The Wilson effect

Does getting older magically allow you to understand the world better? I fully believed that knowledge and intelligence was what mostly counted for that, and since I had both in quite large amounts (relatively, you have to understand that this is what I thought about in elementary school), I knew and understood quite a bit about the world. But, I haven't been as philosophical, or very knowledge-seeking since then, but i definitely know a lot more about how the world's society works, so that train of thought can't be true, or rather I skipped the step beforehand. Experiences are what helps you understand . . . and maybe passing puberty. :3 (All those hormones racing through your body certainly doesn't help the thinking process.) But experiences->more knowledge/memories/learning, and while some people do start out with a lot of intelligence, years definitely increase it.

i have met a few,for a lack of a better word,"gifted" people, while they might be brilliant at math or English, they have really horrible social skills. But that's just in my experience, while i might be a lot smarter than the average person, I, myself am not "G/T" worthy (at least according to FCPS).
Maybe having a well-rounded life is what does it. All those books and reality avoidance is not a good basis for your life, i think. How can you function in the world when you don't really live in it? And while you can make all the excuses you want about the benefits of it, no one, near the end of their life, is going to regret that they didn't study enough, or read enough books, or didn't put in enough hours at work(with the exception of religion), but most people will regret that they didn't have enough close friends, or separated themselves from their family, or didn't help enough people.But why wait till the end of your life to regret?


maybe this all comes from my 6 month withdrawal from school, or life rather, at my age. I've come to appreciate these things, friends, family, the requirement of having money to survive. I have been slacking on my artistic work, which i can almost regret, but everything else I have become, i just can't bring myself to do it. Also, it might be the fact that i hate regrets, they mostly serve no useful purpose, because who can change the past? Regret is just there so you don't make the same mistake in the future, but a mental memo does the same thing and is much less painful. . . .but is a lot less memorable. . . but i just don't like pain.