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"I have come to find out what it's like to be dumb."

waldo.jaquith.org

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Re: "I have come to find out what it's like to be dumb."

#41

Post by Daniel_Newby »

hellyeasa wrote: post #10

Good god. What is this pretentious bullshit? This tone of this post was so incredibly ridiculous I had to create an account to ask why it was posted here or taken seriously. This self proclaimed smart person, with heavy emphasis on the self proclaimed part (check out the incredibly smug About page) apparently needs Lyme disease to feel the plight of the oh so pitiful stupid people. News flash, half the population is…

I see no pretention. It is no more smug than a born strong-man talking about the facts of his muscle wasting disease.

P.S. Loss of intelligence is devastating. If you do not believe me, shut up and try it for yourself: tell a doctor you have frequent migraines and ask to be prescribed a drug called topiramate—stupid in a pill. Just don't come whining to me when it destroys your career and alienated your friends.

Re: "I have come to find out what it's like to be dumb."

#42

Post by dwaltrip »

hellyeasa wrote: post #10

Good god. What is this pretentious bullshit? This tone of this post was so incredibly ridiculous I had to create an account to ask why it was posted here or taken seriously. This self proclaimed smart person, with heavy emphasis on the self proclaimed part (check out the incredibly smug About page) apparently needs Lyme disease to feel the plight of the oh so pitiful stupid people. News flash, half the population is…

Don't forget, he also now understands what it really means to be depressed...

Re: "I have come to find out what it's like to be dumb."

#43

Post by ck2 »

jacquesm wrote: post #38
ck2 wrote: post #36

I really want to make a sarcastic comment about how half of American adults must have this disease but it sounds kinda serious so not going to make fun of it.

> it sounds kinda serious It is. > not going to make fun of it. Thank you for that. Lyme is a very easy to contract disease depending on where you live and the progressive symptoms are devastating.

Best wishes to you. At least it can be cured?

I found this helpful for ignorant folks like me http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/faq/

Re: "I have come to find out what it's like to be dumb."

#44

Post by WA »

quark83 wrote: post #31
Sagat wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a similar story to yours although I doubt I was as smart. In high school I could get the best grades in my class without much effort and got a near perfect score in the baccalaureate. Nothing to brag about though, since I then proceeded to drop out of law school in my second year. I completely lost the will to work and ended up with humiliatingly low grades before finally breaking down and starting afresh. Lik…

Thanks! I appreciate the detailed post you've written. The more I think about it, the more my case sounds like yours. I'm now thinking it's less "something happened to my brain" and more "my habits caused this problem". I'll attempt the same thing you've done to see how it goes. You just quit procrastinating cold-turkey though? How did you force yourself to read? Every time I pull out a textbook at a time that isn't…

It's the same for me that I fall asleep if I do something I'm either unmovitated to do or that is above my level.

I think you have to admit first that you might be not as smart as you think you are. Highschool was easy. I don't want to sound arrogant, but the American high school is considered a joke in Europe. Not so much university. They are really good and can be equally tough. So maybe you simply experienced and continue to experience your current limit.

You need to sit down just as everyone else and study for real.

How to do it:

If you have trouble getting started at all, convince yourself that you'll do ony one page or so. Mostly, you can do more.

Try the pomodoro technique. Set a timer to 25 minutes and then take 5 minutes break. This has two effects: a) The chunk of work doesn't seem to be so much. b) You get a break before you are exhausted. If 25 minutes is too hard, adjust to 15.

Divide the textbook in extremely small chunks you need to understand and are able to understand. This might take a long time, but I typically fall asleep if I don't even get an idea where to start. You have to start somewhere and it should be very small.

And if nothing helps: Go back to the basics or get a different textbook that works better for you.

Re: "I have come to find out what it's like to be dumb."

#45

Post by tszyn »

jacquesm wrote: post #14

Lyme is pretty heavy. Three of my family members have it in various stages, one of them really serious. They live in rural Poland where in the forests it is more or less a given that you will contract Lyme at some point in your life. For foresters it is a better-than-even chance that they contract the disease by the time they are 30 even if they are careful, all it takes is one tick that you didn't spot and you get b…

A friend of mine recently got a rash (I don't think it was a classic bullseye pattern) and some fatigue. She didn't notice a tick. Went to a doctor, suggested that it might be Lyme disease -- doctor told her if she'd had a tick, she would have noticed it, so it must be allergy. A month later she was in the hospital with a confirmed Lyme diagnosis.

If I get an unexplained rash with flu-like symptoms, even if I don't see a tick, I'm taking antibiotics just in case. Better safe than sorry.

Re: "I have come to find out what it's like to be dumb."

