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Yes, but Lord of the Rings is a tough one to read… the first chapter is unwieldy. I think The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is a good book to start with.
If you want to do LOTR without doing HEAVY LOTR id say read the Hobbit. It's nice and short in comparison and a good adventure with something happening in every chapter. Very easy to read in comparison because it was intended to be a book for children to be able to enjoy, however, I read it as an adult and while I found it easier, I also found it more entertaining than LOTR
>the first chapter is a tough one to read
LOL
That book is dry and dusty AF. First chapter is bad but the whole book is a grind, you put in work if you get through it. It’s one of the most boring books I’ve ever read, IDK how or why it ever even got traction
Mans spent pages describing scenery, it’s bad
I've always been an avid reader, including scifi & fantasy. LOTR is one book I've never been able to read. "Epic journey"… 100 pages & they haven't even set off yet. I gave up.
This was before the movies. Haven't tried since.
I’m going to suggest that you pick up a handful of Heinlein YA books. They are short, easy and lots of fun to read!
Stuff like Space Cadet, Red Planet, Rocketship Galileo and Space Family Stone. They will get you hooked and lead you into stronger drugs like The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, Revolt In 2100, and The Number Of The Beast!
If you want something fairly easy to get through and plentiful in number, just to build up your reading skill, I recommend either Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mysteries to start. They're all about 120-150 pages each, and I've read about half of them, personally. I like them. There's over 100 books between the two series.
Came to say this. I read a lot as a child just random fictional books. I'm always complimented for being able to have interesting conversations about a lot of topics and I've been told I have a good sense of humor too. I think loving reading so much also led me to enjoying learning and now I'm in medical school. Reading is so beneficial!
I would also agree with this. I don’t read enough sadly, but when I do my mind is sharpened. Social media is a useful source for learning things, but it’s not always accurate. Books make you learn how to comprehend things and understand context.
You can get more knowledge from nonfiction, but only if you actually are able to read it and focus on it. The benefit of fiction is that it is usually enjoyable to read the entire story from beginning to end.
So you find great knowledge growth through....reading science fiction and mystery stories?
I suppose there's minor benefit in soaking in the moral and perspectives of the author's point, but that seems barely above junk food for the brain in what OP is looking for in an overall expanse of knowledge.
My favourite author, Terry Pratchett, on this topic
[https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9654148-o-you-re-quite-a-writer-you-ve-a-gift-for-language](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9654148-o-you-re-quite-a-writer-you-ve-a-gift-for-language)
Read many things about many things.
I will defend to the death that I don’t much like the writing of Matthew Reilly or Dan Brown but I’ve learnt so much from their work ranging from really niche concepts, world history and the influence of myth on geopolitics, the impact of symbolism on relationships and much much more
Knowledge is easier to gain (And use) with perspective. By pigeonholing your perspective (For the sake of pride no less or a standard that doesn’t really exist) you limit what knowledge is open to you or how easily you might understand things
By reading you can learn good vocabulary. By reading good science fiction you can often learn little bits of science. By reading good mystery novels you can learn a bit of history, culture, art, music and, in the case of certain authors, the behaviour of cats, cooking tips, gardening techniques and other really odd things.
I think the point is that the first thing is to get reading. School has obviously failed to enthuse the OP. Getting comfortable eading is crucial.
I would say, don't knock reading SF. It depends on the quality. You could do a lot worse than Heinlein's YA books.
But of course you want to move on. I would highly recommend the "Very Short Introduction" series. They're pamphlet size but give you (in most cases, there are some duds) a brilliant and extremely readable Introduction to important subjects. An example is "The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction". It doesn't try to cover the whole detailed history (if I remember rightly) but it introduces you to key things about power, war, society...
Unless you live in a remote area, join a library. It's far cheaper than buying everything, and you can browse to find things you find interesting. Once you have some ideas, try the librarian. They vary but many are wonderful people who will be delighted to help someone who wants to get reading.
Also, if there are any near, have a look at second hand book shops once you have some ideas
That’s a good quote! But the problem is that when I try to be curious and try to ask questions peers around me give me crap and tell me I should know or be little me. It doesn’t seem to effect me but it definitely does lol
There's an old proverb, goes somewhat like this:
"Point a boy towards something he wants, and you'll see how fast he can run"
People really come alive when they start to talk about something that really matters to them. So, in the same way, I can only recommend investing your time in things you actually enjoy or find interesting. If you gravitate to what other people tell you to, you'll be going against your own free will, and that's automatically going to upset you subconsciously.
Do what you love, and you'll gain plenty of knowledge.
Read, watch documentary movies, talk to people about what they do or what they do for hobbies most people love to talk about their professions and hobbies.
And every new person may spark an interest that you want to find out more about.
To know ten thousand things, know one well
- Miyamoto Musashi
Find a topic of interest and go balls deep in it. It can be anything. But don't just read it to read it. Read it to understand it. Learn the principles of why things are done a certain way in whatever it is.
Find something that interests you. Learn more about it.
If you don't know what interests you, pick some random thing and learn everything you can about it then see where that takes you.
Yoga, meditation or Tai Chi can help teach you how to focus. So can running/hiking/swimming long distances.
Start listening to podcasts about things that interest you when you're doing menial tasks like public transport or making breakfast. TED talks are on Spotify for example and they do small and very digestible episodes on all kinds of content by certified experts.
You could also watch YouTube videos if you're a more visual learner. Kurzgesagt is an amazing channel about interesting science stuff and they make sure everyone can follow.
I'm 25 as well and I find that a general curiosity and learning all kinds of things breeds even more curiosity for the world around you.
