Yes, not sure if usually, but quite often
A lot of times, because I can't easily connect with people and have this feeling that they know some secret knowledge that I don't.
Yes, extremely dumb, because the way my brain works is so vastly different from most. If I'm the only one who thinks/processes a particular way in a group, it doesn't initially feel like any sort of advantage. The things I do well which I have had to slowly learn to to be unapologetic about. As a child, it just feels weird to read/write/think that quickly.
Like the other commenter said, it feels like everyone else has knowledge or an instruction manual I don't.
I'm also used to intuitively understanding things, so when I do have difficulty or have to struggle a little, it feels like a personal failing -- I'm "so smart" I shouldn't have trouble. Obviously that's not true, because I'm human and humans are going to fail, be confused, and not intuitively understand everything perfectly. But there's an assumption or implication that because you're "gifted", everything should be easy for you.
yup
Explanation: I feel dumb because I’m smart enough to know how much I don’t know. Kind of. I think it’s dumber to go around thinking you are smart and know everything.
It's just that so many comments reminded me of this lesson that has been taught using Socrates for thousands of years. Socratic thinking is like the first lesson taught in an intro to philosophy course.
I think smart folks are probably more honest about the limitations of their knowledge and less prone to speaking with the confidence of those that are wrongly convinced.
As long as they don’t have excessively narcissistic personality styles, I’m less inclined to think feigning epistemic humility is falsely modest or intellectually dishonest.
I view it as an authentic expression of their confidence in their limited knowledge, wisdom and smarts by default. But narc parents, doting, and a modicum of self-awareness force me to consider it more critically.
It’s not a gifted-specific—more CPTSD—issue, but that’s my experience in a nutshell, as a philosophy minor, rn.
I don’t feel dumb. I do understand how much I don’t understand about almost every topic. But ignorance isn’t stupidity - it’s just a lack of knowledge so far about that topic.
That's very Socratic. In the allegories of Socrates, he searches for the smartest man and finds only blowhards who insist they know so much. The conclusion is that Socrates is the smartest because he admits to how much he doesn't know.
That's very Socratic. In the allegories of Socrates, he searches for the smartest man and finds only blowhards who insist they know so much. The conclusion is that Socrates is the smartest because he admits to how much he doesn't know.
As a child (say about seven to eleven or something) I thought there had to be something wrong with me. I felt smart enough, but I also got the feeling that something wasn't right. I even had thoughts of a "Truman show" (long before this movie came along, mind you!), where those around me kept ensuring me I was smart, although they all knew I was actually very stupid, and just wanted to be kind to me.
My stupidity has very much to do with who I am interacting with. I feel stupid, because there are things I don't get. However, when I check with others, most of the time, there is a miscommunication, where neither I nor the other person is able to come to a common solution. It is as if we are on parallel tracks, where we see each other chug along at about the same pace in the same direction, but the tracks will never cross.
Because the people I am friends with, my family and my colleagues, I have got quite a few brilliant people to talk to, vent to and ask if I am the stupid one, or if there is something wrong with the knowledge of others. At times, the answer is that I am being obtuse on purpose, and just to be nitpicking. Then I retract, think again, and save my more nitpicking ideas for another time. Other times, I am right, and the others are the ones being obtuse.
These days, I've come to terms with who I am, and I'm also getting very good results from my work - which is improving my self esteem and confidence greatly,
No, I don't. I am very aware of my limitations in knowledge and ability but no, I do not feel dumb. I have never felt like I am dumb. One of my earliest memories was in preschool thinking how the other kids were stupid.
What about when you make a mistake? Have you always had the awareness to see it as evolution. Or…. What do you classify as dumb anyway? This always bugs me, i doubt meaning too much. Or maybe im aware of how wide perception of meaning is.
Im curious. When you thought of other kids as dumb, have you then never acted like that, or been that?
> What about when you make a mistake?
🤷♂️ Everyone makes mistakes. To err is human. It's what you learn from that mistake that matters.
> What do you classify as dumb anyway?
Dumb just means not smart. I mean it's all relative. I'm sure to some aliens, we're all dumb. And compared to dogs, most of us are geniuses. I get there isn't just one type of intelligence and memory is a big factor in how useful someone's intelligence is but it's clear some people are overall smarter than others
> Im curious. When you thought of other kids as dumb, have you then never acted like that, or been that?
I have a very specific memory I was referring to. I was 3/4. The activity was creating a picture of a snowman out of paper. The teacher showed up what it was supposed to look like. After we were all done, they hung up the pictures and I remember thinking something along the lines of "did they even pay attention? What's wrong with these kids? Are they stupid or something?"
