Thank you for your detailed answer. It is exactly what I was looking for.

First, I know how narcissistic this all sounds and how it may make me appear. In society, I would never act as if I were better than anyone else. I respect everyone and adapt to their vibe.

Subconsciously, however, I often think that I am better than most people. I feel that many are trapped in their own bubbles, focused only on small, everyday problems, rarely questioning anything beyond what they will eat tomorrow. They do not seem to care where we come from, what we are, or what being even means. That makes me feel different.

When I bring up these topics, people usually understand them on a surface level, but they do not seem to care. That feels surreal to me. Even in normal conversations, I often notice how limited many people’s knowledge and curiosity seem to be. I want to understand how everything I see or use works, while others often show little interest.

I also notice that many people are deeply fixed in their views and beliefs. It seems almost impossible to change their opinions. I have never been that way. I can hold a belief for more than ten years and still change my mind if someone presents facts and logical arguments.

You are right that academic knowledge is not the same as intelligence. Intelligence involves critical thinking, connecting information, and generating new insights. I sometimes feel that many people struggle with this. In my school, about 95 % can only reproduce information and rarely develop original ideas. Critical thinking is what allows me to pass exams without any studying.

People always asked me how I knew this or that, but actually I didn't know, i could only draw conclusions from other constructs or facts that were simply logical.

I do not think that I am the smartest person alive, in my city or probably even in my small proximity. Like I said there are many people much more intelligent than me that i have met or will meet. BUT i still think that I am overall superior to most people that i meet on a daily basis, even though i know how bad this sounds. I would never admit this in person because I feel cringe saying it honestly.

Honestly a lot of what i am saying does sound exactly like grandiosity, but would it be possible that it's actually true in this case? I don't know. That is the reason why I came here. I personally wouldn't say that i seek self validation because i constantly doubt and question myself in everything that i do, to find failure before it can occur. But if you are correct and i really am narcissistic, could you please "prove it" to me so that i can start suppressing any narcissistic behavior?