The heart of a child is the hope of the world. Every time a child is born, hope is revived in our world. But it’s easy to forget that. It’s easy to think that a miracle is a fool’s hope, and best left for people who don’t have holes in their shoes or pants, and who don’t risk humiliation for wearing football cleats to school because that’s all they can do to keep their feet safe. Billy Carson was born in these conditions. But hope, like a guardian angel, was watching over him while he struggled to retain his self-respect and compassion. Today, Billy is a multi-millionaire. And you can still see warm remnants of little Billy in those eyes that haven’t yet, and perhaps never will, forget the power of hope and the reward-producing nature of good, honest, hard work.
It was a tough childhood for Billy. Scarcity was like an unwelcomed guest who refused to leave. Walking down the memory lane that was patrolled by thieving crossing guards, Billy recalls, “I had far from a rosy childhood. We were a part of a poor neighborhood. My father, who perhaps wanted to me learn to stand up on my feet so that my youth didn’t resemble the days of my childhood, instilled in me a fierce sense of independence. I was expected to pay rent to live in the same house and take care of my everyday expenses on my own. It was difficult, but also perhaps the shortest way for me to learn about life and its difficulties. I had one pair of shoes and two pairs of pants. And I guarded my possessions fiercely.”
Billy learned early on that he would have to become creative to go from one day to the next. His shoes were not meant to last forever, but his grit had different plans. “I took extra care of my shoes. They were my only defense against the jagged streets that led to my school. However, despite all my attempts, the sole would often come undone. So, to keep my feet safe and to be able to outrun the crossing guards who’d rob us kids blind, I would sometimes insert cardboard sheets inside the shoes, and at others, wear cheap football cleats. Of course, the kids at school found it thoroughly amusing and found great joy in humiliating me. But I’d learned to take life as it comes, and in any case, I was more driven to protect my feet than my self-esteem at that point. However, the experience did hit home. It provided me the impetus I needed to stand on my feet, and this time, protect it well.”
And protect he did. A tough childhood can only make you go two ways – you can either end up on the streets hustling, or you can use your scars to heal your future. Billy chose the latter. Today, he’s best known as the founder of 4biddenknowledge TV, an online streaming platform that offers its viewers alternative ways of interpreting the world and expand their mental horizon in the process. He’s also a best-selling author and is well known for his books, The Compendium of Emerald Tablets and Woke Doesn’t Mean Broke. His inclination towards learning about the old ways of life and the ideas that cannot be martyred at the gates of time landed him the position of a host on Deep Space, an original streaming series by Gaia.
Billy is interested in the past, in the history of history, and the world that once was. For him, the world is one gigantic emerald tablet with ancient monuments and old texts serving as bookmarks. As he learned to decode their mysteries and symbology, he felt over-awed by the grand and vast scheme of things. He soon realized that if he wanted to understand what the ancients were trying to say, he had to learn the language of science and astrophysics. This need-based desire led him to apply for and earn the Certificate of Science (with an emphasis on Neuroscience) at MIT. This education has helped him in his curiosities and serious studies, especially in the areas of space, alternative propulsion systems, and zero-point energy devices.
His achievements can make the brain go dizzy. However, one question remains to be answered. How did a child with broken shoes go onto shoulder the responsibilities of digging up forbidden knowledge and turn his fortunes around in the process? Billy has an answer. “I have always had an active imagination. That was poverty’s greatest blessing to me. Being poor made me ask deep questions. I was seeking some kind of explanation, some reconciliation for the suffering of my life, and as I came to soon realize, in the life of all human beings. My thirst for understanding led me to alternative sources of knowledge. There I learned that life speaks to us through symbols. That the texts of old are manuals for a good life, and there’s knowledge in the world that has the potential to reveal our nature to us and thus liberate us.”
Billy’s struggle and revival are truly inspiring. Here’s wishing him all the best.