The loser

Peas

Hi H/A people, I need your help. I don't really have someone to turn to right now.

I am stupid. I have once denied myself this idea a long time ago but as the time goes by I realise that it is the truth. Something is wrong with my brain.

I find it difficult to understand stuff. Maths, philosophy, conversations, what everyone around me are doing. I use to tell myself that I can just work harder than other people so I can catch up or even surpass them. It was a painful and very tiring thing to do. What took people a few hours to learn I can take a whole day or even days depending on the subject. Some kind souls helped but ultimately I only got myself more confused than ever.

Sad thing is that I can't just say fuck it and continue on living on like that. I fear being condemned and Singapore is a small and unforgiving society in my book.
I need ways to increase my intelligence. I want people to worship my wisdom. I crave for the power to obliterate those smartasses who think it's funny to mock at slower people.

I just want to be smarter.

redfenix

My first thought would be to figure out what learning style works for you; basically, you need to learn how to learn. Some people are visual, some people need discussion, others just need to write the shit down, sometimes multiple times.

With that said, becoming more intelligent to be able to be what you hate is a horrible idea. Learn to enrich yourself, not to become smart enough to tear other people down. That's silly.

Also, it generally helps that you be interested in what you're trying to learn. I know that I pick up the intricacies of WoW much faster than I do 2-sample t-tests, administrative law, or whatever else.

gneGne

There will always be people who are smarter and more intelligent... blabla... continue with what you enjoy, I can already assure you the great majority is dumber than you, so there.

The Cow

Learning difficult subjects, like sciences and arts and human interaction, is not easy. It takes hard work. For some people, it takes more work than others. This is sort of universal. There are methods to study more effectively, there are better and worse teachers, and there are subjects you are interested in more than others. It will be very difficult for you to utilize these resources, such as they are, until you stop seeing the accumulation and understanding of knowledge as a matter of social status. I understand Singapore is probably very different than California and I cannot fully grok the culture to understand how important this may be to you, but you need to take a step back and really think about what you want to learn and why you want to learn it.

On top of this, everyone learns differently. Like redfenix said, there are different modes of cognition and what works for others, quite possibly does not work for you.

Take a little time, too. There will always be someone wiser and more knowledgeable. If you really want to show them up, just have more fun than them. That'll learn 'em.

theSquid

What is this? Is it that people are talking about things you feel are beyond you, and you having nothing to say in these topics? Or do you just feel that you're falling behind in grades?

If the latter, (a) pick something you like, because no matter how much you think economics is important, you do not want to be reading an economics textbook if you're not crazy about it, and (b), pick a method that you find best retains information. Like mentioned above, there are various teaching methods. I don't really think you take all that much longer to understand concepts than other people, but you might be procrastinating a lot, or you might find your mind on other things, perhaps? Of course, if you're not eating right, there's an obvious reason you might not be retaining information.

If the former, well, read the news I guess, get some opinions. Honestly, if you're looking to trump people in a conversation, lurk in D&D for a few months. In no time at all, on any topical or ethical debate you'll be crushing their spirit in the most demeaning way possible.

In any case, keep that negative garbage out of your head. Trust me, it leads nowhere.

Peas

To redfenix: I'm not sure what kind of a learner I am but I know that alot of times when I try to process a concept or idea it feels as though my brain just decided to stop working and I have this sensation of "getting stuck". When that happen I can find myself thinking of the subject repeatedly but somehow not being able to break it down and absorb it. It's like the opposite of having a song getting stuck in your head I think.

Also I guess I really need to let go of that silly idea too. I guess I got blinded by my jealousy and anger.




To gneGne: I enjoy gaming, I like the feeling of being awesome. Though I usually get destroyed if I'm playing a multi player game.
I know there are dumber people but I am not really that high up there you see. I like how people can understand and convey concepts so efficiently and it is what I seek.

Gihgehls

Peas, I have pretty hardcore ADHD and I can certainly relate to the feeling of "getting stuck" mentally. It is as if your thought train is a rolling boulder that has suddenly gotten caught on something. You try to push it and push it to get it unstuck but are just not able.

How old are you? I was diagnosed when I was 11 or 12, I'm 25 now and I'm mostly adapted to functioning without any meds. It took lots of diligence and practice over the years, but I just had to identify when my brain was ready for learning and when it wasn't. It is a mental sensation that I can feel coming on, like the tides. One minute my mind is open and ready for facts and understanding, and the next minute I will find myself reading the same paragraph over and over and over because I just wasn't taking in every word, or perhaps I will find myself blanking out during a conversation, which is embarassing.

I'm not saying you have ADHD, but it does sound like you need to create better conditions for learning and to just take things at your own pace. When things aren't working for you, take a break and go for a walk. One of the best ways I learn is by approaching many subjects at once. Once something gets boring or I can't concentrate on it, I do something completely different. That is my ADHD, but I work around it. It doesn't slow me down because I know how to work with it. You could say my mind is geared for sprinting, not endurance. I run 100m down one subject, take a break, run 100m down another one, if you get my meaning.