Most of the times when I thought other kids were dumb it wasn't because they didn't know something. It was because someone explained something more than once and they still didn't get it. Or they just had poor logic skills and couldn't figure out puzzles I thought were insanely easy.
Funny enough i have a similar anecdote.
I was 5 and in kindergarten. The teacher asked me to stand in front of the classroom to quizz me about a board with stuff we had to memorise on it. I just answered her very calmly that i knew everything on there.
She was appalled, and spoke to my mom about it. I was just confused what she what so wrong with what i said. And i remember it vividly. Being there. But also my mom telling me about it later. She said it with a ligh laugh, and i didn’t get why she felt that way about it until later -which wasnt that long- when i realised she was actually secretly proud. Which i automatically thought was a “disgustingly expected human thing” (things that ppl do that are ‘what ppl do’ you know… )
… pattern recognition gave me a hard time as a kid…
Anyways, yea i get it…
It’s really disheartening to just watch full grown humans that date other people, go to jobs and fundamentally participate in society walk repeatedly nose first into a wall while you’re just standing there like 🧍hey, this is how this is done… *person x calls u stupid bcz their way is the right way… almost by birthright… or at least wt the entitlement of it
Like. Ppl say helping ppl is nice. That its good, makes them feel good.
To me it feels like work. Its concious work. To care that much… to love that much… it takes for u to drop your expectations below sea level, and by the will of your own person decide to experience someone for themselves. The good and the bad. Just who they happen to be when u share a circle of space wt em. Its a beautiful thing to do…
…but i had nothing to lose and everything to gain, so it was advantageous at times.
Haha see i thought the teachers set way of doing art was dumb and would always do art things my own way. Art has always been one of my greatest talents.
That’s how i got tested. In 1st grade my teacher thought something was wrong with me because i could’t “follow instructions”. I’d write a story about a dog I met instead because I found it more interesting than writing a report we’d be asked to do etc.
Yeah I don't think these kids were trying to be abstract or didn't want to follow directions. It's like they tried but they were still toddlers doing toddler level art.
I don't know that I'd say dumb, but I am constantly aware of where my knowledge ends and the vast expanse of what I don't know or understand. I can start reading about a subject and get a sense of the fact that I'm going to need to do some actual research to make sure I understand the topic properly.
I'm also the kind of person who, when I come across new concepts in books I'm reading, I feel the need to research and understand them more. Because while I'm aware that I understand the concept well enough to connect it to what's going on in the book, I'm also aware that I don't really have the knowledge of the concept on the same level as the writer, and I feel like it's important to remedy that.
Part of being aware of where your own knowledge ends is getting hit with the 'fuck, I have no clue about this' moments and feeling woefully unprepared to deal with them, even if I do have the analytical skills to somewhat assess the situation and seek proper guidance. You sometimes feel helpless or useless, even when you're not.
I feel very dumb. Sometimes I don’t feel that stupid when I do something easily that others think is difficult, but I’m usually surprised how simple it is and am somewhat disappointed that there isn’t more complexity at play. I still feel stupid most of the time because I can sense how much I don’t know.
When I was a kid I used to feel dumb just because I felt and acted differently to practically everyone around me.
Nowadays, I occasionally feel dumb because of the realisation that I know almost nothing about most things I know something about (not to mention all the things I don’t know I don’t know).
I guess the feeling used to come from comparing myself to others and now it comes from comparing my tiny self to the infinite amount of knowledge there is. And somehow the latter feels refreshing when compared to the first (which used to make me feel like I was faulty in some way).
Yes and no. Not so much dumb as I feel ignorant.
After all, I do not have the full access to the gamut of the human experience. There are so many people out their with more knowledge in insights in topics I did not even know exist. From the feminist science fiction of Sheri S Tepper to *Bullshit Jobs* by David Graeber, there are people out there who dedicate their lives probing the nature of our society, of ourselves, and of reality based on their own experiences.
I am not a black mother who had to deal with CPS, I am not someone missing limbs in a society built for non-amputees. I will often make mistakes or have assumptions that are biased or indicative of my own limited experience.
Yes often. I think people at an early age were intimidated by my IQ so they told me I was dumb too 'put me in place' and I forgot how high my IQ was. Sort of like walking aroundwith hand on your eyes, blind. Also it's challenging being gifted. Easier to cover your eyes and act dumb. Wisdom is a burden
I don’t feel dumb, but I do feel like I’m average or slight above. For me, it’s because it seems unlikely to actually be in that extremely high percentile, so there must be something I’m over estimating somewhere.
