Philosophical Mentorship: Divine Purpose and Optimal Resource Allocation

Date: June 8, 2025
Location: Remote video call
Format: Mentorship and strategic planning conversation

Executive Summary

A deeply philosophical conversation between Gary Sheng and Tim Dort-Golts covering Gary's strategic transition away from Alpha School employment, his upcoming Jewish memorial gala opportunity in New York, and extensive mentorship on divine purpose, optimal resource allocation through the "highest and best use" concept, and surrendering personal control to divine guidance. Gary positioned Tim as his key support person in helping world-changing individuals secure the resources they need to execute transformational work.

Gary's Strategic Transition from Alpha School

Intellectual Property and Independence

Gary revealed his decision to leave Alpha School employment due to IP constraints: Quote: "I basically had to come out that I'm I didn't tell the full story, but I was like, in terms of protecting my intellectual property and anyone I work with, I cannot be under Joe's IP agreement, which is what he has. Right? Worksmart and everything is is is IP theft. It's not theft because it's an agreement. Right?"

Transitioning to Commission-Based Model

Gary outlined his preferred future relationship with Alpha: Quote: "What I was meant to when I mentioning to Dallas, is that I I would be happy to transition into, like, a eat what you you know, an eat what you kill metaphor... Like, well, I don't want you I don't even I don't mind to look it up. I I don't want you to look it up. You need to think for yourself."

Clear Financial Expectations: "So so if I if I if I bring in a $10,000,000 deal, I want a million That's what I'm saying... Because I'm not gonna I'm literally gonna kill the deal otherwise. Right? I'm not even gonna bring the deal to you otherwise."

Physical Separation Strategy

Gary's approach to leaving the Alpha office space: Quote: "So I'm on my way to pick up my laptop and stuff from the school. It's not to say that I won't use that desk anytime I'm there. But I'm just like, I need to cleanse my cleanse myself from this place... Brother, I don't need I don't I don't want them to think about me."

Strategic Desk Arrangement: Gary left charging stations at his former desk with a note, creating utility while managing perceptions about his departure.

Jewish Memorial Gala Opportunity

High-Stakes New York Event

Gary revealed his $10,000 investment in a Jewish memorial gala: Quote: "I ended up buying a table this memorial gala in New York City, $10,000 literally cost of doing business. If if the deal goes through, I'm gonna make I'm reimbursed. Fucking very quickly, bro. Not even just reimbursed. I wanna get a fucking cut."

Market Opportunity Assessment

Target Demographics: "Jewish I don't know how filthy and you are about the Jewish... there's a couple schools that are being threatened to shut shut down. At least a couple. And these families are very wealthy. Let's put it that way."

Strategic Positioning: Gary emphasized the importance of showing up "in presidential sort of attire" to demonstrate that potential partners are "dealing with someone that's gonna do great things."

Divine Timing Recognition

Gary connected the timing of his Alpha event and the gala: Quote: "God works in mysterious ways. God uses people. To accomplish things that we cannot understand... So do you think that I would feel comfortable going to a gala on Wednesday if I did a event on Saturday?"

Teaching the "Highest and Best Use" Concept

Core Principle Definition

Gary systematically taught Tim this fundamental resource allocation concept: Quote: "Highest and best use. Right? Do you understand why that's a better term than main thing? That's missing the point, Tim. It's not about it. Like, it could be his main thing, if he was orally allocating his time. Which he is often. Right? I don't care what his main thing is. His main thing that maybe maybe not appropriate right now."

Lael Alexander Case Study

Gary used Dr. Lael Alexander as an example of misallocated genius: Quote: "Do you think it's highest and best use for Lael, Alexander, literally designed satellites? To be getting an $8,000 contract to provide folding chairs you know how fucking ridiculous that is, dude? That's like it's actually like it's actually like, maybe you're not that smart."

