The Guru Epidemic

3 min readMar 23, 2018

Sometimes you read something and it hits like lightning. An idea you’ve been mulling over for weeks or months comes together when someone else sums it up for you. The Guru Epidemic.

Asked and Answered.

But first some history. I remember getting on the internet for the first time. It was the late 90’s and I was in high school. My librarian showed me a Netscape browser and the rest is history.

In those early days, the internet was magic. I soaked up information like a sponge. Everything was soooooo interesting.

Fast forward to 2017 and I hit a wall. A huge wall going 90 miles an hour. I was no longer interested. In fact, I was bored. I no longer cared to hear the newest theory/conspiracy/revelation.

The internet has a long history of letting me down.

It did not cure my migraines with one magic trick. It did not hold the keys to eternal youth.

It went from endless wonder to a big fat who cares? Information overload. Information without wisdom.

I decided to go on a limited information diet al la Tim Ferris. Regarding migraines, just do what works. Regarding news, only the highlights and in very, very short doses. Regarding magical cures, definitely not. Instead I turned to books. Any and every book that struck my fancy.

Books contain information, yes, but also wisdom.

So, being a Tim Ferris fan, I started to read his new book, Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World. It’s taking forever to get through this book because it’s full of interesting information! Haha, yes, interesting. He collected advice from experts in a wide range of fields, including book recommendations. Each new chapter has me checking my library for the books listed. So many books!

Within this fabulous book, a quote from Jerome Jarre helped me to understand my current dissatisfaction with the internet.

“Anybody telling you he knows better is — more than anything — disempowering you, because he is placing you below and himself above. The guru separates himself from the rest of us. Anything that creates separation is an illusion. In reality, we are all united, all the same, all small parts of the same bigger thing, the universe.” — Jerome Jarre, Tribe of mentors

Everyone’s an expert. Experts and gurus get annoying after a while. You can’t help but feel inferior when someone is pointing out how bad your life is so they can sell you the cure. It’s the perfect sales strategy — point out a fault, sell the solution. But there’s only so many solutions you can hear before burnout.

Then, another wise quote.

“The world is already full of marketers and businessmen. The world doesn’t need more of that. The world needs healers and problem-solvers who use their hearts. Your heart is a million times more powerful than your brain.” — Jerome Jarre, Tribe of Mentors

You know what works for you.

Search out information if you need it.

Find motivation when you’re lazy.

Fill up your spiritual well when it runs low.

Stop looking for the magic bullet or overnight cure.