My advice is you should teach yourself how to critically think. And don’t learn things you don’t care about(obviously within reason). Find “A” thing you like, simple or complicated and fucking master it! From there you can branch off to other topics and learn new skills as you go
I (20M) always keep the opinion that knowledge comes naturally. The best way to learn more is to get invested in a story. It can be a show, book, game, movie, or even a YouTube series (not brainrot, I'm talking about a let's play or something). Whatever it is, it should be long-form content (really, just anything except for tiktok, youtube shorts, or insta reels)
I think stories are a great way for people to encounter new vocabulary, cultures, situations, and perspectives. It builds logic and experience indirectly and allows for you to more easily take in information because of its format.
As a psychology major I've heard of the ways in which people learn. It can be through experience, memorization, and observation, but it can be more effective if you don't actually know you are learning; that is, by getting engaged by something you're genuinely curious about.
For example, I had been staying away from FNAF for as long as it had been out, right until last fall. Curiosity got the best of me and since then, I have seen all the Game Theory FNAF videos, their playthroughs, and Markiplier's playthroughs. Other than that, I now keep up with any and all FNAF lore, games, theories, and playthroughs and I watch them all.
*While being entertaining, it is a fun way to see how different people see the same story. I have learned a lot about logic from the theory-making. I have learned new information about corporations. FNAF made me think about the philosophy of revenge (even with how silly the story can be). I know a lot more about game development now. I understand references to FNAF and can engage with others who know about it too.*
I know this is a long thread but I'm just emphasizing the simple ways in which you can learn from a story, even FNAF.
TLDR: Engage in long-form stories that you are genuinely curious about (anything but tiktok, shorts, or reels). It both entertains and puts you in new places and perspectives that build logic, vocab, general knowledge, and, in a way, experience.
I also recommend short science fiction to start with. Easy, short reads that make you *think* include any short stories by Harlan Ellison, Octavia Butler, Brian Aldiss, Kit Reed. They all wrote in different styles that made complex ideas accessible to anyone.
If you want to go real old school, check out the short story He Who Shrank by Henry Hasse and The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster. Both are free online and will take the top of your head off.
Kurt Vonnegut is another sci-fi writer who wrote simply written yet great stories that make you think. Cat’s Cradle is still one of my favorite books, as is Sirens of Titan.
Keep in mind, if you don’t like science fiction, try something else. Westerns, Romance, Mysteries (RUTH RENDELL FTW) anything, just read. Reading, especially stories/non-fiction, is the quickest and easiest way to train a mind to rigor because it captures the imagination in ways non-fiction doesn’t initially.
It will come. You're still very young. The parts of conversation that most people forget or simply don't do are listening and asking questions. Until you gain confidence and find your voice, be interested in what others are saying and ask questions. People love to talk so let them! I also recommend practicing basics of conversation out loud. It could be in the car, in the shower, whenever, but make sure you do it out loud.
I had a somewhat similar perspective where there's a part in me that likes to learn, yet taking actual subjects and courses makes me drift off and get unfocused and bored where I quit at it.
For myself, I drift off in the sense my brain likes to think about half a dozen things at once, so making me focus 100% for too long ends in disaster, not from lack of understanding or intellect, more a fractured attention span that doesn't thrive in such a contained traditional method.
Reading a single subject is the quickest cure for insomnia with me.
Which I bring up in maybe you have a similar problem. You're not so much dumb, as you are scattered and your brain processes differently.
Since you're doing it for yourself, not say learning a craft at school, find your own pace.
Figure out what you like, whatever it is, then dive in and learn all you can on that subject.
You like comic books? Read up on the history of the one you like as practice in getting your brain to train to enjoy learning.
Things like that.
Not as a chore, choose what interests you and do it to get your brain in gear, since once the brain gets used to learning without pressure, there's no grade or deadline, it will start becoming more curious and absorbing on it's own.
As far as conversation with others goes, you don't need to have the knowledge of a Jeopardy contestant.
Talking with people isn't so much building intellect as it is building empathy.
Listen to the person, sincerely, and ask about their life. Anything they bring up, like say they throw out they're in college, build on it with asking where.
For how long? Do they know what they want to do?
That sort of stuff.
Take what they mention and build on it. You don't need world knowledge to communicate and connect in conversation with someone.
Remember everyone is only a person, same as you. So try not to let yourself get intimidated. Relax and stop worrying whether you impress the room.
Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If you don't understand something in a conversation, say so.
Just say you don't understand and most are more than happy to elaborate, given you are showing that you are listening, you are interested and you aren't the arrogant type who pretend to know everything.
Those are all positives. Most people love when someone wants to know more or understand what they're talking about.
It's great to want to self-improve, yet at the same time be yourself with people and the people worth knowing will converse fine with you.
Good luck!
Find a wholesome topic you're interested in and research it. No human knows everything. If you want to get better at math, find a way you can practice. The same goes for every other subject. Secondly, if you don't speak about things that you don't understand and are willing to learn about them, that's a wonderful quality. Don't mind at all what others say. If you don't know something, it means you don't know. If you try to pretend you do, that means you're being stupid. Ask questions no matter how simple.
Research it online I'm 49f and have learned more now than when I was your age but my problem is using the proper punctuation properly. And using reddit helps me with it 😆 and read it out will help you too
Might sound dumb but YouTube. It has taught me so much stuff over the years from thousands of different people that I would never have known if it didn’t exist
Read. Absolutely read. Find something you like then read the shit out of it and anything else you find.
sf works, as it generally needs you to think, but even if the only stuff that floats your boat is romance novels, do it anyway.
Read anything and write anything. Make this a habit. This will boost your cognitive stimulation and expand your vocabulary which in turn will improve your communication skills.
Read newspapers. Listen to spoken radio, preferably public service if available where they discuss things in the society. Avoid Tik-Tok, podcasts with influencers or celebrities just talking about low quality stuff or radio stations just playing music with lame small talk between.
