True Experts Embrace Complexity
“Expert.”
A word so overused it's almost lost its weight. We’re surrounded by them — self-proclaimed experts in every field, emerging sometimes after just a few weeks or months of exposure to something new.
Of course, our current reality encourages this. New technologies and paradigms appear with such layers of abstraction that they feel mysterious, even unreachable. But often, they’re not. They just require someone willing to dedicate a bit of time and will to learn the interface, the lingo, the illusion. And voilà — another expert is born.
But this isn’t real complexity. And these aren’t real experts.
A true expert is not simply someone who bothered to learn what others couldn't be bothered with. It’s not just about understanding a tool, a trend, or a framework slightly ahead of the crowd.
So what defines a real specialist?
I believe it’s forged through a deep and continuous engagement with complexity — through a relentless commitment to uncovering the essence of a subject, not just its surface.
True specialists are not just familiar with their field. They expand it. They dissect it from multiple angles — across disciplines, perspectives, and contradictions. They descend into its nuances, its flaws, its beauty. They challenge its assumptions and stretch the limits of its concepts. They wrestle with it until they see something others don't.
This is not a badge one earns with a LinkedIn update or a weekend course.
This is the slow, obsessive pursuit of real knowledge.
And most people won’t even notice. Or care.