Have you ever heard the expression, “It’s lonely at the top”?
Nowhere is that truer than it is for those who are smart. If you’re nodding your head right now, then you know what I’m talking about.
People prefer to be with their own kind. That’s just human nature. And in order to form friendships, work relationships, or romantic relationships, it’s important to share the same interests and values as others. For smart people, that’s hard. Because most smart people care nothing at all about the interests and values of the vast majority of people.
On sheer numbers alone, it becomes clear that smart people have a much smaller pool of like-minded people from which to form friendships and relationships. When the man who calls himself Barack Obama has been in the White House for the last six years, and the two most likely candidates to replace him are Hilary Clinton and Jeb Bush, is there any doubt that upwards of eighty percent of the American population is lacking in brain cells?
For dumb people (the average American), this is great news. They have literally hundreds of millions of people who share their same interests and values. For the rare smart person, life remains lonely. Very lonely.
Personally, I don’t see the situation getting any better, for no other reason than society makes it so damn easy to be dumb.
Got a problem with your body? No worries. We have “experts” who know what to do. They study “medicine”, not health, but who’s sweating the details? It’s your body, but they know it better than you do, so shut up and quit complaining.
Don’t understand politics? No problem. We’ll tell you who to vote for. You don’t have to study the issues, just listen to our sound bites. In fact, why don’t you join our political party? All it takes is a big mouth, a closed mind, and a sense of entitlement, and who among us doesn’t possess a little of the “gimme mine” mentality? Say hello to your free phone, free food stamps, and free welfare. Yippee!
Upset over the latest riot, assassination, fake terror act, real terror act, possible terror act, etc.? Calm your pretty head. We’ll tell you what to think and what to feel (while we sneak this latest piece of legislation under your nose).
Confused about style? We’ll tell you what to wear, how to talk, and what kind of car to drive.
Bored and don’t know what to do with your time? Well, put that book down and step right up. We’ve got sports, soap operas, music (so-called), and reality TV available 24/7. We’ll tell you who to admire and who to lust over. Watch us and dream about being one of the “pretty people.”
Having marital problems? We have instant divorce.
Feeling horny, but too selfish to have a child? We have instant abortion.
Don’t feel like working? We have instant welfare.
Hungry? Eat our Frankenfood.
Sick? Take our drugs.
And on, and on, and on. When a good 90% of the population sleepwalks through life, what’s a smart person to do?
Even those who appear to be smart, or who society labels as smart, are dumb in areas outside of their profession. I’ve met a lot of rich and successful people who do extremely well at their jobs, but don’t know squat when it comes to health, history, politics, morality or life. Conversely, I’ve also met geniuses who toil at menial jobs because they couldn’t take the hypocrisy and callousness of American society. Even more importantly, society couldn’t take them. (When a smart person rears their head in academia, art, politics, or any area of influence, defenses go up. The newcomer immediately shines a light of truth on the stupidity and lies of all those involved.)
Again I ask, what’s a smart person to do? If a smart person is lucky, they’ll make a few acquaintances here and there, but the odds of establishing any kind of friendship or a romantic relationship are slim to none.
Have you seen the movie JFK? One of the subplots dealt with Kevin Costner’s marital problems. As he became more aware of the truth that happened in Dallas, his wife, who preferred to remain blissful and ignorant, became further and further estranged. She couldn’t handle the truth. (Most people don’t know that JFK was based on a real person, New Orleans district attorney James Garrison, and that while Oliver Stone took liberties with his story – combining characters, etc. – the premise of the movie was correct.)
This subplot in the movie JFK is right on target. Those who learn the truth, those who are truly intelligent and smart, are ostracized by almost everyone around them. Reminds me of an old Turkish proverb: He who tells the truth gets chased out of nine villages.
What’s a smart person to do? I don’t have an immediate, sound-bite type of answer to give you. I do know that I’d rather be smart and alone, than dumb and surrounded by lots of dumb friends. Ignorance is not the answer.
I also know that what I’m describing takes place in every nation on earth. If you’re a lonely smart person who’s reading this from outside of America, I feel your pain.
If you’re smart and lonely, take heart. It’s not your fault.
