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I believe that's the same for me as well. I don't feel that I'm selling society, my parents, my peers, etc. short by not living up to my potential. I'm simply s

I believe that's the same for me as well. I don't feel that I'm selling society, my parents, my peers, etc. short by not living up to my potential. I'm simply selling myself short, and I feel guilty for wasting away something that not many people have. Then again, I do spend a lot of my time learning and improving myself, and I'm not sure I need a 4.0 to back up some claim to knowledge. The most intelligent person I've ever met was a horrible student. He spent most of his hours studying, but he never really studied the things that his classes were teaching. You could certainly pin that on a lack of judgment, but I don't know anyone that would say he lacked intelligence.

thaumaturgy 17y ago
> ...and I feel guilty for wasting away something that not many people have. But I think that statement right there puts the lie to saying that you're doing it for yourself, and not for society. That may well be your intention, but is it possible that you're still driven at least in part by the expectations of others? If not, then why does it matter that you have it, and they don't? BTW, I don't mean to discourage people that are doing something with what they have. Quite the contrary, I really wish more people would, whether they're creative or analytical or otherwise. However, I also think that the expectations placed upon kids of certain aptitudes by their parents, teachers, and others at a young age are perverse and cruel. People should feel driven to accomplish great things because they want to, not because others expect it, or because they feel guilty if they don't.
- ahlatimer 17y ago
  Assuming intelligence actually is a gift, it's a gift that is, at best, an amusing anecdote if not taken advantage of. If I don't use it, the world isn't really a worse place, but I am definitely a worse person in comparison to who I could have been if I had taken advantage of it. That isn't in relation to some other person's expectations of me; that's in relation to my own expectations. Sure, those could have been ingrained into me at a young age. There's probably a number of things that I consider to be my own, as far as perceptions, that sprang forth from my youth and my interactions with others. But that doesn't mean that I have this drive to do more with my intelligence because of what society dictates.

thaumaturgy 17y ago

> ...and I feel guilty for wasting away something that not many people have. But I think that statement right there puts the lie to saying that you're doing it for yourself, and not for society. That may well be your intention, but is it possible that you're still driven at least in part by the expectations of others? If not, then why does it matter that you have it, and they don't? BTW, I don't mean to discourage people that are doing something with what they have. Quite the contrary, I really wish more people would, whether they're creative or analytical or otherwise. However, I also think that the expectations placed upon kids of certain aptitudes by their parents, teachers, and others at a young age are perverse and cruel. People should feel driven to accomplish great things because they want to, not because others expect it, or because they feel guilty if they don't.

ahlatimer 17y ago
Assuming intelligence actually is a gift, it's a gift that is, at best, an amusing anecdote if not taken advantage of. If I don't use it, the world isn't really a worse place, but I am definitely a worse person in comparison to who I could have been if I had taken advantage of it. That isn't in relation to some other person's expectations of me; that's in relation to my own expectations. Sure, those could have been ingrained into me at a young age. There's probably a number of things that I consider to be my own, as far as perceptions, that sprang forth from my youth and my interactions with others. But that doesn't mean that I have this drive to do more with my intelligence because of what society dictates.