My dear daughter,
I don’t think I am in any way superior to anyone else. Not anymore. I just don’t take as a premise that everybody is smarter than me, or have the same level of knowledge or understanding. I used to that as well.
Sometimes, when I start rambling about a subject I enjoy, or when I go on about spilling random facts about any subject, I might seem pedantic. It’s unintentional, it’s an autistic thing.
Having more knowledge, better reasoning, or reading more has no intrinsic advantage in our present context.
In fact, there is a lot of prejudice against knowledge nowadays. To be financially successful doesn’t require a lot of knowledge, it takes some luck and guts. Sometimes it takes very elastic ethics and morals.
There was research a few years ago that showed financial success grew with IQ till a certain point. If IQ was very high, the proportion of successful geniuses was the same as in the rest of the population.
It’s also interesting to notice intelligence has very little impact in the survival and flourishment of a species. It is probably an evolutionary side-effect.
Knowledge is still celebrated in certain small spaces in modern societies, such as Academia. Still, academics often make less money than other professionals. They are usually under a lot of stress and pressure to produce as if they were a factory. There is an expectation academic knowledge has to turn in a profit in reasonable time.
It’s all very sad; societies and countries do better when they value knowledge. Even if it’s just to stay ahead of a cold war.
Anyway, I don’t think people are worse because they are more prone to practical thinking, money-driven actions, emotional reaction, or even if they despise knowledge. It’s part of humankind’s nature; one cannot condone a person for following natural instincts or failing to ignore them. Unless, of course, it results in the suffering of others, even unintentional. That I cannot forgive.
Nowadays I am aware it’s useless to try to impart knowledge or use rational arguments with people who are not slightly prepared to understand, to assimilate. Still, there are other ways of convincing people or trying to improve their lives.
I don’t instantly antagonize people for not knowing something they were supposed to know – not anymore. It doesn’t make any sense.
I’m content living my life comfortably, pursuing knowledge for the sake of knowledge, and imparting with the little I have only in appropriate situations.
It is, however, very difficult living in a country where the political ruling group, the economic elite, the middle-class, the well-paid workers, most of the bachelors and practically all of Law Academia have such deep prejudice against knowledge in its most basic forms. It’s sad to see people hurting themselves because of their own ignorance.
I try not to feel so frustrated anymore, but it’s hard.
Love,
Dad
Aspergers Dad 