Copy post — Tela Network

God always punishes intellectual pride
StJohn Piano
17 January 2026
Post #96
http://tela.network/forum/96/

[Scott] Adams knew, deep in his bones, that he was cleverer than other people. God always punishes this impulse, especially in nerds. His usual strategy is straightforward enough: let them reach the advanced physics classes, where there will always be someone smarter than them, then beat them on the head with their own intellectual inferiority so many times that they cry uncle and admit they’re nothing special.

For Adams, God took a more creative and – dare I say, crueler – route. He created him only-slightly-above-average at everything _except_ for a world-historical, Mozart-tier, absolutely Leonardo-level skill at making silly comics about hating work.

...

Every child is hypomanic, convinced of their own specialness. Even most teenagers still suspect that, if everything went right, they could change the world.

It's not just nerds. Everyone has to crash into reality.

https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/the-dilbert-afterlife