Cowboy Bebop

You could try sitting a IQ test, might be surprised by how good you are in some areas. Don't get hung up on the final score because it doesn’t really mean anything just how good you are at that particular IQ test. I believe it also might help you pin point what type of learner you are i.e. visual est.

peterdevore

School performance is not the be all end all intelligence meter. Try getting deep into a hobby if you simply want to impress people. It can more fun and a lot easier than being good at school, since you can do it on your own time. It also helps build self confidence. Since you are completely dependent on what you put in it yourself, reaching a goal you set is really satisfying.

Be it art, music, photography, determining/watching plants/insects/birds, computer programming, wood whittling or literature, having a serious hobby gives you conversation material and impresses people.

I assume you have your own kind of daily 'down time', playing computer games, reading the internet, watching tv. You might be surprised how relaxing and non-exhaustive a good hobby can be as a replacement for such meaningless down time.

Also, trying out hobbies gives you more self knowledge. I had a hard time knowing what to study in university until I realized I really liked computer programming.

Dread Pirate Arbuthnot

Gihgehls wrote: »

Peas, I have pretty hardcore ADHD and I can certainly relate to the feeling of "getting stuck" mentally. It is as if your thought train is a rolling boulder that has suddenly gotten caught on something. You try to push it and push it to get it unstuck but are just not able. .

I have this feeling as well, quite often, and I was diagnosed with a learning disability. You might want to get this checked out.

Peas

Gihgehls wrote:
Peas, I have pretty hardcore ADHD and I can certainly relate to the feeling of "getting stuck" mentally. It is as if your thought train is a rolling boulder that has suddenly gotten caught on something. You try to push it and push it to get it unstuck but are just not able. .

Cassandra wrote:
I have this feeling as well, quite often, and I was diagnosed with a learning disability. You might want to get this checked out.



I am 22 now though I'm still schooling. I did some reading on this ADHD http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/adhd/complete-publication.shtml just now and wow this is really hard to really know if I have ADHD with so many different symptoms. I guess that they don't call people a specialist for nothing.

To The cow, The squid, Cowboy Bebop and Peterdevore: Thanks for taking the time to reply, I understand how doing something you like can feel so satisfying, I have some hobbies but it is difficult to focus on or enjoy them sometimes when you really have to hand in that assignment the next day or some dateline. :P Not trying to negative here but I'm pretty slow and can barely finish something that very same day especially if it's something new or different. Usually teachers don't mind but I can see how people will think that I'm either lazy or super hardworking(the irony!).

By the way I've been lurking the forums for a few years already and while my debating skills didn't really improve by much :P I certainly enjoy reading about so many different things this place have to offer.

Edited: About my diet, I have meat almost everyday with few or no greens at all. I do drink alot of fruit juice though and consume much fruits as well. I find it hard to accept the taste of vegetables because to me it feels like the opposite of a vegan having meat in his mouth. I tried quite a few times but a week and a half was my record.

Cato

Odds are that you aren't stupid at all Peas. Your posts certainly seem intelligent enough.

You probably just have a learning disability or a combination of learning disabilities. It sounds like maybe dyscalculia and auditory processing disorder which are both very common. With a little bit of training in how to adapt you should be able to learn how to work around it and perform to your full potential. In fact, you probably will surpass your peers since you are used to working harder than they are.

My wife's cousin has very severe learning disabilities and was told he would never amount to anything. When he was diagnosed and taught how to work around it in his late teens he became a brilliant student got a masters degree and now runs a huge summer camp for children with cancer.

Here is some information on learning disabilities:

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/learning_disabilities.htm

http://www.ldonline.org/ldbasics/whatisld

I think you said you were in Singapore? Here are some clinics that diagnose learning disabilities, if they don't work for your age group I'm sure that they can recommend where you can be tested and how to go about obtaining training in the skills that will allow you to function on a normal level.

http://www.disability.org.sg/learningdisability/definitions.asp

Peas

Thanks Cato.

Cowboy Bebop

Cato wrote: »

Odds are that you aren't stupid at all Peas. Your posts certainly seem intelligent enough.

You probably just have a learning disability or a combination of learning disabilities. It sounds like maybe dyscalculia and auditory processing disorder which are both very common. With a little bit of training in how to adapt you should be able to learn how to work around it and perform to your full potential. In fact, you probably will surpass your peers since you are used to working harder than they are.

My wife's cousin has very severe learning disabilities and was told he would never amount to anything. When he was diagnosed and taught how to work around it in his late teens he became a brilliant student got a masters degree and now runs a huge summer camp for children with cancer.

Here is some information on learning disabilities:

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/learning_disabilities.htm

http://www.ldonline.org/ldbasics/whatisld

I think you said you were in Singapore? Here are some clinics that diagnose learning disabilities, if they don't work for your age group I'm sure that they can recommend where you can be tested and how to go about obtaining training in the skills that will allow you to function on a normal level.

http://www.disability.org.sg/learningdisability/definitions.asp

I have dyslexia but I never knew there was a maths specific version of dyslexia, very interesting.

brandotheninjamaster

I've been looking at your posts Peas. They seem to be well thought out and grammatically correct. I don't think your giving yourself enough credit. Don't get too down on yourself, you are your own worst critic. Also don't let jealousy motivate your quest for knowledge. When the jealousy fades what else is gonna push you forward? Hang in there!