On a related note (although not really), something else that turns me off of all of this stuff is that the more I learn and the further down I dig, I realize that there is always more to learn and that there is never “an end”, at least not in my lifetime (especially in both astrophysics and quantum physics). I also realize that there are things that nobody will ever know (in regards to philisophy and theology). So, the more I know, the more I know that I know nothing. You know?
You need a date.
Bad.
See, now it’s attitudes like this that make me wary of any kind of psychiatry. A person’s mind is their life; it’s a sad statement that we consider intellectual thoughts to be an impediment to living a rich, full life instead of being a necessary component to said life. Besides, gabapentin does nothing for bipolar disorder anyway.
fatdave: Why don’t you feel any desire to contribute to society? Perhaps it’s that lack of ambition, and not the thoughts themselves, that’s making you upset.
OK I call Bullshit. If you DO have a GRAD-school level understanding of all this stuff then you DO have an obligation to help humanity. YOU are an entire college’s science team rolled up into one. YOU are one in a trillion.
But again, I call bullshit. Prove it.
I feel the same way. About the more I learn, the less I know, that is. It’s frustrating, and just one of the many reasons I keep taking classes, even though I’m no longer in graduate school. I think a lot of people experience that, though, and that it’s not necessarily a sign of genius (that certainly has never proven to be the case with me) or autism. Perhaps you should practice focusing on one thing at a time to get your brain to slow down. I’m certainly no doctor, but it sounds like you have an otherwise normal life, so I doubt there’s anything terribly wrong with you. Just try to relax and focus, though that’s far easier said than done.
What, you never think of sex?
On a more serious note; so what if a psychlogist told you you were X, or Y, or Z? It’s not like you would be obliged to do something with a “diagnosis”, if you don’t want to. You don’t even have to tell anyone. What do you have to lose?
The greater the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder.
What matters is: do you like living in the surf of that shore line? What, exactly, bothers you about it?
Ooh, I like that. Is that quote attributable to you, Maastricht?
No featherlou, I got it from this site. It’s one of my favourites, too.
Well, like I said a little bit earlier… and like that quote, the “shoreline of wonder” is neverending. I don’t like living on that shoreline of wonder because I don’t think it would ever end.
I want my life to deal with something tangible, like carpentry (not that I have much skill in it), as opposed to something theoretical or abstract. I want to be able to go from idea to idea, from task to task, while concentrating on either the task at hand, or on nothing.
But anyways… the issue at hand with this thread was how to stop thinking about things so much that they get in my way of doing things… it’s not for me to prove my knowledge of something that I don’t even want to deal with. But, like I said… I will try the meditation angle. And maybe that psychologist angle. But now I’m reading about Asperger’s Syndrome… maybe I have hypochondria of the mind. Or not. 
So true.
Sounds like you’ve got a concrete task laid out for you: how to go about that?
You might want to check out some psychological articles on “flow”. Flow is the state of mind where you’re fully concentrated, fully at one with what you are doing. It is like meditating, but a more active form of it. Flow can be acheived while doing handywork, but also while doing intellectual or social work.
I find it is always more profitable to concentrate on where you wanna go and how to get there, then it is to dwell on what, exactly, is “wrong” with you.
But check out the psychologist anyway, just to be safe side. Or maybe just because it is a new and maybe interesting experience.
Why don’t you get Mo to whack a crayon up your nose? It worked for Homer.
Hum, re-reading my post I can say I was quite snappy(how did i not catch that earlier?) anyway. I still call BS on your stating you have graduate level understanding of all those topics.
The question still stands. Do you really have such depth level of knowledge? I highly doubt it, but If so then I can’t help you. If in reality however, you don’t, then the sooner you realize that and accept it the sooner you will be able to overcome your comfirmation bias. That’ll be a huge step forward in unloading the cross you say you bear.
Accurate self-assesment often seems like arrogance. Me and several other dopers seem to be detecting this. I ask that you do some reassessing first.
and damn thats a great quote with the island.
This thread brings up a very important matter:
We need a :crying: smilie
Just watch some TV. That slows the mind down like a charm!
Well it may help you understand yourself better if you do find out how much you actually know.
Why not give us some of your deeper thoughts on these topics?
(There is also the general standard here that you back up your claims!)
To encourage you, here’s a thought I had a while back:
- e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nxe4 4. Bxf7+ Kxf7 5. Nxe4 Nc6 6. Qf3+ Kg8 7. Ng5 Resigns