You just described a hindsight bias. They key point here which has already been discussed above is “older you”.

You didnt have that information when you were young and your worldview is fluid.

The idea that you can operate with the same amount of information when you were young with your brain and social circles still in development is a fallacy in itself.

I did think the same way as you only to realize that my caring for intellectual and social stimulation was sparked due to its lack in the past.

You have no guarantee that you would develop it in the first place if you would have taken a different path.