I’m smart enough to know just how much of an idiot I really am.
I do, cus then people call me obnoxious or say I’m showing off but I’m not, I JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE POTENTIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF PEOPLE WITH SEVERE ADHD AND ALCOHOL 😭😭😭
I can’t ever have a normal conversation with someone. It has to be some random shit I hyper-fixated on just enough to write a research paper on for no fucking reason. Like why humans have such pungent body order despite us not having advanced enough Olfactory Senses to not “read” scents or pheromones the same way dogs or cats can.
Try to keep expectations low and you’ll live longer.
I like knowing stuff because I have social anxiety and being able to engage in small talk with people about a wide range of topics is extremely helpful for me.
The curse of competence.
Being smart means I keep getting handed more work.
Knowing stuff can be a curse, especially when you’re 10 steps ahead of everyone else in the room and you know they’re just going to need the time to figure it out on their own.
But being smart means you know how and when to apply your knowledge. So you can provide the information when it’s actually useful and not when it just gets blank stares.
And knowing stuff but NOT talking about it all the time, and not using “told you so” means that when you DO speak, anyone who matters will listen and take you seriously.
I find that slipping useful knowledge into self-deprecating jokes is a useful way to get people to listen to it.
People do not want to know what is right. They want to think they are right. Those two things are hardly ever the same thing.
In a way yes. There are times when I am so sick of dealing with people who cannot organize their thoughts - it becomes just exhausting.
So consistently being the most analytical, on-the-ball, ahead of the curve, able to predict the future, able to see-through people within seconds of meeting them, being generally good at most things, adept automatically the first time I try anything… It’s a burden.
But at the same time I’m not so dumb to think I don’t choose this burden.
I want to agree, but I don’t wanna be downvoted or have some sort of Egotistical view of myself. But a lot of the time it can feel that way, especially when interacting with family or relatives.
I’m Black, and I learned the hard way of what NOT to talk about when I’m around other black people my age. It’s a long ass story, but for years, I struggled to understand certain things we say or do as humans; why someone would be Christian but be so hateful towards their neighbor, how someone can livestream a shooting and get millions of views (This happens more so in the hood on Facebook), Why pointing out a fallacy in someone’s words can irritate them, or why people get so frustrated at me when I notice/point out something before others can do so.
Idk, I dont think of myself as this fuckin “Hotshot MENSA smartass who knows everything and is better than everyone,” Cus I’m not. There’s always someone who’s far more knowledgeable in something than I am, and that’s okay! But oftentimes I feel like an alien or a mutant; from the way I talk all the way down to my interests; it always seems to separate me from others.
There’s sooo many things I’m curious about!! But it seems like no one cares to converse with me about such things. Instead, they get frustrated with me, and I learned to instead Be Seen and not Heard. I want so badly to just—start up a conversation with someone IRL about some random ass topic I’ve been hyper-fixating over, but the only person I can ever talk about such things with is myself.
A lot of the time I feel like I’m not actually supposed to be living on this plane of existence, like there’s some other universe or realm I shoulda been placed into. I feel like I get punished for questioning shit too much or being too open to so many topics. It’s like whatever I have a deep interest in at the moment, is not socially acceptable to talk about in public, I just don’t get it??
Why are other people so stubborn about some things, Why can’t people ever listen and internalize some of the stuff I say? Why can’t I just, start up a conversation about religion, psychology, random ass medical facts, or like- (idk man it’s hard to pinpoint what stuff I talk about the most, but its often just shit I researched, like Mental disabilities and art, or how Alcohol could potentially be beneficial to people with really bad ADHD, or if the world suddenly went vegan, how would this impact the environment.)
Like, I know WHY people dont wanna talk about shit like that? It can be morbid loaded or triggering but, why do people react so negatively? It just seems like a lot of people only want to look at things at face value, and if I question their viewpoints, I will always be punished, rather than the person engaging with the question, and then we start talking about it.
Idk, It’d be nice to talk to people IRL about stuff and have them engage back with me. I wished people were more curious or had better introspection. How people react to certain things is the one thing I can never wrap my head around. I can sit here and boast about all the cool, scientific shit I know, yet, I can’t seem to relate to others or socialize properly? And to me, being social means everything!
