Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post - Disclosure and Ambition

Casper · 06-21-2007, 06:17 AM

Thanks for all the responses so far.

There is another layer to all this apart from any notion of "disclosure" or "ambition", and that is the idea that my interests tend to vary so widely, that I tend not to fit into a particular mold. For example, someone working in the financial industry will tend to be very business-minded, keen on the market and current events, follow politics, as well as the corporate-minded sports such as golf and baseball. On the other hand, the typical artist (or artsy person) tends to steer away from sports, fiscally-driven industries, and perhaps politics. Instead, such individuals are more prone to enjoy independent films, indy music, progressive art, aesthetics, and other things far from the "mainstream" media.

It seems that everyone fits into some type of mold, pre-determined by their educational background or profession. Yet, I feel that I spread myself too thin in my interests and therefore do not fit into any type of "mold", thereby only relating to other people on a superficial level, because our interests only tangentially overlap. Thus, another possible explanation for my unsatisfactory social life. Perhaps one solution is to confine myself to fewer and more interrelated interests, so I can fit in?

Another factor is that I've lived a somewhat sheltered life. Perhaps it's all just now catching up to me, and I'm simply developing my identity at a very rapid pace as painful as it may be. Friendships (or "friendships") that I made only months ago seem as though they were forged long long ago, and that I'm a completely different person ever since. A sign of rapid growth, perhaps?

I have always felt like an outcast, only relating to people on a superficial level. I thought a bit more about what my ideal group of friends would be like, and realized that it would be comprised of people such as myself: people with widely varying interests, yet a fascination with others unlike oneself, united by a common, deeper, set of values and ethics. Yet, in today's society where people's social circles tend to be heavily defined by their educational background or profession (with the notion of wealth and status nearly always underpinning social circles), such a group of friends seems too idealistic to actually exist.

I would like to believe that as long as I pursue my passions, I will eventually meet people that I relate to on a deeper level. Yet, one could also argue that the more I entrench myself in my "uniqueness" in interests, the farther down the rabbit hole I'll go, further alienating myself from others.

06-21-2007, 06:17 AM	#10 (permalink)
Casper Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 15	Thanks for all the responses so far. There is another layer to all this apart from any notion of "disclosure" or "ambition", and that is the idea that my interests tend to vary so widely, that I tend not to fit into a particular mold. For example, someone working in the financial industry will tend to be very business-minded, keen on the market and current events, follow politics, as well as the corporate-minded sports such as golf and baseball. On the other hand, the typical artist (or artsy person) tends to steer away from sports, fiscally-driven industries, and perhaps politics. Instead, such individuals are more prone to enjoy independent films, indy music, progressive art, aesthetics, and other things far from the "mainstream" media. It seems that everyone fits into some type of mold, pre-determined by their educational background or profession. Yet, I feel that I spread myself too thin in my interests and therefore do not fit into any type of "mold", thereby only relating to other people on a superficial level, because our interests only tangentially overlap. Thus, another possible explanation for my unsatisfactory social life. Perhaps one solution is to confine myself to fewer and more interrelated interests, so I can fit in? Another factor is that I've lived a somewhat sheltered life. Perhaps it's all just now catching up to me, and I'm simply developing my identity at a very rapid pace as painful as it may be. Friendships (or "friendships") that I made only months ago seem as though they were forged long long ago, and that I'm a completely different person ever since. A sign of rapid growth, perhaps? I have always felt like an outcast, only relating to people on a superficial level. I thought a bit more about what my ideal group of friends would be like, and realized that it would be comprised of people such as myself: people with widely varying interests, yet a fascination with others unlike oneself, united by a common, deeper, set of values and ethics. Yet, in today's society where people's social circles tend to be heavily defined by their educational background or profession (with the notion of wealth and status nearly always underpinning social circles), such a group of friends seems too idealistic to actually exist. I would like to believe that as long as I pursue my passions, I will eventually meet people that I relate to on a deeper level. Yet, one could also argue that the more I entrench myself in my "uniqueness" in interests, the farther down the rabbit hole I'll go, further alienating myself from others.