For a smart quote unquote guy im pretty dumb. I am an impostor, a dope, a ridiculous human.
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Dumb. Ridiculous. Compared to what?
I think that if everyone were perfectly honest with themselves, almost everyone would see that they’re pretty ridiculous. — They’re usually pretending one thing or another. They’re almost never true to themselves (in a general, continuing sense). They’re usually scurrying around chasing something that shouldn’t really matter. — But I think most people aren’t perfectly honest with themselves.
I think that people aren’t honest with themselves, and not just about their own attributes. People aren’t honest with themselves when they decide what to believe. People, for the most part, believe what they want to believe rather than what the evidence says to them. That’s why so many people believe in god. That’s why people fall for propaganda. That’s why people don’t think they’re ridiculous.
I think there is a rather small subset of people who are much, much less susceptible to that phenomenon (believing what you want to believe) than most people. And I think that a lot of people in that subset are a bit prone to angst, self-doubt, and lack of religious faith.
I definitely count myself in that group. That doesn’t mean that I’m true to myself or that I’m not ridiculous. It means that I know that I’m not true to myself and that I’m ridiculous.
I don’t think you’re dumb or ridiculous compared to most people, scaredy. I just think you’re less in denial about it. (Scant consolation, I know. But it’s not really meant as consolation).
