/lit/ - Literature

OP here, when I was in 7th or 8th grade I got really into playing Devil's advocate all of the time because I relished in the rise I got out of people. I think it really helped hone my argumentative and critical thinking skills, but eventually the novelty wore off. As I've grown and matured I've retained these abilities, whereas most of my peers never seemed to develop them. I eventually stopped arguing with my peers, because once I stopped reveling in their anger I realized that it was like arguing with a brick wall. I wasn't self-satisfied in my wisdom, and sought out authorities who might be capable of imparting some of theirs. My parents, grandparents, teachers, professors, etc. All have left me unsatisfied. As I got older and older, I realized that these authority figures were exactly like my peers, just... older.

I have one person who I would consider a mentor, and at this point my correspondence with them is limited to one e-mail every four months. I unironically have to read the Greeks to ward off intellectual heat-death.

>>8864030
The best conversations I've had with other people (outside of my specific areas of academic interest) have been about their personal lives. When you get comfortable and close enough with another person, this sort of small talk lends itself to emotional and spiritual depth of conversation. It might be possible to reach these depths under the pretense of "hopes and dreams," but certainly not with some sterile hypothetical.

>>8864038
I encourage you to reread pic related and consider the context of the dialogue.

In any case, nobody is an ideological blank slate, but some rare people are capable of having preferences without becoming overly-invested to the point where they consider any criticism of their pet belief system a personal attack.

>>8864045
>I am genuenly interested how you got to the stage of being smart, or how you noticed that you were.
I have a sign that tells me when I am about to do wrong, and it is not preventing me from speaking at this juncture, so I will tell you. As a boy I was always seeking after wisdom: first from my family, next from professionals, then from authors of fiction, and finally from my professors. Mystified at every juncture, I sought out spiritual guidance from the oracle on how to go about obtaining wisdom for myself.

Through this process it was revealed to me that I had already been blessed with a great wisdom. I balked at this revelation, for how could I possibly be wise? I cavalierly disregarded the oracle, and continued searching for wisdom in all of the same places.

Ever unsatisfied, I finally realized what the oracle had truly meant: I was wise in my continual search after wisdom, for I was wise enough to admit that I did not possess it! Sadly, this small bit of wisdom which I do possess has not been well received.