Title: inwit

I was reared with the expectation that i would change the world. Put mildly, I was told that it was within my grasp and, more, my responsibility to do something extraordinary. Needless to say, i felt the pressure. As I have grown I have watched the example of great minds running against the flow, constantly creating eddies of thought and change without regard for the ridicule and opposition of those who feel guilt and pressure from progress. I've learned that it is enough to do my best. I watched my dad stop a war. I also watched him demonstrate love for people i could not love. From him I learned that altruism is sustainable as a personal philosophy. That's why I list him as both a hero and a teacher.

When I was eight, I made my first perfect score on an IQ test (adult WAIS if anyone cares). Disclosing this here represents a departure for me…though it is known in some small circles, i try to keep this a secret (if any who know me see this, though it is a public forum, please hold it in confidence). People rarely know what to do with the information, which is to say they commonly A. make too much of it, or B. resent it. Neither helps me be effective. But the fact, and the peculiar pressures that came to bear on a small child as a result, combined with the choices and realizations along the way are a large part of what has made me who i am today. It is part of why I am here on Zaadz hoping to help someone navigate a confusing life when everyone tells you the world should be so easy.

Fortunately I wasn't alone…the lowest IQ in the family is extraordinary and E. Paul Torrence wrote that my father possesses “perhaps the most powerful mind I have ever encountered.” In my zaadz blog i hope to talk about the unique problems that bright or creative children face navigating the world. And how that shapes them into adulthood. I hold a lot of opinions and generally see things clearly and quickly. i believe that i can learn from anyone and have been blessed that so far this belief has often been borne out in experience. Surprising to some, I don’t spell well; it seemed a superfluous detail as a child and is not something my brain cares all that much about. I also don’t like the rigidity of fill in the blank tests (which require rote answers) and sometimes froze on them even in university—go figure.

I don’t think I’m better than anyone else, and some that I respect the most have the lowest IQ’s (as in disabled). I don’t do parlor tricks, and just because I can assimilate diverse concepts quickly does not mean that I know it all. Philosophizing over why we sometimes disagree has brought me certain clarity that I know some here on Zaadz inevitably share. I look forward to learning from all of you.

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A recent video of Stella Zambalis singing “Vissi d'arte”

Member Since: Monday, November 13 2006

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