why people become stupid

[chained to desk]

In school, we get exposed to so much BS some people learn to become
one with the BS and call it "common sense". People who seem "stupid" weren't
always like that.

EDIT:sorry about sounding a little arrogant there, i probably should have titled it "why people seem stupid (imo)"

[Katelyn]

It all makes sense to me now. Thank you Sensei.

[Gwedin]

Stupid is relative!

[chained to desk]

true, i wasn't thinking much when i wrote original post. now that i look at it it sounds pretty annoying and arrogant.

[Ky]

You figured it out. Hooray. You can officially say you're not stupid, at the very least.

[Gwedin]

In all seriousness, people don't become stupid. They just don't get smart. And it's not really their fault. It's largely to do the scenarios they're placed in throughout their life and how they were raised (so luck, essentially).

I'm thankful my mummy raised me well. <3

On a side note, holy crap your post to thanks ratio is amazing.

[Ky]

I'm thankful that my innate desire to acquire knowledge resulted positively.

[brainiac3397]

We're all smart till our biology decides we have more neurons than we're using.

Some make the mistake of using too few.

My possibly not-so-accurate theory.

[RuthlessDivine]

lack of self awareness and common sense

[Ky]

(01-28-2014 02:25 AM)RuthlessDivine Wrote:  lack of self awareness and common sense

That too.

[SoulRiser]

There are also different kinds of intelligence. Someone can be brilliant at something, and fail miserably at something else.

[Ky]

(01-28-2014 04:33 AM)SadArio Wrote:  

(01-28-2014 03:22 AM)SoulRiser Wrote:  There are also different kinds of intelligence. Someone can be brilliant at something, and fail miserably at something else.

Or they fail miserably at everything.

I find that hard to believe. "Everything" in the sense of different kinds of trees you want a fish to climb, maybe, but not everything. I don't think there's a person on this earth that doesn't have the capacity to do something with unbounded potential.

[SoulRiser]

Show me a person who "fails at everything", and I'll find something they're good at.

Actually, no... I don't like spending time with random people that much, so I probably won't bother. But I'll still bet there is something they're good at.

[Ky]

(01-28-2014 04:51 AM)SadArio Wrote:  To me, being good or great at something means, being the best at said thing. It doesn't mean decent, mediocre, above average or "kinda good."

I couldn't give less of a shit if I was #4 in the World Rankings of Squash or whatever but if I was #1 it would be another case entirely.

See, that kind of criteria is unrealistic. If you were the number 4 player for lifetime achievement in Squash, that would make you better at it than 99.99% of the world's population. That would be ridiculously excellent.

Everyone can be the best at something, but that something is probably rather trivial in most cases. The point is that being the best is not the only way to be great. In fact, being the best might not be great in some cases; there's no prize for best psychologist, best janitor, or best garbage man...and it would be the stuff of infamy to be called the best drug dealer or best mob boss.

You don't have to be number one to be great. You just have to be you.

[SoulRiser]

You're the best person on earth at being you. Nobody can be better at that.

Same goes for everyone else. Even if they are #2 or #10 at something, they still do it best in their own unique way that nobody else can be better at.

[Ky]

(01-28-2014 05:39 AM)SadArio Wrote:  

(01-28-2014 05:00 AM)DoA Wrote:  In fact, being the best might not be great in some cases; there's no prize for best psychologist, best janitor, or best garbage man...and it would be the stuff of infamy to be called the best drug dealer or best mob boss.

I'm only interested in something that I can be the best at, like best tennis player, or best Brood War player, or whatever the f***. Something where results say that I'm the greatest.

Well, Mr. Best Brood War Player...if you truly want to be the best, you should take care of yourself and have good posture while you play

[Ky]

Maybe one day you will be - if not the best at that, then at something else. Already you're the best at being you, and you have risen against circumstance to do so.

[Ky]

(01-28-2014 06:02 AM)SadArio Wrote:  

(01-28-2014 05:58 AM)DoA Wrote:  Already you're the best at being you, and you have risen against circumstance to do so.

I will never accept being the best at being myself as an achievement because it came way too easy.

Glad it came easy for you. It took me 15 years to even start really being me; I handicapped myself early on by pretending I preferred reason to emotion and letting others decide who I was for me.

Now I know the truth and I'm trying to take myself back, and I can't be certain that I'm the best at being me yet.

So good for you. Glad it came easy for you.

Edit: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it that brusquely.

[Ky]

Then being the best at being yourself should be your goal. When you know who you are, you can achieve self-actualization.

Look past the dread and gloom; take inventory of your strengths, calmly note your weaknesses, determine what traits you express now and which traits you want to express in the future, and learn what it means to be you.

If you can do that, you will know your potential and your limits. By knowing that, you can achieve nearly anything you want through the sheer force of your will.

[James Comey]

(01-24-2014 04:28 AM)chained to desk Wrote:  In school, we get exposed to so much BS some people learn to become
one with the BS and call it "common sense". People who seem "stupid" weren't
always like that.

EDIT:sorry about sounding a little arrogant there, i probably should have titled it "why people seem stupid (imo)"

You could have been more constructive and detailed, but you do have the right idea.

You're told that in order to go to the bathroom, you must raise your hand first. These things are not rights, they're privileges. A human needs to drink 8 cups of water a day, man, and you're going to be pissing rivers when you do that. School says "too bad, hold it in or else!". You're basically told that the police have a right to search you, and have a right to monitor you, and your rights are suspended until you graduate.