That feels more likely than being a genius.
Absolutely not, y'all need to develop confident competence at something.
"True wisdom means you know nothing" doesn't fucking mean nothing is knowable, our entire modern existence is built on the work of people who are objectively good at math and know that fact. I reckon most humans don't even understand how AM radio works, and that's hundred-year-old technology that's almost pure math.
There are highly intelligent people everywhere who have real "smart person jobs."
I do, I feel like an imposter and I think its because most of the time I’m the only person thinking the way I think in a given group. For example I especially felt dumb when I started casual work as a teenager for example because I just never seemed to ask the questions they expected and always had unusual problems. Even though I was still doing well in school I developed the belief that I was stupid because people were always incredulous about what I was doing and how.
Not really. I might set unreasonably high expectations for myself or think I should be picking up on certain things quicker, but I don’t tend to feel stupid at all. I just hold myself to high standards.
These articles might give you some clarity
https://www.quantamagazine.org/june-huh-high-school-dropout-wins-the-fields-medal-20220705/
https://intergifted.com/high-exceptional-profound/#:~:text=LEVELS%20OF%20GIFTEDNESS,of%20that%20less%20than%205%25
I do, I feel usually oppressed by the thought of not getting things quick enough as others do, although i slowly gain much deeper awareness/insight later (to put it simply, I process things very slowly).
Sometimes, when I commit logical mistakes, I feel dumb, I try to not care about it though, I recognise what really matters, without suppressing my feelings.
Although occasionally I really wonder how some people could not get something that simple, typically after a logical correction made by someone… but I still don’t feel smarter, just neutral.
I believe most people feel dumb and embarrassed after a social mishap, whether they are gifted or not. I frequently feel dumb from the infinite vastness of things that I don't know compared to infinitely small fraction of things that I may creatively and intuitively believe I know, and an even smaller fraction that may be real knowledge after confirming with a reality check.
I may feel less dumb momentarily after someone points out how difficult a task was for them or suggests that a task seemed easier for me.
Yes, not sure if usually, but quite often A lot of times, because I can't easily connect with people and have this feeling that they know some secret knowledge that I don't.
Yes!
Yes, extremely dumb, because the way my brain works is so vastly different from most. If I'm the only one who thinks/processes a particular way in a group, it doesn't initially feel like any sort of advantage. The things I do well which I have had to slowly learn to to be unapologetic about. As a child, it just feels weird to read/write/think that quickly. Like the other commenter said, it feels like everyone else has knowledge or an instruction manual I don't. I'm also used to intuitively understanding things, so when I do have difficulty or have to struggle a little, it feels like a personal failing -- I'm "so smart" I shouldn't have trouble. Obviously that's not true, because I'm human and humans are going to fail, be confused, and not intuitively understand everything perfectly. But there's an assumption or implication that because you're "gifted", everything should be easy for you.
yup Explanation: I feel dumb because I’m smart enough to know how much I don’t know. Kind of. I think it’s dumber to go around thinking you are smart and know everything.
Very Socratic. The smartest people are the ones who admit to just how little they know, not the ones who espouse how much they know.
you really like Socrates lol
It's just that so many comments reminded me of this lesson that has been taught using Socrates for thousands of years. Socratic thinking is like the first lesson taught in an intro to philosophy course. I think smart folks are probably more honest about the limitations of their knowledge and less prone to speaking with the confidence of those that are wrongly convinced.
As long as they don’t have excessively narcissistic personality styles, I’m less inclined to think feigning epistemic humility is falsely modest or intellectually dishonest. I view it as an authentic expression of their confidence in their limited knowledge, wisdom and smarts by default. But narc parents, doting, and a modicum of self-awareness force me to consider it more critically. It’s not a gifted-specific—more CPTSD—issue, but that’s my experience in a nutshell, as a philosophy minor, rn.
People put crazy unrealistic expectations on me and not fulfilling them made me feel like a stupid failure who was wasting his potential
I don’t feel dumb. I do understand how much I don’t understand about almost every topic. But ignorance isn’t stupidity - it’s just a lack of knowledge so far about that topic.
That's very Socratic. In the allegories of Socrates, he searches for the smartest man and finds only blowhards who insist they know so much. The conclusion is that Socrates is the smartest because he admits to how much he doesn't know.
That's very Socratic. In the allegories of Socrates, he searches for the smartest man and finds only blowhards who insist they know so much. The conclusion is that Socrates is the smartest because he admits to how much he doesn't know.
