When I was adopted by my family, the social worker informed my parents that I needed to go to university. M knew when his eldest was a child that she would pursue tertiary education. Apparently, it is just something that becomes clear – the need for intellectual stimulation.
While I do not consider myself to be that smart IQ-wise, I know that I am wise – whether thanks to my early life experiences or due to being an old soul (if you believe that kind of thing). I also know that I have had many adult life experiences that make me more aware of the world. Plus, as a reader of whatever I could get my hands on when I was young, I developed an understanding of how life works that would not have come without the world of books.
Still, I know that I also prefer a serious and deep conversation over the superficial niceties expected of most social exchanges.
A number of times, I have been told by my less intellectually-inclined partner that I can tell boring stories, or when I answer someone’s question literally it becomes uninteresting. On various irritating occasions, he has interrupted my answering of a question as a subconscious reaction to avoid me possibly boring them. I have told him this is unacceptable behavior as it is not only rude but disrespectful to me as if I don’t have anything of interest to say when I really have a lot to say – interesting or not – as anyone who reads my writing can tell. π He has apologized and is more aware, but still, there is no denying that I am serious and I take life pretty seriously.
One reason I tend to hide away to read or write on my own is that I can only take so much conversation on what I consider to be inane. I don’t mean any disrespect by that statement, but I don’t really care about the videos on YouTube or TikTok. I like to watch TV or movies, but it does not interest me to talk about them with others. I love clothes, but don’t need a 20-minute conversation about fashion because I know what I like and am happy with what others say they like – no discussion required. Also, as a non-parent, it is boring and totally out of my interest to talk about other people’s kids or reminisce about the joys or struggles of parenting.
Don’t get me wrong – I DO talk about these things, and with a smile. In fact, I am often truly interested because the other person is interested and wants to talk/share on these topics.
Still, I have my limits.
I miss the academic world at times because we would sit and talk about the psyche of the learner and brainstorm ways to reach their brain patterns to truly acquire language, study habits, or life skills that can/will affect the future. Or, I am often fascinated by language and how it is used to express culture, personalities, and represents countries through how the language is spoken, the gestures used, the expressions formed to share an idiom or nuanced idea.
Unfortunately, since having left academia, these kinds of conversations are infrequent. Indeed, that is the consequence of my choice to leave that world. While the tradeoff of not having to deal with truants and all the other aspects of the teaching world far outweighs the loss of intellectual stimulation; it does not mean that I don’t occasionally miss a conversation or two that delves deep into righting the world as I/we see it. π
~T π₯πβοΈ
