Things I don't understand

 

I have decided that, as I get older, I understand less about the world: why people do the things they do, about technology, and the economy etc. The more I find out, the less I feel I understand.

I know it’s normal to feel that we know less about things as we grow older – even though we are always gaining new knowledge to add to a lifetime of learning and experiences. But there are some things that, no matter how hard I try to understand them, they refuse to make sense.

I really don’t care that I don’t understand some things, but there are some things that I feel I should understand.

I don’t think my brain is slowing down (it has always been this slow - as many people will testify). I can understand some complex topics, I learn new skills and I can assemble Ikea furniture, read maps and do fractions. So why do I struggle to 'get' things that other people have no problem with.

I tend to get irritated when I don’t understand some badly presented news item, ‘googled’ information or some popular trend. I ask myself, is it me, is it badly written and presented (often yes),  am I out of touch, or does it really matter anyway?

Of course, I can’t be bothered to understand some things because I might have to invest more time than I am prepared to give up in order to digest the level of detail I need to ‘get it’. After all, life is short and getting shorter. Also, I am becoming less tolerant of things that I sense are irrelevant to me or are inherently b*ll*cks. So, they are probably not worth understanding.

I also find that, as I get old and stuck in my ways and become less conformist, I start questioning things I didn’t previously. I am introducing my own additional questions or gaps in knowledge.

Many people are just happy to know stuff rather than understand it. For example, people can do all sorts of things on the Internet but they have no idea what is actually happening and what the risks are. I’m one of those people who like to understand the bigger picture. For example, when making investments, I need to know more than many people would about the company, the portfolio, the performance, risks etc. The problem is, I don’t understand the language of finance and investments, or the economy as a whole, so I either have to learn it, or put trust in others and worry that I will lose every penny.

I should just accept that if I want to understand some things better, I need to prioritise and work at it.

Here is a list (very much a non-exhaustive one) of things I don’t understand......

Things I don’t understand but I don’t really care

• Cushions on items of furniture (I don’t see the point of cushions on a bed or a comfortable, attractive seat)
• The 59 gender identities (I can just about understand 3)
• Islam (I have tried but there are too many inconsistencies)
• Higs Boson (I’m happy that someone does understand it)
• Theory of Relativity (it would be different if you could bring it into a conversation)

Things I don’t understand but feel I should

• How the economy works (inflation, interest rates, GDP etc.)
• How the Stock Market works
• Bitcoin and cryptocurrency
• The Internet or rather how it works and is controlled
• Photoshop

Things I don’t understand and it annoys me

• Why people litter
• Why I should like your dog
• Why people don’t complain more about our ‘not fit for purpose’ NHS
• The rise of the woke obsessed lefties in the media and ‘cancel culture’
• Why we got involved in Afghanistan
• Why people who can’t drive buy big cars
• Why an idiot who won’t work, can't speak properly or dress themselves can do anything on a smartphone
• Celebrity worship
• Most Twitter tweets
• Why we buy so much crap from China