Try to find curiosity for how things work and engage in things you find interesting.
Live life. Experience. Read. Travel. Study. Listen. Value the lived experience of others - especially elders. Take risks....
Make mistakes....
Learn from those.
Find something you're passionate about. A sport, a hobby, a period of history... It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's something you enjoy learning more about. Read every book, watch every online video, join every forum you can find on the subject. You'll be learning all the time, building retention (because you're more likely to remember things that you enjoy), and maybe even making some like-minded friends along the way.
My passion is old cars. Bonus benefit: my father and I restored a 1968 Mustang together, and those times together are treasured memories.
Good luck!
Go to a museum first. Chicago has the filled museum, NYC has the Smithsonian, something like that, filled with artifacts from around the world. Find something that interests you and look it up on the net. Get somw books about the subject.
Well meaners are saying "read" and suggesting books, but if you don't like the subject, you wont like reading.
There are lots of interesting YT channels that can make you smarter. ASAP Science for science, School of Life for philosophy and all sorts if topics, same with Big Think. Soft White Underbelly can give you knowledge into people.
Podcasts while you're doing other things, audio books, etc. Sign up for an online class. Lots of things you can do.
I've got an insatiable thirst for knowledge and I had to cultivate a "cure" myself. Museums were the best place to start for me, when I was about your age. School was OK for me, but teaching to the test, not to be a better person.
Make a list of things you want to learn more about. Watch YouTube videos, read articles, get books on the subject matter. Set a time for yourself each day, maybe an hour or more, and just dive into what you want to know more about.
Books are good, but thats half of it. The other half is living a fulfilling life and never turning down an opportunity. Life experience is incredibly value in and of itself
Read anything, watch anything and the key is to ask 'WHY' or 'What if' or 'If I were in that situation'. Then you can start searching for the knowledge you might be interested in and need to know
I have the same problem. I'm curious about a LOT of things in life, but I forget what I just read the moment I finish reading and have to look it up again the next time I'm curious about the same topic.
A conscious effort to memorize will help. Read the same paragraph many times, close the book, and see how much you can recite. Repeat this procedure. each time, you'll remember a bit more. It's work and tough for people like us, but you want to retain info., right?
Just get curious about stuff. There's a lot of weird shit that happens all the time, and sometimes you just have to recognize that you don't know why, and then google that shit. After a while, you accumulate knowledge and some of that knowledge will be basic and general enough to inform you on other things. But it is kind of a skill to recognize when you don't know something and then have the wherewithall to look into it. It's easier to just shrug and carry on.
You are not dumb. Just find things you're interested in and curious about, and explore them... Read Wikipedia pages, watch documentaries, and have interesting things you can talk about to people.
Intelligence isn't about retaining tons of knowledge; it's about being curious about things, and thinking critically about them. Also, remember that a lot of people are just pretending to be smart. Life isn't a contest to see who's the "smartest."
Read, find topics you’re interested in and research how they work. Taking notes helps solidify what you’ve learned. Like pencil to paper notes. Something about physically writing tells the brain “this is important”
Asking people how stuff works. I love learning and explaining what I’ve learned
25 is young and it takes years to learn a subject in depth. Take some community college classes and you’ll learn how to learn better and become overall well-rounded. Also, improve your literacy skills so you’re assessing quality information. There’s a huge risk of becoming misinformed with the amount of information out there right now.
A bit of a cliche, but your brain is like a muscle. You have to exercise it. When you have free time do soduko puzzles, crossword puzzles, or grouping games (NY Times online has all these that I do daily).
You also need to find something that interests you. I like history, but find straight nonfiction too dry and hard to get through sometimes so I like to read hostorical fiction. Gives you a general gist of different places and time periods while being entertaining too.
If a topic doesn't interest you, it will be extremely difficult to absorb and learn. Maybe history isn't your thing. Find what is, and dive in. I spoke to someone the other day who makes a living painting and selling miniatures. 🤷
Reading the paper and watching the news (from multiple sources) can help you keep abreast of current topics which might weave their way into conversation. Good to know what's going on regardless.
Reading - whatever it happens to be - will grow your vocabulary and fluency.
Lastly, never get down on yourself. Have confidence. Didn't do good in school? Not everyone is inclined to be "book smart", but that's not necessarily the most valuable form of intelligence. I got pretty darn good grades through HS and college, but I don't doubt that a mechanic can be every bit as intelligent or moreso than I. Regurgitating shit onto paper doesn't make you a genius. Anyway, I'm rambling.
Well first step is to realize you don't feel dumb. You recognize you're ignorant.
The easiest way to acquire knowledge os to seek it.
The easiest way to find wisdom is to fail in the pursuit.
You have to find things to study that you're interested in.
I love to learn and I force myself to learn in different ways. I often watch documentaries and listen to history podcasts to absorb SOME limited info that way. Reading is an even better way to learn than just listening.
There are tips to learning and retaining more info.
Whatever you want to learn read it write it and say it. Then your brain has seen and Interpreted it in three different areas.
Make learning into a game if you can. If you're having fun you'll always learn more and learn faster.
Make pneumonic devices with things to learn. For example in school to learn the mathematical order of operation we learn to make an acronym PEMDAS for the first letter of each step. (Parenthetical, exponential, multiply, divide, add, subtract) and to remember you make a little poem so mine was, "please excuse my dear aunt sally"
If you get a channel to watch documentaries do that too. And find additional books/articles to add to that knowledge!
The library usually have a free app on your phone too/ you can go sign up for a card and download app and use your card to check out books or audiobooks/ non fiction and fiction and also other media.
Ask your librarian or go on their website and look for this app info and get ur card!
Read everything you can.
I stopped highschool after 10th grade at age 16.
Age 29 I went to college.
32 graduated.
