My reading is forcing me to suffer through an identity crisis...

[Writer]

I'm literally suffering over this. I've been crying for the last hour. My entire view of the world is going through a process of deconstruction, which I've expected, but I keep asking myself: Am I intelligent, or am I a vain person who only thinks that I'm intelligent? That I have something worthwhile to contribute to my area of interest? Also, I wonder if I'm ready to embrace that "other person" slowly being reconstructed as I continue to read? Is that other person who I think she is?

I'm sorry... I know this is a bunch of solipsistic bullshit, but I need to let this stuff out in front of others. I'm quite depressed about all of this, actually.

~Writer~

[NJmaverick]

1. The key is never be so confident in one's own knowledge and perspections

that you are not open to knew ideas and perspectives. The wisest and most brilliant are the people that are able to say things like:

"You know you make a good point"

and/or

"You know I never thought of things that way"


So if you are willing to question and doubt yourself, as you take in more information, you are growing and becoming more wise. So to answer you question, yes you are intelligent and you do have worth while things to contribute.

[Guava Jelly]

2. ..

:hug:
YES,NO,YES,You will be.
My friend never underestimate yourself K?
I know you as well, or maybe even better than most here.
I have a great faith in you!
Trust me..'cause ya know I care. :)
:hug: :pals:

[Haole Girl]

3. Is your crisis about your perception changing...

or that you might not be as intelligent as you once thought?

:shrug:

[Writer]

4. The identity crisis is related to my changing perception as I become better read...

and how that translates into my identity as someone who studies this material.

Yes on the intelligence question. Am I intelligent, or am I just vain enough to believe I am?

[Haole Girl]

6. Along those lines..

I wonder if stupid people know they are stupid.

:crazy:

p.s., You are not stupid, btw... I was thinking more of myself.

[Writer]

7. Honestly...

I'd rather be blissfully ignorant than to be intelligent and miserable about the world.

[janx]

8. You don't have to be miserable about the world to be educated.

It doesn't work that way. ;-)

[Writer]

11. I hate to be so disagreeable, but oh yes, it does.

The more you read the more you understand just how fucked up the world is fundamentally... and why. The more ideals break down into pragmatic bits... it's not a fun process.

[SmokingJacket]

5. I realized I was not as smart as I always thought I was recently.

What a let down!

My problem was that I was always a really good writer, and got good grades based on that. It kind of inflated my intelligence. Professors would always wrote on papers, "Ah, so well written! A pleasure to read! A-, content could be more substantial."

Now that I'm 40, I finally "get" a lot of concepts I was assumed to have gotten years ago.

Keep pushing. You'll be a lot smarter once you get through this...

[rug]

9. After this thread I have a compulsion to read Proust.

[DarkTirade]

10. What makes you think you are any one thing all the time?

You could be both. You could be intelligent in many ways and at many times. That intelligence could lead you to vanity about your brainpower, and that vanity could lead to you not thinking as straight as you normally would. You are a human being. You have more traits and complexities than you could ever imagine. Because those traits and complexities are what make up your imagination, so it's impossible to figure them all out.

I'm fairly certain that you have done intelligent things in your life. And I'm fairly certain you've been vain at some point in your life. The question is, which do you strive for? And I think your post has already answered that question. So instead of worrying about it, shoot for it. :)

:hug:

[JitterbugPerfume]

12. all I can say is

:grouphug:


the smartest people I know have to struggle with self doubt.