Most people are idiots and what to do about it
Most people are idiots and what to do about it
Are you surrounded by intellectual zombies? You're not alone.
Growing up, I was the black sheep in a family of academic stars. Everyone else was an excellent student. My aunt was so famous for being a great student, she had fans. No joke. People are still talking about how smart she was in school now. 😅
Me? I was the opposite. Shy, socially awkward, and definitely not smart. My grandmother used to worry that I would never make it in life. She didn't think I could make any friends, let alone succeed in anything. She believed I lacked both street and book smarts.
Somehow, I got into the University of Toronto for architecture. They call it the "Harvard of the North." I really don't understand how I even got in. It makes you wonder how good a school really is if they accept someone like me as a student. I was never a good student. If we're being honest, I was beyond horrible. Unsurprisingly, I didn't last long there.
For years, I believed I was the only idiot in a world full of fascinating people.
Fast forward to last year, I moved to Paris. With no social filters like work or school, I had to learn to make friends from scratch OFFLINE. You're less likely to have something in common and come from similar social class and educational backgrounds.
I arrived expecting a city overflowing with people who love books philosophy, art, and culture but found a place more interested in leisure and romance. I missed my time in NYC, where I used to visit art galleries or museums at least once or twice a week, or get lost in hours-long conversations about deep topics. Paris, ironically, felt more like an episode of Sex and the City than NYC ever was. It's like everyone who comes to Paris just wants to find love and nothing else.
That really did a number on me. It drove me into depression. I was lonely at my own dinner parties. I resented those people for not being the friends I wanted them to be. I was confused why people would not seek intellectual stimulation over romance.
“Why are they being idiots and wasting their lives?,” I asked myself.
I don't think Paris is an uneducated city; I just didn't have the opportunity to interact with intellectually curious minds. That is a numbers game. I was not lucky.
What Paris taught me was taking me out of my own bubble and throwing me into reality. I was raised by the Internet; for the first time in my life, I had to live in the real world. It was a scary place.
Maybe I'm not too much of an idiot after all.
Maybe, just maybe, not everyone is smart.
My struggles in Paris made me reflect on how the internet had shaped my expectations and interactions. I realized that my online experiences had given me a skewed perspective of the world. The internet had been my window to a realm of endless curiosity and learning, but I now saw that this wasn't representative of everyone's reality.
This realization reminded me of what I learned years ago. According to a study by the Nielsen Norman Group, internet participation often follows a 90-9-1 rule: 90% of users are lurkers who rarely contribute, 9% contribute from time to time, and 1% of users account for most contributions. This pattern has been observed across various online communities and social platforms.
If you are in the top 10%, you are already more engaged than most of society. If you're reading this, most likely you're already part of that 10%.
If you are in the top 1%, by default you need to be constantly working on personal growth. You don't last on the internet by not constantly adapting.
The reality is the 90% is much bigger because most of the population are not even lurkers. They're just zombie walking through life. The last book they read was most likely from school. They stopped growing and learning the minute they left school.
When I realized that the percentage of idiots in society is much bigger than I expected, things started to click.
Suddenly, my experiences both online and in Paris began to make sense. I had been living in the world of the 1%, surrounded by constant intellectual stimulation and contribution. But in reality, most people—both online and offline—were more passive consumers of information. Or they don't even consume anything at all.
The internet makes it easier to ignore people who don't bring value to the table.
I forgot they even exist.
No awkward silence. No obvious mutual connection that would cause social awkwardness. If we don't vibe, we can just move on. Worst, you can just block. But in the real world, we don't have that luxury.
We waste a lot of time with idiots.
Not every smart person is on the internet, but a lot of smart people are leveraging it. Why wouldn't they use one of the most powerful tools of our generation?
When you realize that the percentage of intellectually curious people in society is much smaller than you expected, life starts making sense. Suddenly, it becomes clear why:
- Misinformation spreads so easily
- People fall for obvious scams
- Critical thinking seems to be in short supply
- Many struggle with basic problem-solving
- Some blindly follow charismatic leaders without questioning
It's not that these people are inherently stupid. They've just never developed the habit of seeking knowledge or questioning what they're told. They haven't exercised their mental muscles in the same way that internet-savvy individuals have.
This realization can be both liberating and frustrating. On one hand, it explains a lot about the world and why things are the way they are. On the other, it can make you feel isolated, like you're speaking a different language from the majority.
But in a world full of idiots, even a small commitment to learning can set you apart.
Your curiosity becomes your superpower.
Every question you ask will open doors of opportunity.
Challenges become stepping stones, not obstacles
You attract like-minded individuals.
Curious people gravitate towards other curious people.
Next time you feel lonely and can't find anyone to connect to, remember: maybe it's not you, it's the world.
Your commitment to growth and learning isn't a flaw—it's your greatest asset. In a sea of complacency, your curiosity is taking you to extraordinary places.
Keep asking questions.
Keep growing.
In doing so, you'll not only enrich your own life but also contribute to a more informed, thoughtful society. After all, in a world full of passive consumers, being actively curious isn't just a personal trait—it's a responsibility.
Learn. Unlearn. Relearn
Power law. The reality is human progress driven by a tiny fraction of people. Most people just don’t matter. It’s another truth that is rarely spoken.
Thanks for this interesting piece. Thanks for being so honest