Talked about the midwit meme in earnest for 2h over coffee yesterday.

It’s the most important meme of the decade for me.

building • prev manifold.xyz, twilio.com

I think university severely accelerated my midwit trajectory.

I achieved things in the peak of measurable stupidity during my late teens, early twenties going on gut and feeling and learning through experience.

My mid twenties on was the age of doubt and unknown unknowns. I went to school (late) and learned how much I don’t know, forgetting and discounting what I do know or that things with enough constraints are, in fact, knowable.

So now in my late 30’s I’m circling back. Maybe I know some things. Maybe I can just things. Maybe the things I don’t know are better attained through doing than thinking.

I don’t know what my 40’s will teach me.

topics ranged:
- thinking is an anti pattern, if you have to think too much it’s a good indicator to do more instead.
- often you progress from left to right, and u do it by experiencing more not thinking more
- aging through the midwit meme: simpleton teens, midwit 20’s/30’s, enlightened 30’s/40’s.
- truths are simple and often abstract, available to left side thru naivety and low iq, available to the right side thru experience and wisdom. the midwit probably doesn’t believe in any form of truth, cause they can’t know anything.

and ya, as a recovering midwit very aware I’m midwitting the midwit meme

Ive always struggled with the mid meme. I never knew why, today this popped into my head.

Not sure it makes complete sense to me but it’s just what I saw in this fault brain of mine. https://i.imgur.com/of9bYGJ.jpg

This mid meme was my first “viral” post I think. 

https://warpcast.com/les/0x3ad2d30fd

I always loved the meme as a map of the journey of gaining knowledge. Not so much different people but as one person. At the beginning, the I am very smart in the middle and the true wisdom at the end that looks a lot closer to the beginning. Feels like it represents a very fundamental truth while also being hilarious!

Ooo same wavelength.

https://warpcast.com/syed/0xd333be86

completely resonates with me. i feel that everything i do is exactly at the center of the curve and the meme is a constant reminder to take myself less seriously and move to the left on the curve

Society is currently midwit.  The more people think they are Jedi the more likely they are mid.  Myself included.

You are so right! I also feels it illustrates a deep cultural clash that takes place in western societies, which explains a lot of what is happening around us.

There is so fucking much depth to this meme. I don't think we've still exhausted the learnings from what it means and what it teaches.

But the realizations you listed are solid!

Also one of my favs! Broadly applicable, though somewhat deceptive imho. 

I just read Siddhartha and it’s this meme in book form, written 100 years ago.