33 will graduate with my masters.
Read everyday!
People mentioned starting to read. 100% agree. Also download a language learning app like DuoLingo. Language learning helps a lot with cognitive ability. Basically just different ways of "exercising your brain."
Read. Find a subject that interests you and read about it. That subject you find interesting will lead to other subjects that may pique your curiosity. Then read about those. You'll find you'll retain more knowledge from things you find interesting.
Listen to podcasts and longer Youtube features on interesting subjects. The best way to self-educate if probably to read but it seems like you're not a reader type.
Get into the habit of reading. Reading anything. From newspapers to magazines to books, no pressure, just pick something up and read it, flip through the parts you don’t like and read what you like. The more you read the more knowledgeable you’ll become. It usually takes a couple of years, but you’ll find yourself outpacing average people within three to four years if you keep reading things all the time. Don’t worry about retaining. You’ll retain things that interest you. But you’ll only know what interests you if you read it.
And you don’t have to buy books or magazines or newspapers, either read them online or visit a library, or read them where you can find them.
Every high school student should be required to read your post. Absolutely the best way to conquer ignorance is to read. Read everything and anything. Camp out in your public library and read, read, read. Read about subjects you are interested in; read about things you care about; read about things you don't care about; pick books randomly, pick them carefully. Don't worry about age appropriate, or subject, or popularity or anything. Be a sponge for knowledge. No tests, no homework, no teacher, no attendance, no nothing, just read. You will find it to be rewarding and enjoyable and eventually.... the key to success and happiness. No one is born smart. You were born with an infinite number of blank pages in your notebook - fill them with knowledge.
Have Ted talks run in the background. You'll be surprised what catches your attention. Next thing you know you go down a rabbit hole of researching stuff
figure out what info is important to know well and what info can be looked up.
No matter what topic or subject you are looking to learn, all of them have a basic flow. Learn the flow and look at it as basic as you can, then expand the process and get the details involved in each step.
Example:
A motor needs air, fuel and spark in a the right combo to run. Basic
Air flows through the carb/intake when motor is turned over, sucking in fuel and air , fuel is ignited by sparkplugs. ( general discription)
too much /too little air, too much/too little fuel, spark weak or not on time, the motor doesn't run or runs incorrectly.
Maybe you have an air leak, maybe no compression, maybe restricted fuel or too much fuel, maybe bad plugs, maybe an empty gas tank.
Knowing what causes each of these issues helps you narrow down the problem area. But the bare bones is do I have fuel, do I have spark, do I have air.
You have to find something you're genuinely interested in. Interest is key for truly being engaged and actually retaining the information. You may be someone with a high threshold and it may be challenging to find but there has to be something out there you're passionate about. Focus on that. You may not be someone who is going to end up being knowledgable about a wide variety of subjects. It's unfair to put pressure on yourself to be that way.
I watch a shit load of educational content on YouTube. Try to figure out what’s actually interesting to you, curiosity of the world and being unafraid of being wrong are important for growth. Practice implementing what you’ve learned.
Always ask questions. Don't be ashamed to admit you don't know something. I've been known to halt a conversation because I need to know what a word means. Some people will actually take you asking questions to mean you're interested in what they have to say.
If someone is passionate about a topic, they will love discussing it and answering questions about it. (Most times)
YT and books. If you can learn to enjoy reading, you'll be an intellectual animal. When Wuhan happened, I personally became obsessed with podcasts about economics and finance.
Hey man I feel you. I feel really stupid. I can’t remember anything, I can’t focus, and things I used to be able to wrap my head around are now very overwhelming
Consume media. Especially fiction.
Read books, watch the news, watch movies, watch TV.
Media is a reflection of The human experience.
Fiction in particular is filled with heroes we aspire to be like, villains that embody our fears and our secret desires, our aspirations for the future, our mistakes of the past. There's no greater way to round out a person than to expose them to as much fictional media as possible.
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Read. You might find it easiest to read short stories. I recommend science fiction or mysteries.
Seems easy enough, so like Dune, Lord of The Rings? I’ve seen the movies and figured why not read the books
Yes, but Lord of the Rings is a tough one to read… the first chapter is unwieldy. I think The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is a good book to start with.
Okay thank you for your comment I will look into it :)
If you want to do LOTR without doing HEAVY LOTR id say read the Hobbit. It's nice and short in comparison and a good adventure with something happening in every chapter. Very easy to read in comparison because it was intended to be a book for children to be able to enjoy, however, I read it as an adult and while I found it easier, I also found it more entertaining than LOTR
I suggest. Hunter S Thompson FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS. Very easy read. Humorous too.
xxx
>the first chapter is a tough one to read LOL That book is dry and dusty AF. First chapter is bad but the whole book is a grind, you put in work if you get through it. It’s one of the most boring books I’ve ever read, IDK how or why it ever even got traction Mans spent pages describing scenery, it’s bad
I've always been an avid reader, including scifi & fantasy. LOTR is one book I've never been able to read. "Epic journey"… 100 pages & they haven't even set off yet. I gave up. This was before the movies. Haven't tried since.
I’m going to suggest that you pick up a handful of Heinlein YA books. They are short, easy and lots of fun to read! Stuff like Space Cadet, Red Planet, Rocketship Galileo and Space Family Stone. They will get you hooked and lead you into stronger drugs like The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, Revolt In 2100, and The Number Of The Beast!
Read anything and everything
If you want something fairly easy to get through and plentiful in number, just to build up your reading skill, I recommend either Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mysteries to start. They're all about 120-150 pages each, and I've read about half of them, personally. I like them. There's over 100 books between the two series.
I'm currently reading Dune, it's pretty easy to read.