#46

Post by k__ »

Daniel_Newby wrote: post #41
hellyeasa wrote: post #10

Good god. What is this pretentious bullshit? This tone of this post was so incredibly ridiculous I had to create an account to ask why it was posted here or taken seriously. This self proclaimed smart person, with heavy emphasis on the self proclaimed part (check out the incredibly smug About page) apparently needs Lyme disease to feel the plight of the oh so pitiful stupid people. News flash, half the population is…

I see no pretention. It is no more smug than a born strong-man talking about the facts of his muscle wasting disease. P.S. Loss of intelligence is devastating. If you do not believe me, shut up and try it for yourself: tell a doctor you have frequent migraines and ask to be prescribed a drug called topiramate—stupid in a pill. Just don't come whining to me when it destroys your career and alienated your friends.

Being born smart is utter bullshit. Same as being born strong.

You have to work for it. Some people got help from their parents when they were young, and some didn't. Some had one day of their life the idea to learn something or train, and some didn't.

The "predetermined talents" thinking is one of the biggest myths alive.

Re: "I have come to find out what it's like to be dumb."

#47

Post by Hydraulix989 »

quark83 wrote: post #17

I created a throwaway account so it's not associated with my normal handle on here. This post brings up something I've been wondering about, and it's something that's really been bothering me the last few years. I feel like I've become significantly less intelligent over time, and I can't figure out if that's really the case, or if it's a different issue that simply makes me feel less intelligent. When I was in high…

It sounds like you have sleep apnea disorder. I have the same disorder and am on a CPAP machine now, and I sleep much better. The symptoms are exactly as you described -- tired all of the time despite 8+ hours of sleep a night, decreased motivation, lack of concentration, inability to learn, and the apneas happen entirely while you're asleep so you do not wake up or realize anything is wrong with your sleep except that it is no longer productive. Moreover, if you have gained weight during college, this change can exacerbate your condition. I highly recommend scheduling an overnight study at a sleep lab. It could change your life. Feel free to reach out to me if you end up having the disorder -- my email is cwm55@cornell.edu

Re: "I have come to find out what it's like to be dumb."

#48

Post by jacquesm »

tszyn wrote: post #45
jacquesm wrote: post #14

Lyme is pretty heavy. Three of my family members have it in various stages, one of them really serious. They live in rural Poland where in the forests it is more or less a given that you will contract Lyme at some point in your life. For foresters it is a better-than-even chance that they contract the disease by the time they are 30 even if they are careful, all it takes is one tick that you didn't spot and you get b…

A friend of mine recently got a rash (I don't think it was a classic bullseye pattern) and some fatigue. She didn't notice a tick. Went to a doctor, suggested that it might be Lyme disease -- doctor told her if she'd had a tick, she would have noticed it, so it must be allergy. A month later she was in the hospital with a confirmed Lyme diagnosis. If I get an unexplained rash with flu-like symptoms, even if I don't s…

> Better safe than sorry

Yes, that's the right attitude to take with this disease. The main criterium is that you've been in or are in a region where ticks are found, combined with warm/hot weather.

Areas to avoid: long grass, shrub and forests.

Re: "I have come to find out what it's like to be dumb."

#49

Post by TheSOB88 »

quark83 wrote: post #17

I created a throwaway account so it's not associated with my normal handle on here. This post brings up something I've been wondering about, and it's something that's really been bothering me the last few years. I feel like I've become significantly less intelligent over time, and I can't figure out if that's really the case, or if it's a different issue that simply makes me feel less intelligent. When I was in high…

>> I almost wonder if skimming huge amounts of information online has somehow re-trained my brain to not absorb knowledge anymore.

I feel the same way. I find myself skipping around even when I really need to be paying attention. Using the internet as an entertainment crutch has had some bad effects, I feel.

Re: "I have come to find out what it's like to be dumb."

#50

Post by TheSOB88 »

k__ wrote: post #46
Daniel_Newby wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see no pretention. It is no more smug than a born strong-man talking about the facts of his muscle wasting disease. P.S. Loss of intelligence is devastating. If you do not believe me, shut up and try it for yourself: tell a doctor you have frequent migraines and ask to be prescribed a drug called topiramate—stupid in a pill. Just don't come whining to me when it destroys your career and alienated your friends.

Being born smart is utter bullshit. Same as being born strong. You have to work for it. Some people got help from their parents when they were young, and some didn't. Some had one day of their life the idea to learn something or train, and some didn't. The "predetermined talents" thinking is one of the biggest myths alive.

You are totally right. People attribute skills they learn naturally as totally inborn. They say Bach was a genius at piano because he was able to play at age 4 - but honestly, that's reversed. He was only such a good musician because of all the practice.
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