# Age, experience, and useless information



## sags (May 15, 2010)

I have recognized that throughout my life and experiences, I have gathered a wealth of useless information on a wide array of unrelated topics.

This "reservoir" of information, remains largely untapped, until it is called upon, at which time it can manifest itself as the musings of a "know it all".

I am thinking that a lack of knowledge could be a good thing, as you have fewer of life's greatest problems to ponder or worry about.

I was listening to a local radio interview with the newly minted 2012 Miss Canada, a lovely sounding young lady from London, Ontario. She is a recent "teaching" graduate from the University of Western Ontario.

The interviewer closed the interview with a simple question and answer quiz.

The question was "Who is the Prime Minister of Canada"?

She didn't know.

The second question was "Name the 3 Territories in Canada"

She could name 2.

That was the end of the Q & A, and they ended the interview.

I couldn't help but think.......what a blissful world she must live in. 

Maybe I could go in for a "reformat" and start all over again.........


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## Daniel A. (Mar 20, 2011)

I've noticed the same thing sags more in conversation with my own kids.
They are in their early twenties and I find it's not a problem to pull a rabbit out of the hat on just about any subject.

I really believe that youth value social time more than anything else and trust that when the time comes they will step up to the plate.

I sometimes think back when I was in school and my own lack of interest, then what I've learned since. Even in the past few years I developed an interest in the history of England my kids are shocked at what I know.
Years ago I developed an interest in day trading and did that for a couple of years great learning experience.

Politics is starting to bore me and now just look for the key points.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

I agree.....young people today put their social interaction at the very pinnacle of their needs.

And we do learn much over time...........without even knowing it.

When I retired, I fancied going back to school and finishing my Grade 12. After rustling up my old school records from the "archives", they said if I could complete 2 more subjects they would grant the diploma.

So, I signed up for English Literature, took the material home and plunged right in. There were 10 chapters in each of 5 books to complete.

After 2 weeks I took the pile of typed, double spaced, grammatically checked and double checked, work into the teacher.

She saw me coming with a pile of paper in hand, resembling the Sunday Detroit Free Press in girth, and remarked "You did the whole course already"?

"No", I replied..........."this is just the first chapter"..........

Her eyes glazed over and I could tell she was contemplating reading all this material she was being handed.

I received the work back, and had achieved a 99% grade. I had made a couple of grammatical errors despite all the checking.

I had never received a 99% in anything while in school. I hadn't been to school in 50 years..........and I scored that high score based solely on my cumulative life experience.

It is one of life's truisms, that we learn more efficiently from experience, grow old while acquiring the experience, and find ourselves chock full of knowledge at exactly the time we need it least.

Life's little joke on us..............


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## crazyjackcsa (Aug 8, 2010)

Kids these days! I tell yah! Back in my day we had respect! Prices were reasonable! Politicians were honest! You did an honest days work for an honest days pay!


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## hboy43 (May 10, 2009)

sags said:


> I am thinking that a lack of knowledge could be a good thing, as you have fewer of life's greatest problems to ponder or worry about.
> 
> I couldn't help but think.......what a blissful world she must live in.
> 
> Maybe I could go in for a "reformat" and start all over again.........


"Fat, dumb, and happy" is perhaps the way to go. Many days I score 0/3, though my weight finally clawed back up to 230 lb after the year to forget.

hboy43


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## jcgd (Oct 30, 2011)

I used to know everything. EVERYTHING. Just ask my parents. Unfortunately, the older the older I get the less I know. It's sad.


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## ddkay (Nov 20, 2010)

I don't know anything, the uncertainty makes life harder


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## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

sags said:


> I am thinking that a lack of knowledge could be a good thing, as you have fewer of life's greatest problems to ponder or worry about.


I have been saying this for years.

Although it brings out the somewhat cocky and arrogant side of me, I have often said many times to friends that I am jealous of certain people for their lack of intelligence. In the majority of cases, the more ignorant you are, the happier you will be.

The smart people in the world get the short end of the stick.

Think of how great life is when you are young. The older you get, the more pissed off/depressing things become.

That's just the way it is.

Some may argue that the more intelligent people make more money or have a higher income, which increases standard of living. This is more true than not, however, the ignorant people don't even care how much money they make, so the point is invalid altogether. 

I mean, if you don't know or if you don't care -- then you just don't know or care! End of story! 

And as they say, "You can't get blood from a stone."


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## ddkay (Nov 20, 2010)

And then there's that


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## Saniokca (Sep 5, 2009)

The more knowledge I acquire, the more depressing the world seems 

But I'm a very happy person which maybe means something about my intelligence...


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## Saniokca (Sep 5, 2009)

KaeJS said:


> Think of how great life is when you are young. The older you get, the more pissed off/depressing things become.
> "


Just noticed this - couldn't agree more. My gf says I will be an old grump one day...

Just get me started on politics, occupy, tuition fees, strikes, and other complainers and run for cover...


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## Dmoney (Apr 28, 2011)

I'm already an old grump of 23....


Back in my day, we worked for a living. And we had to walk 30 miles to school. Uphill. Both ways.


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## uptoolate (Oct 9, 2011)

You forgot about the snowstorm - sometimes in May!


