10 ms·

Getting older, sometimes it can be so tough to accept the fact that people a fraction of your age achieve things you never will. Given the extreme connectivity

Getting older, sometimes it can be so tough to accept the fact that people a fraction of your age achieve things you never will. Given the extreme connectivity of the present, we are also exposed to brilliant minds with incredible capabilities, making us (me at least) feel even more incapable.. I guess it is a lesson for humility. Good job Daniel, you show us !

lo_zamoyski 4y ago
Why is it tough? This may be worth reflecting on [0]. [0] https://www.newadvent.org/summa/3036.htm https://www.newadvent.org/summa/3036.htm
- dylan604 4y ago
  Yeah, I have no problem admitting that there are people much smarter, more talented, better looking, etc than I am. The day that I assume I'm the top of whatever category is a sad sad day, as I must be the only one left.
  - bluGill 4y ago
    Either that or you have narrowed the field so much that you are the only one even doing what you do. (you might sometimes have a junior to help you, who then becomes the second best in the world)
    - munk-a 4y ago
      Personally, I can claim, without a doubt, to be the world champion at writing this comment.
  - markus_zhang 4y ago
    I think what really bugs me is that for some hobby I chose, there is a always someone who already achieved everything I could dream to achieve in my life. Then I figured some hobbies are better suited for my use case. For example science is better suited for me. I somehow was never bothered by the fact that some geniuses in 19th century already knew enough math/physics that I could digest in my life. Science is infinite so however much knowledge someone gained, it's zero comparing to the total amount. I guess I need that kind of comfort to commit to something. Fossil collection is also a good one because every piece I collected is MINE and unique so I don't need to compare with someone else.
    - Quekid5 4y ago
      > I somehow was never bothered by the fact that some geniuses in 19th century already knew enough math/physics that I could digest in my life. Science is infinite so however much knowledge someone gained, it's zero comparing to the total amount. I think this is important to consider. Anyone even cursorily interested in science can know (just via public information, libraries, etc.) so much more about "everything-except-very-specific-thing" than any of the 19th century geniuses who knew and understood so much about "very-specific-thing". Ofc, the geniuses are ultimately the ones responsible for the advancement of the state of the art, but... there's also a lot to appreciate for the rest of us.
      - markus_zhang 4y ago
        Yeah. I kinda feel like a medieval monk: we are all equal under God (in the case he is the Cosmos/Natural)
jamiek88 4y ago
I wonder how many more Srinivasa Ramanujan‘s died in poverty in a rural village? Maybe there’s a path now for these kids.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
svat 4y ago
Tom Lehrer once said: "It is a sobering thought that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years."
- dekhn 4y ago
  More Lehrerisms here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Was_the_Year_That_Was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Was_the_Year_That_Was
dQw4w9WgXcQ 4y ago
The set of things you will never achieve is infinite compared to the set of things you will, best to stay focused on the latter and enjoy your life. Unless of course you prefer drinking from an infinite well-spring of misery.
363849473754 4y ago
Not to downplay any of Daniel’s accomplishment but sometimes it isn’t a “fair” comparison when others started younger with more resources. His father is a distinguished professor of mathematics and his mother is a professor of mathematics. When you have that sort of resources available at a young age and advanced training you’ll probably accomplish more sooner than someone of similar IQ without those resources who started later
- paulpauper 4y ago
  There are thousands of mathematicians in the US. I am sure many have kids. How many of those kids do even a fraction of what Daniel did even when having every possible advantage? Today, young people have assess to more resources than ever, yet talent is one of those things that resists this trend of egalitarianism seem elsewhere. More resources means that the super-talented will pull way ahead of the untalented or only moderately talented.
  - 363849473754 4y ago
    To be honest I care more about the high iq kids interested in math who come from poor or working class families that either won’t be identified or will be identified but not much can be done for them given the lack of resources. Plus this doesn’t negate that someone of a similar IQ may accomplish less / seem less impressive at an early age due to such disadvantages.
  - quickthrower2 4y ago
    Resources also include parental encouragement, not being bullied, not having to do stuff to get by that isn’t delving into deep work, not trying to fight boring school lessons and exams in subjects not of interest, no pressure to shape your studies to get a job. These are not universal.
munk-a 4y ago
I celebrate people who achieve memorable milestones like this or build something that revolutionizes the world - but there are a plethora of different ways to live life. For me, as long as you're happy and you're putting more happiness out into the world than you're consuming then you're achieving a pretty damn good life. We're not all responsible for the entire world - as long as you're leaving your little corner of it better than you found it then good on you.
- paulpauper 4y ago
  It's not enough to make the world better or be happier, a lot of people also want acclaim and recognition. Why do so many people apply to Ivy League schools when 50-100 ranking schools can also provide a good education? Status is necessarily scarce.
  - munk-a 4y ago
    This may just be the odd musing of a mid-thirty year old but acclaim and recognition feel pretty worthless to me. Chasing individuality through others' approval will always be more difficult than just accepting yourself as yourself and being happy with that.
paulpauper 4y ago
it's not like everyone can win the IQ lottery. Superior ability is unequally distributed.
- strikelaserclaw 4y ago
  people should measure themselves by how best they utilized their gifts and circumstances to live a life that they are happy with. No point in comparing yourself to some kid who probably inherited an amazing mathematical brain through no conscious effort, moral superiority etc.. of his own.
  - zeroonetwothree 4y ago
    Ability to maximize your own talent is a talent in itself.
TrackerFF 4y ago
I see lots of users here hammering on about IQ - but that's just one factor. The kid grew up with two mathematicians, so I'm sure they knew how to get him in the right direction. Kids also tend to value whatever their parents are doing. And not to mention that most kids have all the time in the world to do what they enjoy - and rarely have other concerns. I'm a musician, and grew up playing my instrument from 4 to 8 hours a day, every day, almost all year round. It was pretty much the only thing I did between age 10 to 18. I had very supportive family and mentors, and got lots of chances others at my age did not. Naturally, I met a lot of other talented kid. Some child prodigies. One thing I have noticed afterwards: Being at such a high level as a kid - does not necessarily mean you'll go on to do great things later in life. Some kids just grow out of it, lose interest and motivation, and - well - life often just happens. Even among the most talented, only a small % of them end up doing remarkable stuff later on.

