Ever wish you were born stupid?

[Doubleshadow]

Sometimes I feel intense pressure to excel beyond what I am capable of to meet peoples expectations of me academically. But, when I really feel the pressure, I remind myself I am accountable to God alone for how I live my life and what I do, no one else. I´m not breaking my back for a castle in the sand that I don´t even want.

[jayquam]

I do. My parents have the misguided idea that I am brilliant and talented based on my 3.6 GPA in college. But that's far from the case. I am quite lazy and manage to coast through most of my classes. This was also true of High School (except my GPA was weighted and so it was more like a 4.4).

Now they want me to become a doctor. I don't want to become a doctor. I'm fine with being mediocre. In fact, dumber people will eventually win the demographic race because intellectuals are to steeped in debt to start a family while dumb people procreate anyway. What do you guys think?

Well,if you don't want to be a doctot,thats ok.Find something you would like to do and I'm sure your parents would understand.BUT,you should always try your best.That way when you get older, you can tell your kids to do their best .

[mitsuki lover]

I doubt that there are any real statistics that prove that 'dumber' people have more children than 'intellectual' people.Aside from that the fact is intelligence isn't
inherited,just because you may have an IQ of 150 or 170 doesn't gurantee your son and daugther are going to have the same high IQ.

[Technomancer]

I doubt that there are any real statistics that prove that 'dumber' people have more children than 'intellectual' people.Aside from that the fact is intelligence isn't
inherited,just because you may have an IQ of 150 or 170 doesn't gurantee your son and daugther are going to have the same high IQ.

I'd really find that to be questionable. Intelligence may not be wholly genetically determined, but it does have a physiological component so at least some aspects of intelligence must be genetically determined.

[SnoringFrog]

Yes, I have. I'm pretty much the smartest kid in my class, esp. when it comes to science and math, and half the time it seems like my classmates (particularly the ones I'm not that great of friends with or don't talk to very often) expect me to know just about everything about everything. I end up helping other kids with their math and having to work extra to stay ahead as far as I'd like. I would just not work ahead, but it's come in real handy when I get sick for a fwe days.

But, when I reconsider, I really am thankful for what God's given me, just not that everyone else wants to use it a bit too.

[TurkishMonky]

The more i learn, the less i know.
hence, finishing college will probably acheve this, whether i want it or not.


Actually though, I do appreciate the level of inteligence God has given me, even if it is less then many others, and more then some. Parents can be a little aspiring for their kids, but i stil lsay to appreciate the intelligence you have. I love advanced programming concepts. Even if i dont always get a perfect 4.0 in the computer classes (and my parents think in computer related subjects anything less for me is horific lol naw they aren't really that bad) i wouldn't give up my understanding of the subject for ignorant bliss - it's way too fun.

[Warrior4Christ]

No. I rarely, if ever, have wished this. Sometimes I wouldn't mind additional intelligence.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Sam, don't be greedy! Your already intelligent enough!

[kaji]

I think its important to note that reguardless of being smart or mediocre, you should presue somthing that uses the Gifts that God has layed out for you and where your interests lay. Becomming a doctor just because your folks think your smart doesnt really make any sense... O_o

Also, just because you are lazy doesnt mean you are not intelligent. Though I would like to mention that the Bible warns against lazyness all over the place. If you have been gifted with more abilities then some, more will be required of you.

[Alice]

I don't think the kind of intelligence that shows up on a test is the only kind there is. My sister had Downs Syndrome, and would never be called a genius. But in some ways, she is.

[mitsuki lover]

I agree that there are different types of intelligence.

[kaji]

Not to go completely off topic here, but I went to school with a guy who had form of down-sydrom, but he could remember just about anything. My mother tutored him for a while and in his free time he would memorize the phone book... THE PHONE BOOK! And he knew it too. Ask him any busyness or persons number and he knew exactly what it was... Now thats some crazy brain power.

[mitsuki lover]

He must have been a savant.Savants are rarities in that though mentally challenged(each one differs as to how severe the mental retardation is)they can still do some amazing things.Remember the movie Rain Man?Dustin Hoffman's character was such a person.Also on 60 Minutes last Sunday they did a reshowing of a episode where they featured two musical savants(it comes in different types,
Hoffman's character,if I remember aright,was a mathematics savant).

"4:00 time for Wapner."

[batchyik]

for me, coasting through a class is a D-B grade. Caosting on the high side is impossible for me... BUt then again, I do all my own work, so I guess I'm not that bad...

[QtheQreater]

I used to wish I was born stupid, too. I'm a straight A person, but going through life has made me realize that I'm not what people think.

Let me explain: it's all about other people. They're the ones who are always unimpressed by what I do because, "well kid, we already knew you were smart. Now do something to overshadow Einstein. We're waiting." I know now that the sum of my existence is not in what those other people think. It is in Christ. I'm just like everyone else, and I don't have to try live up to their expectations just because I can solve equations faster or write impressive essays. God's expectations are what I strive to meet. Do what you feel called to do, not what everyone says you're "smart enough" for.

There is no one better qualified to tell you what YOU are called to do with your life than yourself. The other people don't count. Listen to them, yes, take notes even, but it's your life and your decision.

*hopes that made sense*
*isn't good at this sort of thing*

[soul alive]

No, I like being at the intelligence level that I am at, though I wouldn't mind a bit more smart with math, heh.

