How rigorous was your academic curriculum in high school? Were you pushed or encouraged to succeed? Did your self-esteem depend on your class ranking? How well did you prepare for exams required to gain admission into college, if any?
Admittedly, I was tracked in 3rd grade, but I was far from brilliant. Intelligent? Yes, perhaps even a bit above average, but no one extraordinary. I encountered a smathering of college prep classes among advanced placement. There was a distinctive quality in belonging to this relatively small elite. Yet, it was isolating. Similarly, one loses sight when exploring philosophical questions too deeply. It is easy to get lost in the analytical and theoretical. It is not easy to relate to others at times.
This separation is my weakness. It is part of my skill set. I can communicate well with people of different perspectives and life experiences, but how well do I personally fit in? Personal discomfort is relatively easy to hide beneath layers of social skills. I can scarcely imagine what it must be like for those who have been groomed their whole lives to be remarkable, geniuses even, for those who were born with those rare gifts and intelligences.