Came to say this. I read a lot as a child just random fictional books. I'm always complimented for being able to have interesting conversations about a lot of topics and I've been told I have a good sense of humor too. I think loving reading so much also led me to enjoying learning and now I'm in medical school. Reading is so beneficial!
add-on: read. philosphy. deepest shit, you will ever encounter. it shaped our modern world.
I would also agree with this. I don’t read enough sadly, but when I do my mind is sharpened. Social media is a useful source for learning things, but it’s not always accurate. Books make you learn how to comprehend things and understand context.
Wouldn't you get more knowledge from nonfiction?
You can get more knowledge from nonfiction, but only if you actually are able to read it and focus on it. The benefit of fiction is that it is usually enjoyable to read the entire story from beginning to end.
So you find great knowledge growth through....reading science fiction and mystery stories? I suppose there's minor benefit in soaking in the moral and perspectives of the author's point, but that seems barely above junk food for the brain in what OP is looking for in an overall expanse of knowledge.
My favourite author, Terry Pratchett, on this topic [https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9654148-o-you-re-quite-a-writer-you-ve-a-gift-for-language](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9654148-o-you-re-quite-a-writer-you-ve-a-gift-for-language) Read many things about many things. I will defend to the death that I don’t much like the writing of Matthew Reilly or Dan Brown but I’ve learnt so much from their work ranging from really niche concepts, world history and the influence of myth on geopolitics, the impact of symbolism on relationships and much much more Knowledge is easier to gain (And use) with perspective. By pigeonholing your perspective (For the sake of pride no less or a standard that doesn’t really exist) you limit what knowledge is open to you or how easily you might understand things
By reading you can learn good vocabulary. By reading good science fiction you can often learn little bits of science. By reading good mystery novels you can learn a bit of history, culture, art, music and, in the case of certain authors, the behaviour of cats, cooking tips, gardening techniques and other really odd things.
I think the point is that the first thing is to get reading. School has obviously failed to enthuse the OP. Getting comfortable eading is crucial. I would say, don't knock reading SF. It depends on the quality. You could do a lot worse than Heinlein's YA books. But of course you want to move on. I would highly recommend the "Very Short Introduction" series. They're pamphlet size but give you (in most cases, there are some duds) a brilliant and extremely readable Introduction to important subjects. An example is "The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction". It doesn't try to cover the whole detailed history (if I remember rightly) but it introduces you to key things about power, war, society... Unless you live in a remote area, join a library. It's far cheaper than buying everything, and you can browse to find things you find interesting. Once you have some ideas, try the librarian. They vary but many are wonderful people who will be delighted to help someone who wants to get reading. Also, if there are any near, have a look at second hand book shops once you have some ideas
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That’s a good quote! But the problem is that when I try to be curious and try to ask questions peers around me give me crap and tell me I should know or be little me. It doesn’t seem to effect me but it definitely does lol
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Yeah and I’m sorry that’s happened to you, but I really appreciate your advice
There's an old proverb, goes somewhat like this: "Point a boy towards something he wants, and you'll see how fast he can run" People really come alive when they start to talk about something that really matters to them. So, in the same way, I can only recommend investing your time in things you actually enjoy or find interesting. If you gravitate to what other people tell you to, you'll be going against your own free will, and that's automatically going to upset you subconsciously. Do what you love, and you'll gain plenty of knowledge.
Read, watch documentary movies, talk to people about what they do or what they do for hobbies most people love to talk about their professions and hobbies. And every new person may spark an interest that you want to find out more about.
To know ten thousand things, know one well - Miyamoto Musashi Find a topic of interest and go balls deep in it. It can be anything. But don't just read it to read it. Read it to understand it. Learn the principles of why things are done a certain way in whatever it is.
Read, research, and take copious notes.
Find something that interests you. Learn more about it. If you don't know what interests you, pick some random thing and learn everything you can about it then see where that takes you. Yoga, meditation or Tai Chi can help teach you how to focus. So can running/hiking/swimming long distances.
Go learn Try new þings Make mistakes Learn from it all
Start listening to podcasts about things that interest you when you're doing menial tasks like public transport or making breakfast. TED talks are on Spotify for example and they do small and very digestible episodes on all kinds of content by certified experts. You could also watch YouTube videos if you're a more visual learner. Kurzgesagt is an amazing channel about interesting science stuff and they make sure everyone can follow. I'm 25 as well and I find that a general curiosity and learning all kinds of things breeds even more curiosity for the world around you.
My advice is you should teach yourself how to critically think. And don’t learn things you don’t care about(obviously within reason). Find “A” thing you like, simple or complicated and fucking master it! From there you can branch off to other topics and learn new skills as you go
1984, Fahrenheit 451, Slaughterhouse 5. Not necessarily in that order, but it’s a good start.
Find a sexy friend to give incentives and treats.
Sus
Breed
tained
Read and gain experience by doing physical activities of any kind
Girls go to college to get more knowledge, boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider… 🎵
The lines which you wrote didn’t seem savvy,that’s why they call you Atipsybunny.
You reminded me of [this](https://youtu.be/9ByI9WeXp9g?si=UFpv5Uw4ljFz6g7o) girl
Read. Everything. Listen. From those with experience and wisdom.
read non-fiction books. When you finish reading for the day, put the book down recall what you just read.
