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 spoke with the quiet wisdom of one who sees value where others overlook it. His words, though simple, reveal an ancient truth — that those who walk apart from the crowd often hold the richest laughter, the deepest insight, and the truest hearts. To seek the company of the so-called “nerdy people” is not to reject society, but to embrace authenticity, curiosity, and imagination. It is to choose substance over spectacle, meaning over mimicry, and truth over approval.

The “different sense of humor” that Aiken speaks of is no small thing. Humor, in its purest form, is a reflection of how the soul perceives the world. Those who laugh at the simple, the clever, the strange — they laugh not out of cruelty or mockery, but out of understanding. The humor of the “nerds,” the thinkers, the dreamers, the inventors, comes from minds attuned to wonder. They find joy in absurdity, fascination in detail, beauty in imperfection. It is the laughter of the mind that sees beyond the surface — laughter that connects rather than divides, that illuminates rather than diminishes. To share in such humor is to share in a sacred kinship of intellect and heart.

In the ancient days, those whom the world called different were often the seeds of its greatest transformations. The philosopher Socrates, mocked by the young and scorned by the powerful, spent his life asking questions others feared to ask. His “sense of humor” was a gentle irony that exposed the ignorance of the arrogant. Likewise, Leonardo da Vinci, with his notebooks of machines and mysteries, was considered odd by those around him — a man who saw the divine in the geometry of wings and the motion of rivers. Both men were, in their own ways, “nerdy people,” and yet their laughter carried the light of genius. They found joy not in fitting in, but in discovery.

What Liam Aiken recognized, perhaps without knowing, is that those who laugh differently live differently. The laughter of the curious is not the laughter of mockery or noise, but of revelation — the sudden spark when the mind and the heart meet in understanding. In the company of the “nerds,” life is a story unfolding, full of wit, learning, and wonder. To be among them is to be reminded that joy need not be shallow, that connection need not be loud. It is the laughter of the soul that finds meaning in the smallest things — a shared reference, a clever idea, a truth spoken playfully but deeply.

And yet, choosing to walk with those who are different requires courage. The world often rewards conformity, and the laughter of the masses is an easy thing to join. But the laughter of the few — the thoughtful, the passionate, the misunderstood — demands integrity. It means standing apart from the noise, finding beauty in what others ignore, and choosing understanding over popularity. Those who follow this path may be mocked at first, but in time, they will become the ones whose joy is most enduring, whose humor outlasts the passing fads of youth.

There is a story of Nikola Tesla, a man whose ideas gave birth to the modern world. He was called eccentric, even mad, for his devotion to science and his strange ways. Yet those who knew him well said that Tesla laughed often — not with scorn, but with delight, at the wonders of creation. His humor, like his mind, was electric. He saw patterns where others saw chaos, and in those patterns, he found joy. Like the “nerdy people” Aiken speaks of, Tesla’s laughter was born from curiosity and love — a humor that springs from wonder, not ridicule.

So, my listener, take this teaching to heart: seek the company of those who see the world differently. Surround yourself with minds that question, with souls that marvel, with friends who laugh not at others, but with them. Do not fear being called strange, for strangeness is the seed of originality, and originality is the breath of life. Cherish the humor that enlightens rather than diminishes — the laughter that arises from understanding, not ignorance.

For in the end, it is the “nerdy people,” the thoughtful, the passionate, the endlessly curious, who will remind you that life is not to be endured but explored. Their humor will teach you to see beauty where others see nothing, and joy where others see only routine. To walk with them is to walk with the future, to laugh with truth itself. And when you do, you will discover what Liam Aiken already knows — that the truest laughter, the most nourishing kind, is not found in the crowd, but in the company of those who dare to think, to feel, and to be different.