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## jamesbe (May 8, 2010)

sags said:


> I had never received a 99% in anything while in school. I hadn't been to school in 50 years..........and I scored that high score based solely on my cumulative life experience.


good on you for going back.

Truth be told high school, at least in Ontario is a joke. I averaged in the 80-95% range on most subjects but never studied or did a thing of work. The realized in university how stupid I was. 

I don't consider myself very smart, average at best yet easily achieved good marks in HS. But as soon as life got in he way marks dropped, and that is why most kids think its so hard. Not to be racist, I have a lot of Asian friends and they all did well in school and they will tell you the secret, they aren't all magically smarter they just put in hours and hours of study nightly.

So are you smarter as you get older? No you just learn about things because you are interested in it and put in the time.


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## jcgd (Oct 30, 2011)

School is kind of a joke. I think it's more of a crash course in social skills myself. 

If you went to school and did the work it was actually extremely difficult not to pass. Those who do fail tend to skip, facebook or expel their way out of it. A friend of mine put a concious effort into getting the lowest possible mark in one class. He did zero work, hardly went and scored a 47%!!!!!!!!!! How does that happen?

My favourite debate is the book smart/ common sense smart. It is irrelevant IMO. You either have intelligence or you don't (relatively speaking). Memorization will only get you so far. If you can't apply what you know, there isn't much point to it.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

I was a disaster in the school system from about grade 9 and up(and dropped out/pushed out)I actual thrive in the "real world" once i got out of those halls.I have always been very independent and don't take direction very well(pretty much born that way lol)I love learning thou-I think i have a different learning style-i tend to jump into things head first and i need pressure or something on the line to "get me going"-i became self-employed that way-it's crazy but i hate "safety" i like doing things differently.In my mind (cmf) is like a course for me...like a school-picking up things ect to do with investing(don't know if others see it that way)-pick up a ton real world investing information.

No offence to teachers(have many friends who are)but i hated being bossed around-hated it-i'm certian i have a.dd-i felt so confined in school and it was hard for me to fully accept that a teacher"knew what my life was going to be"when id get expelled or sent to a different room(never understood why teacher thought they were "gods")like they wanted to get in your head with scaring you about the "real world"and on a money front they were all kind of"poor" middle class.....when i went to my uncle's construction site that was more like school for me(fit me)...real cause and effect stuff you could instantly measure unlike the halls of public school.-i almost all of cmfers are highly educated so i don't want to get flamed lol.-my grade 10 teacher would **** himself if i told him im a investor now and follow the markets.


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## Dmoney (Apr 28, 2011)

donald said:


> my grade 10 teacher would **** himself if i told him im a investor now and follow the markets.


I think all my teachers from about grade 1 on would **** themselves if they saw me now. I was a little terror.

Most teachers are pretty average. The exceptional ones make a difference in the lives of many, but unfortunately the majority of teachers get into it for the five hour days, the 180 day years and the platinum benefits/pension/job security.

I pretty much coasted through school, did very well but left a path of destruction in my wake.


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## brocko (Apr 20, 2009)

I always found that the people most critical of the educational system were those who were by inclination anti social and yet very prosperous due to natural intelligence, hard work and a "hustler's" set of social skills and values. I was the opposite as I had to put in hours of study just to get average grades. Those folks who call school a joke simply mean to my thinking that they did very well in life following a path that worked for them alone but should not be followed by all.


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## jcgd (Oct 30, 2011)

Brocko, welcome to the forums.

I found school to be a "joke" in the sense that I found it as difficult as counting to ten, but I'll be damned if my kids don't finish it. Whether they are like me and coast through with good grades, or have to buckle down, they aren't taking the easy way out.
I was terrible at sports and phys-ed but I had to try hard to make it through those parts. I guess if you can't stick with high school for three years while you have zero responsibilities, how are you supposed to stick with anything else?

Not to say everyone needs to finish HS to do well in life, but in my circle of friends, those who though school was "a waste of time" could really use a re-do. They tend to carry the "if it takes effort, I'm out" attitude.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

This is just speaking for myself but i feel like i'm more anti-social now in the general sense than when i was "young" and in school.Another thing about school(12-18)was were it falls in the timeline of your life,maybe i was different but instead of listening to my english teacher i was more concerned with jenny and kelly in the back and what they were doing over the weekend ect.(not trying to sound like a guido because i was'nt,though my hormones ruled me then)what i was going to wear to the party the uncomming wknd-snowboarding ect summer i could get out fast enough to go golfing ect plus i had a part time job.

Studies was in such conflict with me than and where to put my energies-i had lots of different groups of friend and honestly did'nt have a care in the world about a algebra test.

Now @ 32 im constanly thinking about retirement,business,work,challenges of self-employment-going "frugal" which is totally anti-social,6 yrs ago i would care about ''apperance" now i think about $$ and wearing jeans from the rack of walmart and using the money to save or buy stocks-my thinking and habits are "way" different than my friends(still the same from high school)I'm not married so that's different but something switch in me to get "learning"-via self,i will say markets,stocks and finance is not a easy thing to learn-esp with real money on the line(which is why im so interested)


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