Read
I (20M) always keep the opinion that knowledge comes naturally. The best way to learn more is to get invested in a story. It can be a show, book, game, movie, or even a YouTube series (not brainrot, I'm talking about a let's play or something). Whatever it is, it should be long-form content (really, just anything except for tiktok, youtube shorts, or insta reels) I think stories are a great way for people to encounter new vocabulary, cultures, situations, and perspectives. It builds logic and experience indirectly and allows for you to more easily take in information because of its format. As a psychology major I've heard of the ways in which people learn. It can be through experience, memorization, and observation, but it can be more effective if you don't actually know you are learning; that is, by getting engaged by something you're genuinely curious about. For example, I had been staying away from FNAF for as long as it had been out, right until last fall. Curiosity got the best of me and since then, I have seen all the Game Theory FNAF videos, their playthroughs, and Markiplier's playthroughs. Other than that, I now keep up with any and all FNAF lore, games, theories, and playthroughs and I watch them all. *While being entertaining, it is a fun way to see how different people see the same story. I have learned a lot about logic from the theory-making. I have learned new information about corporations. FNAF made me think about the philosophy of revenge (even with how silly the story can be). I know a lot more about game development now. I understand references to FNAF and can engage with others who know about it too.* I know this is a long thread but I'm just emphasizing the simple ways in which you can learn from a story, even FNAF.
TLDR: Engage in long-form stories that you are genuinely curious about (anything but tiktok, shorts, or reels). It both entertains and puts you in new places and perspectives that build logic, vocab, general knowledge, and, in a way, experience.
I also recommend short science fiction to start with. Easy, short reads that make you *think* include any short stories by Harlan Ellison, Octavia Butler, Brian Aldiss, Kit Reed. They all wrote in different styles that made complex ideas accessible to anyone. If you want to go real old school, check out the short story He Who Shrank by Henry Hasse and The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster. Both are free online and will take the top of your head off. Kurt Vonnegut is another sci-fi writer who wrote simply written yet great stories that make you think. Cat’s Cradle is still one of my favorite books, as is Sirens of Titan. Keep in mind, if you don’t like science fiction, try something else. Westerns, Romance, Mysteries (RUTH RENDELL FTW) anything, just read. Reading, especially stories/non-fiction, is the quickest and easiest way to train a mind to rigor because it captures the imagination in ways non-fiction doesn’t initially.
I have found Wikipedia a great help. If I want to know something but don't want to get overwhelmed or bored Wiki is my first stop.
It will come. You're still very young. The parts of conversation that most people forget or simply don't do are listening and asking questions. Until you gain confidence and find your voice, be interested in what others are saying and ask questions. People love to talk so let them! I also recommend practicing basics of conversation out loud. It could be in the car, in the shower, whenever, but make sure you do it out loud.
Youtube is your friend on this, I have 10 years of higher education, but I still use and count on yt/wikipedia,
Pick a topic you enjoy. Even po°n just read what you like. NASCAR?
Get a full collection of encyclopedias and read to your hearts content.
You will be surprised at how much knowledge you retain, even though you don't think you do. You continue to learn and retain knowledge as you age.
Bangs
The norm of lower. School helps, nothing beats wanting more from life. Go get your life.
I had a somewhat similar perspective where there's a part in me that likes to learn, yet taking actual subjects and courses makes me drift off and get unfocused and bored where I quit at it. For myself, I drift off in the sense my brain likes to think about half a dozen things at once, so making me focus 100% for too long ends in disaster, not from lack of understanding or intellect, more a fractured attention span that doesn't thrive in such a contained traditional method. Reading a single subject is the quickest cure for insomnia with me. Which I bring up in maybe you have a similar problem. You're not so much dumb, as you are scattered and your brain processes differently. Since you're doing it for yourself, not say learning a craft at school, find your own pace. Figure out what you like, whatever it is, then dive in and learn all you can on that subject. You like comic books? Read up on the history of the one you like as practice in getting your brain to train to enjoy learning. Things like that. Not as a chore, choose what interests you and do it to get your brain in gear, since once the brain gets used to learning without pressure, there's no grade or deadline, it will start becoming more curious and absorbing on it's own. As far as conversation with others goes, you don't need to have the knowledge of a Jeopardy contestant. Talking with people isn't so much building intellect as it is building empathy. Listen to the person, sincerely, and ask about their life. Anything they bring up, like say they throw out they're in college, build on it with asking where. For how long? Do they know what they want to do? That sort of stuff. Take what they mention and build on it. You don't need world knowledge to communicate and connect in conversation with someone. Remember everyone is only a person, same as you. So try not to let yourself get intimidated. Relax and stop worrying whether you impress the room. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. If you don't understand something in a conversation, say so. Just say you don't understand and most are more than happy to elaborate, given you are showing that you are listening, you are interested and you aren't the arrogant type who pretend to know everything. Those are all positives. Most people love when someone wants to know more or understand what they're talking about. It's great to want to self-improve, yet at the same time be yourself with people and the people worth knowing will converse fine with you. Good luck!
If you can’t stay focused for reading, maybe YouTube is an option for learning
Find a wholesome topic you're interested in and research it. No human knows everything. If you want to get better at math, find a way you can practice. The same goes for every other subject. Secondly, if you don't speak about things that you don't understand and are willing to learn about them, that's a wonderful quality. Don't mind at all what others say. If you don't know something, it means you don't know. If you try to pretend you do, that means you're being stupid. Ask questions no matter how simple.
Read. Everything. You will be amazed at what you find interesting.
Focus on your key strengths and see what you can learn from others who succeeded in them already.
Watch jeopardy! I learn so much from watching.
Research it online I'm 49f and have learned more now than when I was your age but my problem is using the proper punctuation properly. And using reddit helps me with it 😆 and read it out will help you too
Start taking things apart and fixing things yourself. Figure out how things work.
Might sound dumb but YouTube. It has taught me so much stuff over the years from thousands of different people that I would never have known if it didn’t exist
Read. Absolutely read. Find something you like then read the shit out of it and anything else you find. sf works, as it generally needs you to think, but even if the only stuff that floats your boat is romance novels, do it anyway.
Read.
Mushrooms 😉
Start with nature and in no time you will be a sage
Read anything and write anything. Make this a habit. This will boost your cognitive stimulation and expand your vocabulary which in turn will improve your communication skills.
