Let me tell you something, kid. Come sit with me for a minute. I'm gonna tell you a story not the kind with dragons and wizards, but something real. Something you won't find in a school book.
It's the story of what happens when you know too much.
When I was your age, I wanted to know everything.
I asked questions. All the time. Why is the sky blue? Why do people lie? Why do we hurt people we love? Why do some people sleep on the streets while others live in castles?
The grown-ups would say, "Stop thinking so much." But I couldn't stop. I wanted the truth. I wanted the whole picture.
And let me tell you, I found it.
I read books that most people wouldn't touch. I listened when others weren't paying attention. I watched how people moved, how they changed when the lights went off. I learned things people tried to hide.
At first, it felt like a superpower.
I could see through fake smiles. I could guess when something bad was about to happen. I could read people's feelings before they spoke.
That helped me a lot. Saved me from trouble. Made me smart. Made me powerful, even.
That's the benefit of knowing too much.
When you know, you can prepare. You can lead. You can protect others. You can build things faster because you already know what won't work. You don't need to be told twice; you see through the noise.
I once helped a friend avoid a trap that almost cost him everything. He didn't see it, but I did. My knowledge saved him. He still thanks me.
I knew when someone was pretending to care. I knew when I was being used. That's how I stayed ahead.
But here's the part most people don't talk about.
The downfall.
When you know too much… you start seeing the cracks in everything.
You see the truth behind people's words. You see how unfair the world really is. You notice when someone says "I'm fine," and they're actually falling apart.
And worse, you can't unknow it.
Sometimes I wish I could go back to when I was like you, wide-eyed, full of wonder. I wish I could laugh at a joke without hearing the pain behind it. I wish I could look at the world without breaking it into pieces in my mind.
Knowing too much made me careful, but also tired.
You carry a lot when you see everything. Secrets. Fears. Realities that other people aren't ready for.
It's like walking through life with a backpack full of bricks. You're smart, yes. But you're heavy, too.
One time, I couldn't sleep for three days. I had just read about something terrible happening on the other side of the world, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Everyone else was living normally. But I was thinking, knowing, carrying.
That's the curse.
So what do you do with that?
I'll tell you what I learned.
Keep learning. Never stop. But protect your peace.
Sometimes, you don't need to know everything at once. Sometimes it's okay to pause, breathe, and just live.
The world doesn't need you to carry all of it.
It just needs you to be wise and kind.
That's the real balance.
So learn what you can. Share it when it helps. And when it hurts, don't be afraid to rest. You don't have to be a superhero all the time.
That's the story, kid. The benefit of knowing too much is that it can make you powerful. The downfall is that it can make you forget how to feel light.
But the smart ones, the really wise ones they learn how to carry both.
And now you know, too.