Scale Recognition: "I feel like you're consistently three orders of magnitude off from what you should be asking for. A thousand times off... why not 33 billion?"

Tim's Role Definition

Gary positioned Tim's purpose in supporting this mission: Quote: "I know my role, Tim. My role is to get these fucking geniuses as much money as possible. That's my role. It's very simple. And your role is to help me do that... What a great I mean, that's your default divine purpose until you find another one."

CEO of Humanity: "I legitimately am not even kidding. Right, that you are the CEO of humanity right now. Why do I say that, Tim?... Yes. I'm the back end of the of these guys. Right?... Yeah. So Russians control the world once again."

Divine Purpose and Surrendering Control

Free Will vs Divine Guidance

Gary's theological framework for decision-making: Quote: "You're you're you're you're just an instrument just an instrument that gets a choice whether to act on the divine intelligence... if and so this people are like, oh, free will or not? God God is, like, giving you hits all the time about what what you should be doing. You understand this?"

Flow State Philosophy: "But people people want to break out a flow and and say, I know better than you got. And then the And then they wonder why it's so much friction. To do everything. But because they're not in the god flow."

Personal Testimony

Gary shared how divine guidance led to his current opportunities: Quote: "Well well, I mean, I just just didn't have a plan after Ed City, but then God gave me a plan. Right? God sent me Vatican City. Right? Literally."

"Man Plans, God Laughs"

Gary explored this fundamental principle with Tim: Quote: "I'm just thinking about how I did not you know ever think about, like, what what you thought you wanted. Right? Or, like, oh, it didn't work out of have you ever heard have you ever heard of the the the phrase man plans, god laughs?"

Adventure Superior to Human Planning: "But isn't that, like, I think I think the thing that people don't under think the thing that people don't understand is that, like, the adventure that god is taking us is, like, way crazier and more fun than anyone anything that we could imagine... for ourselves."

Tim's Personal Development Journey

Calendar to To-Do List Transition

Tim shared his evolution in productivity approaches: Quote: "the the whole reason why I'm pivoting, like, in terms of organizing myself, I'm pivoting from the calendar to just a to do list. Is because instead of trying to plan out when and how am I gonna do shit, which by the way rarely worked."

Recognition of Control Futility: "You can't really plan the weather. For tomorrow. You can't really plan if your friend is is gonna call you, if your family is gonna call you. And it's like, you know, if you try to control everything, you just almost lose all the serendipity."

Loss as Teacher

Tim connected his broken engagement to learning surrender: Quote: "what what I'm getting at is I'm learning, and I think what kept this off is losing my fiance She was probably the number one thing that I've planned in my life. Just fuck fucking that up."

Surrender Recognition: "I'm not trying to control. Yeah. I'm not trying to control what happens... Nothing because, but but I think it's majorly you already discussed it. But I just, like, I can't do it like this anymore."

Truth vs Fear Dynamics

Gary's Unfiltered Approach

Gary's commitment to truth-telling regardless of consequences: Quote: "I realized, like, I'm not gonna change, by the way. Like, I'm gonna be my unfiltered fucking self because, like, I'm not, like I don't wanna I'm not trying to run for office. Like, my role is to be the fucking truth teller."

Politics vs Truth: "Like, everyone's a fucking politician. Like, worried about, oh, well, how does this come off? Fucking bitch. Like, do want to just there be can there be one fucking person that is telling the fucking truth?"

Truth and Human Flourishing

Gary connected honesty to societal function: Quote: "Human flourishing will be killed. Human flourishing is is 30 on decline, right, to to, like, an unbelievable degree... without truth, world will be a shit show. Will be chaos, And, basically, without truth, there's just no possibility for order."

Institutional Mediocrity Critique

Gary's assessment of organizational dysfunction: Quote: "I realize. Oh my god. And it it only helps by the way, I understand. It only helps to be upset about it for so long. Right? It's like, I'm literally putting my friends in position... That that are like that that literally care more about the position of being a cofounder of a nonprofit than, like, actually doing shit."