lo_zamoyski 4y ago

Why is it tough? This may be worth reflecting on [0]. [0] https://www.newadvent.org/summa/3036.htm https://www.newadvent.org/summa/3036.htm

dylan604 4y ago
Yeah, I have no problem admitting that there are people much smarter, more talented, better looking, etc than I am. The day that I assume I'm the top of whatever category is a sad sad day, as I must be the only one left.
- bluGill 4y ago
  Either that or you have narrowed the field so much that you are the only one even doing what you do. (you might sometimes have a junior to help you, who then becomes the second best in the world)
  - munk-a 4y ago
    Personally, I can claim, without a doubt, to be the world champion at writing this comment.
- markus_zhang 4y ago
  I think what really bugs me is that for some hobby I chose, there is a always someone who already achieved everything I could dream to achieve in my life. Then I figured some hobbies are better suited for my use case. For example science is better suited for me. I somehow was never bothered by the fact that some geniuses in 19th century already knew enough math/physics that I could digest in my life. Science is infinite so however much knowledge someone gained, it's zero comparing to the total amount. I guess I need that kind of comfort to commit to something. Fossil collection is also a good one because every piece I collected is MINE and unique so I don't need to compare with someone else.
  - Quekid5 4y ago
    > I somehow was never bothered by the fact that some geniuses in 19th century already knew enough math/physics that I could digest in my life. Science is infinite so however much knowledge someone gained, it's zero comparing to the total amount. I think this is important to consider. Anyone even cursorily interested in science can know (just via public information, libraries, etc.) so much more about "everything-except-very-specific-thing" than any of the 19th century geniuses who knew and understood so much about "very-specific-thing". Ofc, the geniuses are ultimately the ones responsible for the advancement of the state of the art, but... there's also a lot to appreciate for the rest of us.
    - markus_zhang 4y ago
      Yeah. I kinda feel like a medieval monk: we are all equal under God (in the case he is the Cosmos/Natural)

jamiek88 4y ago

I wonder how many more Srinivasa Ramanujan‘s died in poverty in a rural village? Maybe there’s a path now for these kids.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

svat 4y ago

Tom Lehrer once said: "It is a sobering thought that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years."

