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Comment by crazydiamond | Hacker News Reader

The title says stupid but the details are about slow and forgetful. Forgetful people can be quick witted and brilliant.

I can tell your from personal experience that being stupid does not feel good especially when you know it. You never "get it" when others talk, you never have anything to say, you are always saying and doing the wrong things, or not doing what should have been done.

I do agree there's a lot more to enjoy. One is not critical and cynical. I like a lot more people, food, music than my smarter siblings. I am very happy walking in parks, looking at trees, or petting animals. Life is simpler.

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> The title says stupid but the details are about slow and forgetful. Forgetful people can be quick witted and brilliant.

More explicitly, the author is describing the effects of poor oxygen supply to the brain. He seems to make the mistake of thinking of the brain as a machine who's level of functioning can be well described by a single parameter (poor/stupid/malfunctioning --> good/intelligent/functioning). But that's obviously a ridiculous simplification. There's absolutely no reason to believe the effects of poor oxygen supply are comparable to being naturally unintelligent.

In other words: having one of your legs amputated does not give you any insight into being short.

Agreed. I think it's pretty hard to not know what it's like to feel stupid at least some of the time. Even most geniuses are 'stupid' in at least one area. Most of us have felt the sting of seeing a colleague, friend, or stranger pick up a challenging topic with enviable ease.

The more interesting question is, what it's like to feel that way all the time. I suppose we all choose to associate mostly with those of approximately equal intelligence to ourselves, so we're probably mostly oblivious to our relative intelligence.

I've often considered myself a genius at being stupid. My stupidity aptitudes are staggering across all categories.

Fortunately this has lead to some spectacular failures and the burden of knowledge that comes with. I think I've successfully managed to leverage my multiple stupidities effectively.

Well, for one I know I'll never write any spectacular piece of software that will really make a difference. My only half-decent contributions were to port a library from one language to another.

As you rise in rank, you are associating with people who are all of higher intelligence. I made whatever i could on dint of twice the effort and reading a lot more. I am fortunate I was able to save enough money since i reached a stage where I knew i could not continue to be employed. I was too old to be a continue at middle management, and too stupid to move to higher management. I've retired and lead a slow life living on savings. I do programming for fun, but no-brainer stuff.

Sometimes I do think i am blessed with stupidity. Most intelligent people i know are miserable, spending their entire lives chasing wealth or becoming something to be happy.

I understood 'slow' to be a nicer euphemism for 'stupid' almost anywhere in the text: referring to reduced mental facilities rather than merely a question of speed.

> I am very happy walking in parks, looking at trees, or petting animals. Life is simpler.

I think these seemingly simple things are something a lot of smart and brilliant people could enjoy very much. Being smart and able to think will let you enjoy a walk in the park on a whole different level... You could find out what trees those are or think about all the people who been here, who made this park and why and how... I think a walk in the park is a great opportunity to try and focus on HERE and NOW and concentrate on "mindfulness", seeing all things and how they connect.

Or, you know, you could just enjoy walking in parks and let your clever brain rest and indulge in nature, blue skies and fresh air.

Strictly speaking, thinking about "what trees those are" or "about all the people who [sic] been here" is yet another instance of verbal thinking and it's emphatically not "mindfulness". Clearly you're not here and now if you're thinking about people who have been here.

You are right - it was a bad example... I need to read up more on my mindfulness :)

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