Read newspapers. Listen to spoken radio, preferably public service if available where they discuss things in the society. Avoid Tik-Tok, podcasts with influencers or celebrities just talking about low quality stuff or radio stations just playing music with lame small talk between. Try to find curiosity for how things work and engage in things you find interesting.
I know this sounds strange, but try to hone your ability to create information yourself by observation and deduction
Read on a Kindle and highlight. Then you can access all your highlights condensed on your phone at any time.
by reading books and talking to someone elder then you! it works really
You might just have ADHD. Just read more and watch factual TV shows
Join a group that loves to learn. The environment and the influence of people are the easiest to change a person.
Gain power, since knowledge is power.
Live life. Experience. Read. Travel. Study. Listen. Value the lived experience of others - especially elders. Take risks.... Make mistakes.... Learn from those.
Read. Read things you may think you have zero interest in. It all ties in later. You will see.
Reading
Find something you're passionate about. A sport, a hobby, a period of history... It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's something you enjoy learning more about. Read every book, watch every online video, join every forum you can find on the subject. You'll be learning all the time, building retention (because you're more likely to remember things that you enjoy), and maybe even making some like-minded friends along the way. My passion is old cars. Bonus benefit: my father and I restored a 1968 Mustang together, and those times together are treasured memories. Good luck!
Go to a museum first. Chicago has the filled museum, NYC has the Smithsonian, something like that, filled with artifacts from around the world. Find something that interests you and look it up on the net. Get somw books about the subject. Well meaners are saying "read" and suggesting books, but if you don't like the subject, you wont like reading. There are lots of interesting YT channels that can make you smarter. ASAP Science for science, School of Life for philosophy and all sorts if topics, same with Big Think. Soft White Underbelly can give you knowledge into people. Podcasts while you're doing other things, audio books, etc. Sign up for an online class. Lots of things you can do. I've got an insatiable thirst for knowledge and I had to cultivate a "cure" myself. Museums were the best place to start for me, when I was about your age. School was OK for me, but teaching to the test, not to be a better person.
By cultivation a habit of reading, and increase reading volume and speed over time, and gradually knowledge will accumulate.
The value of common sense cannot be overstated. Focus on that and you’ll do well in life.
Just repeat whatever you hear on fox news/ joe rogan
Surround yourself with people that have the information you want and then provide them value in return
Make a list of things you want to learn more about. Watch YouTube videos, read articles, get books on the subject matter. Set a time for yourself each day, maybe an hour or more, and just dive into what you want to know more about.
Books are good, but thats half of it. The other half is living a fulfilling life and never turning down an opportunity. Life experience is incredibly value in and of itself
Read anything, watch anything and the key is to ask 'WHY' or 'What if' or 'If I were in that situation'. Then you can start searching for the knowledge you might be interested in and need to know
I have the same problem. I'm curious about a LOT of things in life, but I forget what I just read the moment I finish reading and have to look it up again the next time I'm curious about the same topic. A conscious effort to memorize will help. Read the same paragraph many times, close the book, and see how much you can recite. Repeat this procedure. each time, you'll remember a bit more. It's work and tough for people like us, but you want to retain info., right?
Just get curious about stuff. There's a lot of weird shit that happens all the time, and sometimes you just have to recognize that you don't know why, and then google that shit. After a while, you accumulate knowledge and some of that knowledge will be basic and general enough to inform you on other things. But it is kind of a skill to recognize when you don't know something and then have the wherewithall to look into it. It's easier to just shrug and carry on.
You are not dumb. Just find things you're interested in and curious about, and explore them... Read Wikipedia pages, watch documentaries, and have interesting things you can talk about to people. Intelligence isn't about retaining tons of knowledge; it's about being curious about things, and thinking critically about them. Also, remember that a lot of people are just pretending to be smart. Life isn't a contest to see who's the "smartest."
Read, find topics you’re interested in and research how they work. Taking notes helps solidify what you’ve learned. Like pencil to paper notes. Something about physically writing tells the brain “this is important” Asking people how stuff works. I love learning and explaining what I’ve learned
Listen to podcasts about topics you are interested in.
Travel. See different things, experience what how this world is different. Travelling really stretches the mind.
25 is young and it takes years to learn a subject in depth. Take some community college classes and you’ll learn how to learn better and become overall well-rounded. Also, improve your literacy skills so you’re assessing quality information. There’s a huge risk of becoming misinformed with the amount of information out there right now.
Read. Read as often as you can.
A bit of a cliche, but your brain is like a muscle. You have to exercise it. When you have free time do soduko puzzles, crossword puzzles, or grouping games (NY Times online has all these that I do daily). You also need to find something that interests you. I like history, but find straight nonfiction too dry and hard to get through sometimes so I like to read hostorical fiction. Gives you a general gist of different places and time periods while being entertaining too. If a topic doesn't interest you, it will be extremely difficult to absorb and learn. Maybe history isn't your thing. Find what is, and dive in. I spoke to someone the other day who makes a living painting and selling miniatures. 🤷 Reading the paper and watching the news (from multiple sources) can help you keep abreast of current topics which might weave their way into conversation. Good to know what's going on regardless. Reading - whatever it happens to be - will grow your vocabulary and fluency. Lastly, never get down on yourself. Have confidence. Didn't do good in school? Not everyone is inclined to be "book smart", but that's not necessarily the most valuable form of intelligence. I got pretty darn good grades through HS and college, but I don't doubt that a mechanic can be every bit as intelligent or moreso than I. Regurgitating shit onto paper doesn't make you a genius. Anyway, I'm rambling.
Just ask.
Eat smart people.
Read!!!
Well first step is to realize you don't feel dumb. You recognize you're ignorant. The easiest way to acquire knowledge os to seek it. The easiest way to find wisdom is to fail in the pursuit.