dekhn 4y ago
More Lehrerisms here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Was_the_Year_That_Was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Was_the_Year_That_Was

dQw4w9WgXcQ 4y ago

The set of things you will never achieve is infinite compared to the set of things you will, best to stay focused on the latter and enjoy your life. Unless of course you prefer drinking from an infinite well-spring of misery.

363849473754 4y ago

Not to downplay any of Daniel’s accomplishment but sometimes it isn’t a “fair” comparison when others started younger with more resources. His father is a distinguished professor of mathematics and his mother is a professor of mathematics. When you have that sort of resources available at a young age and advanced training you’ll probably accomplish more sooner than someone of similar IQ without those resources who started later

paulpauper 4y ago
There are thousands of mathematicians in the US. I am sure many have kids. How many of those kids do even a fraction of what Daniel did even when having every possible advantage? Today, young people have assess to more resources than ever, yet talent is one of those things that resists this trend of egalitarianism seem elsewhere. More resources means that the super-talented will pull way ahead of the untalented or only moderately talented.
- 363849473754 4y ago
  To be honest I care more about the high iq kids interested in math who come from poor or working class families that either won’t be identified or will be identified but not much can be done for them given the lack of resources. Plus this doesn’t negate that someone of a similar IQ may accomplish less / seem less impressive at an early age due to such disadvantages.
- quickthrower2 4y ago
  Resources also include parental encouragement, not being bullied, not having to do stuff to get by that isn’t delving into deep work, not trying to fight boring school lessons and exams in subjects not of interest, no pressure to shape your studies to get a job. These are not universal.

munk-a 4y ago

I celebrate people who achieve memorable milestones like this or build something that revolutionizes the world - but there are a plethora of different ways to live life. For me, as long as you're happy and you're putting more happiness out into the world than you're consuming then you're achieving a pretty damn good life. We're not all responsible for the entire world - as long as you're leaving your little corner of it better than you found it then good on you.

paulpauper 4y ago
It's not enough to make the world better or be happier, a lot of people also want acclaim and recognition. Why do so many people apply to Ivy League schools when 50-100 ranking schools can also provide a good education? Status is necessarily scarce.
- munk-a 4y ago
  This may just be the odd musing of a mid-thirty year old but acclaim and recognition feel pretty worthless to me. Chasing individuality through others' approval will always be more difficult than just accepting yourself as yourself and being happy with that.

paulpauper 4y ago

it's not like everyone can win the IQ lottery. Superior ability is unequally distributed.

strikelaserclaw 4y ago
people should measure themselves by how best they utilized their gifts and circumstances to live a life that they are happy with. No point in comparing yourself to some kid who probably inherited an amazing mathematical brain through no conscious effort, moral superiority etc.. of his own.
- zeroonetwothree 4y ago
  Ability to maximize your own talent is a talent in itself.

TrackerFF 4y ago

I see lots of users here hammering on about IQ - but that's just one factor. The kid grew up with two mathematicians, so I'm sure they knew how to get him in the right direction. Kids also tend to value whatever their parents are doing. And not to mention that most kids have all the time in the world to do what they enjoy - and rarely have other concerns. I'm a musician, and grew up playing my instrument from 4 to 8 hours a day, every day, almost all year round. It was pretty much the only thing I did between age 10 to 18. I had very supportive family and mentors, and got lots of chances others at my age did not. Naturally, I met a lot of other talented kid. Some child prodigies. One thing I have noticed afterwards: Being at such a high level as a kid - does not necessarily mean you'll go on to do great things later in life. Some kids just grow out of it, lose interest and motivation, and - well - life often just happens. Even among the most talented, only a small % of them end up doing remarkable stuff later on.