My “genius” means nothing if I can’t figure out where I fit in society. What’s the perks of being “smart or knowledgeable” if you have no one to share it with; EVEN WORSE is when the person already knows about that topic but assumes this self-righteous Dogma that, when challenged, they get hostile about it and claim superiority.
I don’t like to think too highly of myself. I am still a human, I’m no better than anyone else, and there will always be some aspect of me that someone else has the upper hand on. I strive to remain humble, or I hope I’m being humble… But it’s through all this different shit I learned and researched it’s like… God, I feel like a platypus in a den of—anything else that isn’t a platypus. Sometimes I can’t help but feel like I know more than everyone else; and that everyone is too “simple-minded”. There are times I fall into this weird egotistical view of myself; I’m just glad I’m able to recognize such feelings and address them.
Idk, maybe I’m TOO introspective? To the point I gaslight myself… Maybe I just think too much?? What scares me is the fact I will never fucking know WHY or HOW I got into such a headspace. To have a question that can never be answered… It scares me, the fear of the unknown… There are things in my own mind I may never be able to comprehend, It’s like I’m completely colorblind and trying to imagine what green looks like. GOD, it seems so fucking simple but it isn’t?! Ugh… idk, Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
I don’t find it annoying and I certainly don’t know a lot.
I know a lot about my narrow field of expertise and hobbies. I’m ignorant about so much useful knowledge and skills.
Nope.
For context, I’m in my late 50s and always want to know the right answer, and share it with everyone.
Buy sometimes, you need to let it go. You might be in a situation where someone is confidently stating something you know to be wrong. Correcting them can - depending on context - come across as insulting and know-it-all; and if it’s not important, maybe stay silent this time.
Now if you’re in a situation where the truth IS important, or where everyone is more interested in the truth (or even debate) than something cool but false, your knowledge will be appreciated.
You don’t have to always have the last word, even if it’s right.
No I get off on making people feel dumb
What? No. No, dawg, no. Ignorance isn’t a virtue. Knowledge and expertise are something to be proud of.
I don’t hate it but it does occasionally feel like a burden. As in knowing that I could solve a problem that people are struggling with and whether it’s ethical to not help because I don’t feel like it.
Hating “knowing stuff” seems bizarre to me though. There’s so many interesting things in our world - wanting to know less sounds awful. Like opting into a lobotomy.
I am a networking specialist on a team of sysadmins at an MSP. I don’t like being the “smart” one when it comes to networking because it means I have no one I can bounce ideas off.
There’s nothing wrong with knowing about things. If I’m deciphering your question correctly, you need to learn to keep your mouth shut. People won’t pester you then.
Even if I don’t say anything, I still feel bad for knowing, and extra bad for not helping the person out, but I’d feel worse if I did.
There are a couple abilities involved:
- knowing something
- modeling a learner: understanding someone else’s current level of knowledge and the nature of their lack of knowledge such as misconceptions.
- instruction skill: having the ability to remedy the learner’s misconceptions and build upon their existing knowledge to transmit the knowledge/skill
The last two are nontrivial. You ever told someone the answer to something and they just didn’t get it? Even though it was stunningly obvious to you? The last two are why.
Anyway, to your point: a lot of times the best action is just to point someone in the right direction.
Try to come across friendly without sounding condescending.
First, empathize (I know those things can be tricky, it took me a minute the first time), then offer to help without judgement (I have some experience with these, would you like me to try?), then back off if they say no.
If they refuse help, you’ve done what you can, end of story. Don’t be pushy.
Key point here is to be nice about it. Don’t call them out or make them feel dumb. Don’t judge. You don’t know why they’re not getting it, and next time maybe it is you who is “dumb”.
Also, don’t expect everyone to share your intellect (it’s obvious to you) or curiosity (you want to know how it works). Most people just want their problem fixed and move on.
Then you should talk to a professional until you feel differently. This is not normal. Being smart is good. Being curious is good. Being a lifelong learner is ideal. Whoever or whatever taught or showed you otherwise is wrong.
