i want to know everything

[SoloAJ]

I'm 21 and I get similar feelings to you asofel. I feel like there are so many things I want to learn about and have at least a serviceable general knowledge of. Unfortunately, I am entirely self-aware that I am too lazy to attack them all vivaciously. It really really takes me getting interested in something to actually go research it and take a vested interest in learning about it.

In some ways, I could probably be classified as the coffeeshop pseudo-whatever. I guess the main difference is that I would preempt everything with "I don't know for sure this is correct, but isn't it so that...." Basically, I love to try and learn stuff, but I don't have the motivation at this point in my life to do so. I think I just spend too much time trying to better myself in ways other than intelligence/knowledge.

Regardless, I do get the same feelings. And I would also agree with asofel that this is not as common as some people might think. I would assume that as a, predominent maybe?, INTJ analytical group from 2+2, of course most of us would be questioning and striving for knowledge. But a lot of people are entirely content learning just enough in their field to get by in life.

[LearnedfromTV]

few random thoughts:

- i want to know everything but i view it as half defect because it means i have a hard time deciding what to do.

- for those who said reading would be nice but they forget what they've read, writing as/after you read helps. analytical writing, summarizing, whatever helps you flesh out your thoughts, focusing on why the subject is interesting to you in the first place.

- the pseudointellectual knowitall problem is more about attitude than knowledge. i'd rather talk to interesting non-douchebags, whether they be focused on one thing or many things. the key for the many thing guys is putting what they know in proper perspective and being able to defer to people who know more about particular things; for example listen well to the lifelong plumber, then an issue comes up with some other friend with something that the plumber explained to you and you say "my buddy's a plumber and he told me...". This is a lot different from a knowitall randomly telling you about plumbing.

- imo generally the wiser thing to do with esoteric non-specialist knowledge is keep it to yourself unless there's a real good reason not to. Really, that's best with expert knowledge too; it's not like plumbers go around telling people about plumbing.

- perfect world, i'd like to "belong" in conversations with specialists in a lot of areas, but as the guy who can converse with the experts, not as the expert. And i have no interest in acting like an expert in front of people who are a little less knowledgable than i am about something, because there's no way they care about knowing as much as I do, and if they want to know they'll ask an expert.