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> Another way to frame this topic: intelligence doesn't always lead to impact, and impact is what matters. Impact is a great way of putting it. There are plent

> Another way to frame this topic: intelligence doesn't always lead to impact, and impact is what matters. Impact is a great way of putting it. There are plenty of really smart and creative people who will never produce anything impactful in their life. Impact in my opinion is really all about time-sensitivity and sprinkling of genius. The impact may not even resonate fully with the public in the person's lifetime either. Nikola Tesla being a prime example of this. A lot of very incredible people tend to be VERY open to new ideas. John Dee comes to mind in particular. When he could find no more wisdom in science, he looked to the occult. Nikola Tesla I believe also was quite interested in the occult as well. While I wouldn't consider the occult "out there" by any stretch nowadays, it's a good example unorthodox ideas can come from. > Plenty of people are constantly frustrated that they are misunderstood. "I am so smart but I can't get anything done around here because everyone's an idiot." I've found that kind of thinking tends to be the reason why some of those people are misunderstood. When your frame for interacting with people is setup like that, it's not unreasonable to assume one would put up conversational barriers to confirm their own bias of "everyone's an idiot."

xyzelement 5y ago
> it's not unreasonable to assume one would put up conversational barriers Yes exactly and likewise people aren't likely to be clamoring to hear your genius ideas when you're treating them like idiots.
- pksebben 5y ago
  ... which leaves one to wonder how smart someone really is, for missing something so obvious.
  - Jensson 5y ago
    They understand that, they just don't want to pick up the Sisyphean task of trying to convince idiots. So instead they give up. Giving up doesn't mean that people stop complaining though, they know how to solve the problem but they don't want to do the work, it is called venting and most humans do it.
    - pksebben 5y ago
      In that case I would question the smarts of someone who spends too much time focused on things they do not intend to change. There comes a point where "raw" intelligence (if a real thing) must be tempered with the wisdom necessary to marry rubber and road, as it were. If you don't apply your staggeringly large intellect (/s?) to the problem of interfacing with other people, yet you persist putting yourself in situations where you must deal with that problem, what benefit has that intellect conferred?
      - Jensson 5y ago
        You know, you sound like you are one of those people you describe yourself? Is that how you came to this realization? Ask yourself, what is the goal with your current comment? And how does being snide achieve that goal? If the goal is to make fun of people and feel good about yourself, then you are doing a good job! And then you should understand how those people you describe feel, because they feel exactly as you feel now, wasting time making fun of things you have no intention or care to change or spread. But if you want people to listen then you really need to get better at tempering what you say.
    - xyzelement 5y ago
      >They understand that, they just don't want to pick up the Sisyphean task of trying to convince idiots I think that's a pretty bad attitude and it doesn't get anyone anywhere. If I write Java code into my Python interpreter, I am not gonna say "dumb fucking Python can't understand what I mean" - I am gonna recognize that I am speaking the wrong language for the job. Same if I am speaking to someone who "isn't as brilliant as I am" (or likely, has another set of priorities, context, focus, etc.) - I need to start with that reality, and then think about - how do I make this person care, how do I share with them what they need to understand, etc. There's a definite skill to this that is acquired with conscious practice and experience. If you start off assuming that others aren't smart because they didn't connect to what you are so sure you explained so clearly, rather than questioning what is it about your explanation that didn't click with them, you're fucked.

xyzelement 5y ago

> it's not unreasonable to assume one would put up conversational barriers Yes exactly and likewise people aren't likely to be clamoring to hear your genius ideas when you're treating them like idiots.

pksebben 5y ago
... which leaves one to wonder how smart someone really is, for missing something so obvious.
- Jensson 5y ago
  They understand that, they just don't want to pick up the Sisyphean task of trying to convince idiots. So instead they give up. Giving up doesn't mean that people stop complaining though, they know how to solve the problem but they don't want to do the work, it is called venting and most humans do it.
  - pksebben 5y ago
    In that case I would question the smarts of someone who spends too much time focused on things they do not intend to change. There comes a point where "raw" intelligence (if a real thing) must be tempered with the wisdom necessary to marry rubber and road, as it were. If you don't apply your staggeringly large intellect (/s?) to the problem of interfacing with other people, yet you persist putting yourself in situations where you must deal with that problem, what benefit has that intellect conferred?
    - Jensson 5y ago
      You know, you sound like you are one of those people you describe yourself? Is that how you came to this realization? Ask yourself, what is the goal with your current comment? And how does being snide achieve that goal? If the goal is to make fun of people and feel good about yourself, then you are doing a good job! And then you should understand how those people you describe feel, because they feel exactly as you feel now, wasting time making fun of things you have no intention or care to change or spread. But if you want people to listen then you really need to get better at tempering what you say.
  - xyzelement 5y ago
    >They understand that, they just don't want to pick up the Sisyphean task of trying to convince idiots I think that's a pretty bad attitude and it doesn't get anyone anywhere. If I write Java code into my Python interpreter, I am not gonna say "dumb fucking Python can't understand what I mean" - I am gonna recognize that I am speaking the wrong language for the job. Same if I am speaking to someone who "isn't as brilliant as I am" (or likely, has another set of priorities, context, focus, etc.) - I need to start with that reality, and then think about - how do I make this person care, how do I share with them what they need to understand, etc. There's a definite skill to this that is acquired with conscious practice and experience. If you start off assuming that others aren't smart because they didn't connect to what you are so sure you explained so clearly, rather than questioning what is it about your explanation that didn't click with them, you're fucked.