Vatican Collaboration Update

Mark Baciak Relationship Resolution

Gary provided updates on his Vatican connections: Quote: "And I I was able to address a lot of my grievances, actually. You said I agree. I agree. Blah blah blah. And, like, there was this one guy, John. I know if you remember that guy. But I was like, I'm never working with your fucking guy, John, ever again. He said, me neither."

Cardinal Turkson Vindication: "Apparently, the guy that I met, Cardinal Turkson, he was not actually corrupt. He was being framed. By people that were actually corrupt, and he cleared it up last year... And now he wants help on AI and stuff at the church. It's like, okay. Our body two point o."

Educational Vision and Standards

Systemic Education Critique

Gary's assessment of American educational mediocrity: Quote: "Being number one state in education means fucking nothing. Having the number one education system in America compared to other states that's like, oh, I'm the least retarded retard... I'm the fucking genius on the short bus."

Principled Reconstruction: "we literally have to rethink it from, like, principles. Like, okay. What does civilization need? And, like, is common core even, like, what who invented Common Core?... There's actually, like, factual inaccuracies in the test. Like, imagine, like, training kids for a test, and they're actually just getting dumber."

Vision for Educational Reform

Gary's role in supporting educational transformation: Quote: "I mean, I just Lael already has tools that he started. You know? He has he school that are working like, more than prototype. The multiple years of track record now in India. He has he bought a school in Louisiana for technical training, like trades."

Strategic Insights and Future Planning

Personal Boundaries and Energy Management

Gary's approach to managing requests and attention: Quote: "Part of why I stopped tweeting dude is because... I just don't need more inbound, right? I just don't need like, anytime someone texts me, what are you up to? I don't feel obligated to like, actually give them the full answer."

Success Metrics for Alpha Alumni

Gary's vision for educational transformation validation: Quote: "I think alpha really is solidified itself as an educational system, when being an alpha alumni means something, right? That's the long goal... when we get to that point, that's when I've known that alpha has succeeded as a new educational system."

Mentorship Philosophy

Gary's final guidance to Tim: Quote: "Does it all sorta make sense for basically explaining all this stuff the way I wish it was explained to me... You just have to, like, stop. Trying to make your own plans... it's time to surrender a bit, bro."

Conclusion and Relationship Definition

Mutual Recognition and Gratitude

The conversation concluded with acknowledgment of their complementary relationship: Tim's Learning: "I do I do wanna add here that you see so much more beauty once you just release perceived control that you thought you had, fucking never had, Everything is in the hands of God."

Gary's Recognition: "Does it all sorta make sense for basically explaining all this stuff the way I wish it was explained to me."

Mutual Affection: The call ended with "Love you too. Bye" from both participants, indicating deep personal connection alongside professional collaboration.

Key Insights and Themes

Divine Orchestration in Business

The conversation demonstrates Gary's sophisticated integration of spiritual principles with strategic business development, seeing divine timing in the alignment of his Alpha transition with the Jewish gala opportunity.

Mentorship Through Philosophical Framework

Gary's approach to mentoring Tim involves teaching fundamental principles (highest and best use, divine guidance, truth vs fear) rather than just tactical advice.

Transition from Control to Flow

Both participants showed evolution toward surrendering personal control in favor of divine guidance and natural timing, with practical applications to productivity and life planning.

Truth-Telling as Service

Gary positioned his unfiltered communication style not as insensitivity but as essential service to human flourishing and organizational health.

Resource Allocation as Moral Imperative

The "highest and best use" concept was presented not just as business efficiency but as moral obligation to maximize the impact of exceptional talent like Dr. Lael Alexander.

This conversation represents a significant moment in both participants' development, with Gary solidifying his transition to independent operation while Tim deepened his understanding of divine purpose and optimal resource allocation in service of transformational individuals and projects.