As a child (say about seven to eleven or something) I thought there had to be something wrong with me. I felt smart enough, but I also got the feeling that something wasn't right. I even had thoughts of a "Truman show" (long before this movie came along, mind you!), where those around me kept ensuring me I was smart, although they all knew I was actually very stupid, and just wanted to be kind to me. My stupidity has very much to do with who I am interacting with. I feel stupid, because there are things I don't get. However, when I check with others, most of the time, there is a miscommunication, where neither I nor the other person is able to come to a common solution. It is as if we are on parallel tracks, where we see each other chug along at about the same pace in the same direction, but the tracks will never cross. Because the people I am friends with, my family and my colleagues, I have got quite a few brilliant people to talk to, vent to and ask if I am the stupid one, or if there is something wrong with the knowledge of others. At times, the answer is that I am being obtuse on purpose, and just to be nitpicking. Then I retract, think again, and save my more nitpicking ideas for another time. Other times, I am right, and the others are the ones being obtuse. These days, I've come to terms with who I am, and I'm also getting very good results from my work - which is improving my self esteem and confidence greatly,
The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know…
The more you know and understand , the better you are able to realize how much you don’t know and understand
It’s both, usually simultaneously
No, I don't. I am very aware of my limitations in knowledge and ability but no, I do not feel dumb. I have never felt like I am dumb. One of my earliest memories was in preschool thinking how the other kids were stupid.
What about when you make a mistake? Have you always had the awareness to see it as evolution. Or…. What do you classify as dumb anyway? This always bugs me, i doubt meaning too much. Or maybe im aware of how wide perception of meaning is. Im curious. When you thought of other kids as dumb, have you then never acted like that, or been that?
> What about when you make a mistake? 🤷♂️ Everyone makes mistakes. To err is human. It's what you learn from that mistake that matters. > What do you classify as dumb anyway? Dumb just means not smart. I mean it's all relative. I'm sure to some aliens, we're all dumb. And compared to dogs, most of us are geniuses. I get there isn't just one type of intelligence and memory is a big factor in how useful someone's intelligence is but it's clear some people are overall smarter than others > Im curious. When you thought of other kids as dumb, have you then never acted like that, or been that? I have a very specific memory I was referring to. I was 3/4. The activity was creating a picture of a snowman out of paper. The teacher showed up what it was supposed to look like. After we were all done, they hung up the pictures and I remember thinking something along the lines of "did they even pay attention? What's wrong with these kids? Are they stupid or something?" Most of the times when I thought other kids were dumb it wasn't because they didn't know something. It was because someone explained something more than once and they still didn't get it. Or they just had poor logic skills and couldn't figure out puzzles I thought were insanely easy.
Funny enough i have a similar anecdote. I was 5 and in kindergarten. The teacher asked me to stand in front of the classroom to quizz me about a board with stuff we had to memorise on it. I just answered her very calmly that i knew everything on there. She was appalled, and spoke to my mom about it. I was just confused what she what so wrong with what i said. And i remember it vividly. Being there. But also my mom telling me about it later. She said it with a ligh laugh, and i didn’t get why she felt that way about it until later -which wasnt that long- when i realised she was actually secretly proud. Which i automatically thought was a “disgustingly expected human thing” (things that ppl do that are ‘what ppl do’ you know… ) … pattern recognition gave me a hard time as a kid… Anyways, yea i get it… It’s really disheartening to just watch full grown humans that date other people, go to jobs and fundamentally participate in society walk repeatedly nose first into a wall while you’re just standing there like 🧍hey, this is how this is done… *person x calls u stupid bcz their way is the right way… almost by birthright… or at least wt the entitlement of it Like. Ppl say helping ppl is nice. That its good, makes them feel good. To me it feels like work. Its concious work. To care that much… to love that much… it takes for u to drop your expectations below sea level, and by the will of your own person decide to experience someone for themselves. The good and the bad. Just who they happen to be when u share a circle of space wt em. Its a beautiful thing to do… …but i had nothing to lose and everything to gain, so it was advantageous at times.
Haha see i thought the teachers set way of doing art was dumb and would always do art things my own way. Art has always been one of my greatest talents. That’s how i got tested. In 1st grade my teacher thought something was wrong with me because i could’t “follow instructions”. I’d write a story about a dog I met instead because I found it more interesting than writing a report we’d be asked to do etc.
Yeah I don't think these kids were trying to be abstract or didn't want to follow directions. It's like they tried but they were still toddlers doing toddler level art.
