An ‘Intelligent’ Roadmap: Here’s the guide on how to deal with idiots

Are you sick and tired of dealing with idiots?

Do you want to find a way that makes dealing with them easier?

They will never go away, so the intelligent need to find a way to co-exist. For sound advice regarding the matter, one can do no better than delve into the writings of that old German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, who was not one to suffer fools gladly.

Born in 1788, he died in 1860. Still, time is of no matter. The old philosopher’s sage advice is as pertinent to today as it was to 19th century Europeans.

For starters, old Art wasn’t exactly a “people person.” He lived alone with a succession of poodles (all named Atman) and spent his life contemplating why the world felt so fundamentally broken.

Always a male version of Debbie the Downer, Schopenhauer claimed that misery is so natural to humans, even if some utopian society were established, people would still fight each other out of boredom, or would starve due to overpopulation.

Always the optimist.

He should be alive today.

The Crazy Will

To understand Schopenhauer’s roadmap guide for the intelligent, if you will, you have to understand his core premise: The Will.

Schopenhauer argued that behind the physical world we see (the Representation) lies a blind, mindless, and insatiable force he called the Will.

This Will isn’t rational; it’s just a raw, pulsing drive to exist and reproduce.

In humans, this manifests as endless desire. We want, we get, we are bored for a moment, and then we want something else.

Because the Will is mindless, most people—the “idiots” or the “common herd,” as he’d call them—are merely puppets of this force. They don’t think; they react. They don’t seek truth; they seek to satisfy their immediate impulses, their vanity, and their tribe (based on race, ethnicity, religion, politics, gender, etc.).

The “Common Herd”

Schopenhauer believed that intelligence is actually a “freak of nature.” It is a moment where the brain develops enough power to actually look back at the Will and say, “No.”

Otherwise, we spend all day trying to escape boredom, either through sex, food, some new adrenaline rush.

For the intelligent person dealing with the foolish, his advice was rooted in a cold, clinical detachment:

Expect Nothing: He famously said that we should not be surprised by the stupidity or malice of others, any more than we are surprised when a stone falls to the ground. It is their nature.

The “Iron Ring” of Silence: He believed that “intellect” is invisible to those who have none. You cannot explain a complex idea to someone driven by raw Will. Therefore, silence is your greatest fortress.

Objectification: Never, ever take an idiot’s actions personally. View them as a biological specimen or a mechanical toy playing out its programming. You don’t get angry at a dog for barking; you shouldn’t get angry at a fool for being foolish.

In other words, an idiot is always going to be an idiot, much like a tree will always be a tree.

Application to Modern America

If Schopenhauer walked into a modern American city today, or worse, logged onto social media, he might not be surprised at the change because it still fits his pattern. He would see the “Will” in its most naked form.

The Echo Chamber of Will: Schopenhauer noted that people do not form opinions based on logic, but on what serves their desires and ego. In modern America, this explains why facts rarely change minds. People, some will argue, aren’t looking for truth; they are looking for “Representation” that validates their “Will.”

The Distraction Economy: He argued that most people are terrified of being alone with their own thoughts (which leads to boredom, the “twin pole” of suffering). Today’s constant scrolling and outrage cycles are simply the Will’s way of avoiding the vacuum of a quiet mind.

Intellectual Solitude: His solution for the “intelligent man, woman” in America would be voluntary isolation. Not necessarily living in a cave but maintaining a mental distance. He would suggest that true peace comes from refusing to participate in the collective madness, finding solace in art, music, and deep thought — things that momentarily quiet the Will.

“A man (woman) of intellect, in complete solitude, has very good entertainment in his own thoughts and fancies.”— Arthur Schopenhauer.

In short, wrote the old German philosopher, the world is a theater of the absurd. The intelligent person’s job isn’t to fix the play or argue with the actors — rather, it’s to make sure he/she has a comfortable seat in the audience and doesn’t get pulled onto the stage.