3 ms·

I went through similar realizations and have had another: - My intellect is isolating me, but it's not my fault and it also is not the fault of people around m

by Mezzie 5y ago

I went through similar realizations and have had another: - My intellect is isolating me, but it's not my fault and it also is not the fault of people around me. Not any more than it is either my fault or the average person's fault that I need a stepstool in my kitchen since it's not designed for me. (I'm quite short). Being very intelligent is like being very tall in that it's falling to one side of the distribution curve and human society/life is going to be designed for the average person. As shitty a measure as IQ is, having a 140 IQ is kind of like being 7 and a half feet tall: Nothing is wrong with you, but good luck. Basically, that my intellect is isolating not because I am superior to the other apes, but because any personal characteristic that puts me on one end of the bell curve when it comes to experiences is going to be isolating. I also feel very isolated due to my homosexuality and my MS, and in some similar ways: They all involve experiences that influence me in foundational ways that most people cannot understand and never will.

steve_adams_86 5y ago
Thank you for this - I like your perspective on what I said a lot. That’s a genuinely useful insight. It’s not particularly negative or positive, but very sensible.
- Mezzie 5y ago
  I'm glad it's helpful! I thought I'd drop it in because I did have the 'oh my god, other people aren't the problem, I'm just an arrogant asshole!' moment in my 20s, but assuming my intellect was a non-factor in my ability to connect with others had its own problems. I corrected too far in the other direction ("stop thinking you're special/smarter than everyone else, that's just your arrogance talking") and it made me depressed because when I disagreed with most people around me/wanted different things, I assumed it was because I was the problem (as opposed to others). It turns out none of us are a problem. We're just different.

by Mezzie 5y ago

steve_adams_86 5y ago

Thank you for this - I like your perspective on what I said a lot. That’s a genuinely useful insight. It’s not particularly negative or positive, but very sensible.

Mezzie 5y ago
I'm glad it's helpful! I thought I'd drop it in because I did have the 'oh my god, other people aren't the problem, I'm just an arrogant asshole!' moment in my 20s, but assuming my intellect was a non-factor in my ability to connect with others had its own problems. I corrected too far in the other direction ("stop thinking you're special/smarter than everyone else, that's just your arrogance talking") and it made me depressed because when I disagreed with most people around me/wanted different things, I assumed it was because I was the problem (as opposed to others). It turns out none of us are a problem. We're just different.