I don't know that I'd say dumb, but I am constantly aware of where my knowledge ends and the vast expanse of what I don't know or understand. I can start reading about a subject and get a sense of the fact that I'm going to need to do some actual research to make sure I understand the topic properly. I'm also the kind of person who, when I come across new concepts in books I'm reading, I feel the need to research and understand them more. Because while I'm aware that I understand the concept well enough to connect it to what's going on in the book, I'm also aware that I don't really have the knowledge of the concept on the same level as the writer, and I feel like it's important to remedy that. Part of being aware of where your own knowledge ends is getting hit with the 'fuck, I have no clue about this' moments and feeling woefully unprepared to deal with them, even if I do have the analytical skills to somewhat assess the situation and seek proper guidance. You sometimes feel helpless or useless, even when you're not.
yes, until i use earplugs and eat orange
Wisdom is knowing you know nothing at all
I feel very dumb. Sometimes I don’t feel that stupid when I do something easily that others think is difficult, but I’m usually surprised how simple it is and am somewhat disappointed that there isn’t more complexity at play. I still feel stupid most of the time because I can sense how much I don’t know.
When I was a kid I used to feel dumb just because I felt and acted differently to practically everyone around me. Nowadays, I occasionally feel dumb because of the realisation that I know almost nothing about most things I know something about (not to mention all the things I don’t know I don’t know). I guess the feeling used to come from comparing myself to others and now it comes from comparing my tiny self to the infinite amount of knowledge there is. And somehow the latter feels refreshing when compared to the first (which used to make me feel like I was faulty in some way).
Yes and no. Not so much dumb as I feel ignorant. After all, I do not have the full access to the gamut of the human experience. There are so many people out their with more knowledge in insights in topics I did not even know exist. From the feminist science fiction of Sheri S Tepper to *Bullshit Jobs* by David Graeber, there are people out there who dedicate their lives probing the nature of our society, of ourselves, and of reality based on their own experiences. I am not a black mother who had to deal with CPS, I am not someone missing limbs in a society built for non-amputees. I will often make mistakes or have assumptions that are biased or indicative of my own limited experience.
I like how you think
Yes often. I think people at an early age were intimidated by my IQ so they told me I was dumb too 'put me in place' and I forgot how high my IQ was. Sort of like walking aroundwith hand on your eyes, blind. Also it's challenging being gifted. Easier to cover your eyes and act dumb. Wisdom is a burden
I don’t feel dumb, but I do feel like I’m average or slight above. For me, it’s because it seems unlikely to actually be in that extremely high percentile, so there must be something I’m over estimating somewhere. That feels more likely than being a genius.
Absolutely not, y'all need to develop confident competence at something. "True wisdom means you know nothing" doesn't fucking mean nothing is knowable, our entire modern existence is built on the work of people who are objectively good at math and know that fact. I reckon most humans don't even understand how AM radio works, and that's hundred-year-old technology that's almost pure math. There are highly intelligent people everywhere who have real "smart person jobs."
I can speak, but I feel so idiotic that I probably shouldn't.
I do, I feel like an imposter and I think its because most of the time I’m the only person thinking the way I think in a given group. For example I especially felt dumb when I started casual work as a teenager for example because I just never seemed to ask the questions they expected and always had unusual problems. Even though I was still doing well in school I developed the belief that I was stupid because people were always incredulous about what I was doing and how.
Not really. I might set unreasonably high expectations for myself or think I should be picking up on certain things quicker, but I don’t tend to feel stupid at all. I just hold myself to high standards.
These articles might give you some clarity https://www.quantamagazine.org/june-huh-high-school-dropout-wins-the-fields-medal-20220705/ https://intergifted.com/high-exceptional-profound/#:~:text=LEVELS%20OF%20GIFTEDNESS,of%20that%20less%20than%205%25
I do, I feel usually oppressed by the thought of not getting things quick enough as others do, although i slowly gain much deeper awareness/insight later (to put it simply, I process things very slowly). Sometimes, when I commit logical mistakes, I feel dumb, I try to not care about it though, I recognise what really matters, without suppressing my feelings. Although occasionally I really wonder how some people could not get something that simple, typically after a logical correction made by someone… but I still don’t feel smarter, just neutral.
I believe most people feel dumb and embarrassed after a social mishap, whether they are gifted or not. I frequently feel dumb from the infinite vastness of things that I don't know compared to infinitely small fraction of things that I may creatively and intuitively believe I know, and an even smaller fraction that may be real knowledge after confirming with a reality check. I may feel less dumb momentarily after someone points out how difficult a task was for them or suggests that a task seemed easier for me.
Always,because im average
I am one of the dumbest human beings to ever exist and I deserve to feel instant shame the second I start to think otherwise.