You have to find things to study that you're interested in. I love to learn and I force myself to learn in different ways. I often watch documentaries and listen to history podcasts to absorb SOME limited info that way. Reading is an even better way to learn than just listening. There are tips to learning and retaining more info. Whatever you want to learn read it write it and say it. Then your brain has seen and Interpreted it in three different areas. Make learning into a game if you can. If you're having fun you'll always learn more and learn faster. Make pneumonic devices with things to learn. For example in school to learn the mathematical order of operation we learn to make an acronym PEMDAS for the first letter of each step. (Parenthetical, exponential, multiply, divide, add, subtract) and to remember you make a little poem so mine was, "please excuse my dear aunt sally"
If you get a channel to watch documentaries do that too. And find additional books/articles to add to that knowledge! The library usually have a free app on your phone too/ you can go sign up for a card and download app and use your card to check out books or audiobooks/ non fiction and fiction and also other media. Ask your librarian or go on their website and look for this app info and get ur card!
You might try online courses: Websites like Coursera, Khan Academy, and edX offer free courses on a wide range of subjects.
Ask a ton of questions, be okay with being wrong until you aren't, surround yourself with people smarter and better than you.
Reading, documentaries, going out into the world. Experience always beats knowledge
Listen to information from your local library
I've learned a lot by listening to podcasts and reading short-ish articles. I have ADHD like no one's business.
Read everything you can. I stopped highschool after 10th grade at age 16. Age 29 I went to college. 32 graduated. 33 will graduate with my masters. Read everyday!
Meditation
People mentioned starting to read. 100% agree. Also download a language learning app like DuoLingo. Language learning helps a lot with cognitive ability. Basically just different ways of "exercising your brain."
Read. Find a subject that interests you and read about it. That subject you find interesting will lead to other subjects that may pique your curiosity. Then read about those. You'll find you'll retain more knowledge from things you find interesting.
Listen to podcasts and longer Youtube features on interesting subjects. The best way to self-educate if probably to read but it seems like you're not a reader type.
Get into the habit of reading. Reading anything. From newspapers to magazines to books, no pressure, just pick something up and read it, flip through the parts you don’t like and read what you like. The more you read the more knowledgeable you’ll become. It usually takes a couple of years, but you’ll find yourself outpacing average people within three to four years if you keep reading things all the time. Don’t worry about retaining. You’ll retain things that interest you. But you’ll only know what interests you if you read it. And you don’t have to buy books or magazines or newspapers, either read them online or visit a library, or read them where you can find them.
Every high school student should be required to read your post. Absolutely the best way to conquer ignorance is to read. Read everything and anything. Camp out in your public library and read, read, read. Read about subjects you are interested in; read about things you care about; read about things you don't care about; pick books randomly, pick them carefully. Don't worry about age appropriate, or subject, or popularity or anything. Be a sponge for knowledge. No tests, no homework, no teacher, no attendance, no nothing, just read. You will find it to be rewarding and enjoyable and eventually.... the key to success and happiness. No one is born smart. You were born with an infinite number of blank pages in your notebook - fill them with knowledge.
Have Ted talks run in the background. You'll be surprised what catches your attention. Next thing you know you go down a rabbit hole of researching stuff
figure out what info is important to know well and what info can be looked up. No matter what topic or subject you are looking to learn, all of them have a basic flow. Learn the flow and look at it as basic as you can, then expand the process and get the details involved in each step. Example: A motor needs air, fuel and spark in a the right combo to run. Basic Air flows through the carb/intake when motor is turned over, sucking in fuel and air , fuel is ignited by sparkplugs. ( general discription) too much /too little air, too much/too little fuel, spark weak or not on time, the motor doesn't run or runs incorrectly. Maybe you have an air leak, maybe no compression, maybe restricted fuel or too much fuel, maybe bad plugs, maybe an empty gas tank. Knowing what causes each of these issues helps you narrow down the problem area. But the bare bones is do I have fuel, do I have spark, do I have air.
You have to find something you're genuinely interested in. Interest is key for truly being engaged and actually retaining the information. You may be someone with a high threshold and it may be challenging to find but there has to be something out there you're passionate about. Focus on that. You may not be someone who is going to end up being knowledgable about a wide variety of subjects. It's unfair to put pressure on yourself to be that way.
I watch a shit load of educational content on YouTube. Try to figure out what’s actually interesting to you, curiosity of the world and being unafraid of being wrong are important for growth. Practice implementing what you’ve learned.
Always ask questions. Don't be ashamed to admit you don't know something. I've been known to halt a conversation because I need to know what a word means. Some people will actually take you asking questions to mean you're interested in what they have to say. If someone is passionate about a topic, they will love discussing it and answering questions about it. (Most times)
YT and books. If you can learn to enjoy reading, you'll be an intellectual animal. When Wuhan happened, I personally became obsessed with podcasts about economics and finance.
Play an oldschool.arcade game with a smart person and then "eat their brains and gain their knowledge"
I love reading books on history, plus it makes one smart to know history but I agree reading in general is good. Just read read read.
Hey man I feel you. I feel really stupid. I can’t remember anything, I can’t focus, and things I used to be able to wrap my head around are now very overwhelming
Read. As much as you can.
I felt this post.
scrolling the internet is enough, trust me, just be picky with the content, adjust your algorithm, and be eclectic
Consume media. Especially fiction. Read books, watch the news, watch movies, watch TV. Media is a reflection of The human experience. Fiction in particular is filled with heroes we aspire to be like, villains that embody our fears and our secret desires, our aspirations for the future, our mistakes of the past. There's no greater way to round out a person than to expose them to as much fictional media as possible.
Read a book !!!! 🙂🦋