Being Stupid

I have seen this funny video where two highly intelligent people got married, and kept finding excuses to not have children. At first it was “we are focusing on our careers”, then it was “the economy is not great right now”, then it was “we are trying to figure out how a kid would fit in our life”, then they needed to save enough money for private education. Then boom. One day these two have become old and infertile. Their eyes, already filled with quite some fear at the beginning, were now filled with dread and regret. Next thing you know they got divorced.

This video was funny because it also showed the other pair, the silly and illiterate couple. These two kept fighting and kept having kids. They ended up having 9 kids and heck, I think one of the kids got into Harvard. There might be this other one that started selling drugs though, but you know, there is also Harvard.

In my 20+ years of life I have found, the smart ones often have the most miserable dating life. When it comes to finding love, the most sacred, vulnerable, eternal, universal human pursuit, the smart ones think they cannot afford to lose. It has to be one-shot, first-sight, straight out of the books. So the most minor details must be treated as incriminating evidence, the slightest discomfort should be raised as problems to solve, the little ick the tell-tale sign of incompatibility. You spend a lifetime without ever being stupid, therefore you have never lost and never won.

I worked at startups. I conclude from experience, that when venturing into the unknown, no amount of logical analysis can tell you whether you are going to succeed, or fail miserably. The only thing I can guarantee, is that over-analysis most certainly leads to non-action.

The solution here is just to try. Choose whichever option that feels right to you and see what happens. There is a reason we call this magical moment “leap of faith.”

I admire the stupid, for we are all stupid. At least some of us are aware and content.

And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain,
Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders.
For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder.

Is this essay about love? Somewhat adjacent, but not necessarily. I think it is about trying. About dreams. About having fun in the struggle. About the courage to look stupid, because it is a blessing to be known for who you are, a silly guy who tries. Everything beautiful about this world comes not from a critic, but an artist. A bleeding warrior that makes the flowers bloom.

I have the intellect, occasionally I like to waste it on justifying life's misfortunes. I also have a heart, and it is very stupid. The stupid heart urges me to go outside, and believe my next adventure will surely bring me good luck. My brain says this heart argues on no rational basis; so there I decided and become fully convinced, we must go with the heart.