I hang out with the 'nerdy' people - they have a different sense

When Liam Aiken said, “I hang out with the ‘nerdy’ people — they have a different sense of humor than most kids,” he was not merely describing friendship; he was speaking to a timeless truth about authenticity, individuality, and the sacred art of belonging to oneself. Beneath these simple words lies a profound message: that true joy and understanding are often found not in the company of the crowd, but among those who dare to be different. The so-called “nerdy people,” those who see the world through a lens of curiosity and wonder, hold a kind of wisdom that the world too often overlooks. Their humor, their way of seeing, and their hearts beat to a quieter but deeper rhythm — one that echoes the eternal dance of intellect and imagination.

To say that they have a “different sense of humor” is to acknowledge that laughter itself reveals the soul. Humor is not merely about amusement — it is a window into how one perceives reality. Those who delight in cleverness, irony, or the subtle patterns of the universe possess a humor born not of mockery, but of understanding. They laugh not to diminish others, but to celebrate the strangeness and beauty of existence. In this way, Liam Aiken’s words remind us that humor is not universal — it is shaped by thought, by curiosity, by the courage to look deeper. To share laughter with such people is to share a glimpse of truth.

Throughout history, the different ones — the thinkers, dreamers, inventors, and visionaries — have often stood apart. Their sense of joy, like their vision, has been misunderstood. Yet time has always vindicated them. Think of Leonardo da Vinci, whose laughter sprang from an awe for creation itself, or Albert Einstein, who joked that imagination was more important than knowledge. Their humor came not from arrogance, but from wonder — the joy of minds forever seeking meaning in the chaos of the world. Such people, often labeled as “nerds” or “eccentrics,” are the ones who see the world as it could be, not merely as it is. To walk among them is to walk among architects of the future, guardians of curiosity, and keepers of a subtler joy.

The origin of Aiken’s insight lies in youth — a time when the desire to belong pulls fiercely at the heart. Yet even as a young soul, he recognized the difference between fitting in and finding connection. The crowd laughs together to feel unity, but those who think differently laugh together to feel understood. The “nerdy” sense of humor is the laughter of those who have found kinship in ideas rather than appearances, in dreams rather than trends. It is the sound of minds discovering that they are not alone. And in that shared laughter, there is power — the power to endure loneliness, to resist conformity, and to find strength in truth.

The ancients understood this wisdom well. In the schools of Athens, Socrates gathered around him a small circle of students — not the popular or the fashionable, but the curious. While the city mocked him for his strange ways and endless questions, his companions found in his words both humor and enlightenment. He used laughter not to entertain, but to awaken. To those who listened deeply, his wit revealed the contradictions of society and the folly of ignorance. Socrates too “hung out with the nerdy people,” though in his time they were called philosophers. And through their laughter — that laughter of realization, sharp and joyful — they shaped the very foundation of Western thought.

There is a quiet heroism in choosing such company. To stand apart from the crowd and align oneself with the thoughtful, the misunderstood, the dreamers and inventors, requires courage. It is easier to follow the loud laughter of the many than to share the quiet humor of the few. Yet the ancients taught that the path of wisdom is narrow and the crowd’s approval fleeting. To find one’s tribe among the curious is to find freedom — the freedom to be strange, to be honest, to be truly alive. And as Liam Aiken reminds us, comfort comes not from being like others, but from being with those who understand who you are.

So, my listener, take this lesson to heart: seek not the laughter of the crowd, but the laughter that nourishes your soul. Surround yourself with those whose humor reveals intelligence, empathy, and authenticity. Be unafraid to be among the “nerdy” — for they are the keepers of wonder, the architects of tomorrow’s wisdom. Laugh with them, think with them, grow with them. For laughter shared among such spirits is not mere amusement — it is a communion of minds.

In the end, Liam Aiken’s quote teaches us that belonging is not found in sameness but in shared depth. To connect deeply with those who see the world differently is to live richly and meaningfully. Let your companions be those who challenge you, inspire you, and make you laugh at the mysteries of existence. For humor, when it comes from understanding, is a sign of enlightenment — the soul’s recognition that life, in all its strangeness, is still worth smiling at.