don't have time for anything else". Everyone thinks like that.
Everyone?
Actually... there is a correlation between social status and ability to create.
• Resource access: Starting a company, learning to code, recording music, even writing... require access to tools, networks, education, or at least a stable internet connection. Creation is gated by infrastructure.
• Risk tolerance: If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, you can’t afford to experiment. Creation is risky. Consumption is safe. Wealth buys optionality and a margin of error.
Heck, remove those 8h a day of work and you'll have plenty to work on creative projects to your heart's content, but is this sustainable? Exactly, it isn't.
That is why we will never have a Joe Rogan of the left.
That insignificant percentage of creators who are self-made came from lower strata of society and hustled it out, through thick and thin, are just confirmation bias, if they really exist at all. Some of these creators appear self-made but had privileges too: safety nets, education, connections, place of birth, etc.
One of the biggest privileges in life is the freedom to create.
While capital-intensive creation (like founding a startup or launching a product) is harder with fewer resources, not all creation is gated:
• Low-barrier creation: TikTok videos, indie blogs, open-source contributions, even memes. These are creative acts accessible to many.
• Social platforms have made it possible (not always fair) for people from modest backgrounds to break through, especially in art, music, comedy, gaming. But again, this is highly unlikely, more of a moonshot than anything else.
However, possible doesn’t mean equally likely.
It’s important to acknowledge that the myth of meritocracy hides the real disparities. Creators sell aspiration to consumers. It's easier to sell to lower strata of society because they've got a bigger number of steps up. It's hard to sell aspiration to billionaires.
Thus, creators target down. Consumers, look up.
All in all, I wouldn't want to convey the idea that consumers are lazy. Often, they're exhausted and live on autopilot to plough through this highly oppressing society.
We're not just looking at a mindset gap: we’re looking at a systemic inequality problem.
Let’s be real—creating isn’t equally accessible to everyone. If you’re broke, tired, or just trying to survive, you’re not prioritizing fucking art or fucking startups. That’s not weakness: it’s life on hard mode. But for those of us with the option to build, not creating is a choice. And if you have that privilege, wasting it is criminal.
I'm not going to go into a hypocritical sermon "don't waste time watching TV or playing video games". I do it all the time, and it is also good for the brain, but the first step is to acknowledge that time on Earth is finite and that I want to devote part of my time and talent to build positive stuff for my people.
The world needs more creators, especially from underrepresented backgrounds. If you’re already on the inside, make room. Build tools & open doors. Don’t just create for yourself: create for others so they have more diverse options than Andrew Tate and Joe Rogan, for fuck's sake.