 "Dumbing yourself down" around your peers?
sachmanb: look into "INTP" personality type if you haven't already.the way i see it is that between people, we want to communicate ideas.  in order to communicate we have to meet at a shared context, and shared semiotics.  the way i'm writing this is not how i would talk to someone at work.  the way i talk at work is not how i would talk to my mom.  the way i talk to my mom is not how i would talk with my housemate.  the way i talk about a problem with a designer is not the way i talk about a problem with an engineer.  the way i talk about a problem with an engineer is not the way i talk when discussing philosophy.if you value comprehension, and you value growth, then you are in the minority of our society - especially when it comes to comprehension.  it's easier to find people trying to win than to find people trying to comprehend.  since you value learning and growing, you will accelerate as will others like you, beyond the understandings common in our society.  your context will diverge more so from shared contexts, simply because you are internally growing.  don't fret - just communicate what needs to be communicated.  some people may not be interested in some of the things your interested in, and others will be.  run into brilliant people with shared interests, sure it might be exciting, but you'll still need to communicate - you'll still need to meet with words, body language, and smiles - you're experience is entirely your own.  we are all alone, together.