I understand where you're coming from. My mother was always putting huge amounts of pressure on me to get all A's and to do every activity possible in school, especially sports. She always was suggesting that I become a doctor or eye doctor or dentist or something along those lines; but her reason for that motivation was wrong - she wanted me to make LOTS of money, didn't care if I was happy in a profession I loved. I'm very happy to be a future architect, despite the ambitions that my mom has. Architecture is presently a very spiritually dark profession, and if I can be a light to these people it will all be worth it.

Whatever you decide to do in life, let it be for the glory of the Lord. Whether you are a game designer, a teacher, a garbage man, a lawyer, or whatever, there is a way you can use it for God. And as has been said, only you ultimately decide what you are going to be doing, whether it be something someone else has suggested, or something that is entirely your own idea, you still decide. Sometimes parents are ambitious for their children in a way that is stifling to the child rather than encouraging. Be happy doing what you want to do, and since your family loves you they will come to accept that you doing what you want to is much better than forcing you to do something you may end up hating for the rest of your life.

I agree that people think different ways; I can do really well at english and history and things I can memorize easily, but I struggle a bit with higher level math. I cruised through physics and did well, without studying, but barely made a 'C' in economics with lots of study. It's just individual learning styles, I guess.

[mitsuki lover]

Well if you was boirned stupider youse could make money big on all them
I is with stuopid t shoirts.

[mitsuki lover]

I was of course being sarcastic about it in my last post,which was spoofing the entire idea of wanting to be born stupid.That and I thought this whole subject is being taken a bit too seriously.No-one wants to be born stupid.Everyone wants to be born rich.

[Bunny]

As I was reading through this, I thought for a second that I wouldn't mind being a little more "stupid" just because then I wouldn't be such an IQ snob. I have a hard time taking seriously a person who can't spell a 5th grade-level word. Now that I really think about that, it's more of a personal defect than anything. It's something I have to work on for myself.

Truthfully, I used to have the mindset that I would go through my classes on auto-pilot and never REALLY strive for anything because my thoughts were "I don't have anything to prove." It was a small form of rebellion for me to defy everyone's expectations and not give a care. I hated that people thought they could judge my worth by my grades. There's so much pressure in high school to meet a standard so you can be called "excellent" and I didn't feel like winning recognition that way was what I wanted. All I really wanted was for people to realize that everyone is wonderful and brilliant in their own way despite what they make on a standardized test that doesn't prove a single thing as far as the eternal value of a soul goes. I wanted someone, a teacher or a counselor or maybe the principal, to get it. I watched so many beautiful people throw away their self-worth because they weren't good at something someone else expected them to be good at. It tortured me that I was intelligent where other people struggled so I just gave in to apathy.

Now that I've graduated, I want to use my intellect for something that will inspire people beyond what my rebellion cost me. I'm willing to do whatever I have to and prove whatever I must to get to the place where I can influence other people's lives. That's the way you have to look at it sometimes. It's not always about you. Sometimes God's plan requires you to lay down your own feelings and simply use what He gave.

[Nate]

As I was reading through this, I thought for a second that I wouldn't mind being a little more "stupid" just because then I wouldn't be such an IQ snob. I have a hard time taking seriously a person who can't spell a 5th grade-level word. Now that I really think about that, it's more of a personal defect than anything. It's something I have to work on for myself.

No, I absolutely agree with you. It personally irks me when I read posts on CAA written by people that are 20, 25, and have no semblance of proper grammar or spelling. I'll be the first to say I probably haven't spelled every single word correctly in all my posts, but I make a concerned effort to do so, we all slip up once in a while.

I dunno...I feel you on that one. I don't know why it bugs me. I guess because the English language is slowly being destroyed, and I don't want that to happen. Also it makes me wonder, if these adults can't spell simple words correctly, perhaps our public schools ARE as bad as they say, and please no one go down that route (it might get political).

So I feel you on that, and I realize that some people have certain conditions that might prohibit proper grammar from being used (dyslexia, learning disorders, and the like), but I'm sure EVERY person who uses poor grammar doesn't have those disorders.

Eh...I may have stepped on some toes here, sorry if I did...I just wanted Bunny to know she wasn't alone, and I kind of echo her...maybe if I was dumber, I wouldn't be harping on people like this, y'know?

All I really wanted was for people to realize that everyone is wonderful and brilliant in their own way despite what they make on a standardized test that doesn't prove a single thing as far as the eternal value of a soul goes.

Or even their worth as a human. While I think it is necessary everyone have a basic understanding of math up to at least Algebra I (because like it or not, math is the foundation of the universe and no matter what you do for a living, you'll have to use it), just because a person does poorly in math, or on SOL tests, doesn't make them a failure as a human.

I've seen schools get rid of music and art programs so that the teachers could focus more on these SOL things and prepare them to pass these constant tests that measure knowledge, but I think that's sad and wrong. Music and art are important, as important as math I think, even if you're not good at it (like me), it's still a class everyone should take...and just because a person fails the SOL test, so what? Maybe they paint beautiful paintings, maybe they compose wonderful music, maybe they have other talents that can't be measured by a simple test.

Eh...I'm rambling now...must be because it's 7 AM and I've been working since 6 PM. ^^;;

[LorentzForce]

Ever wish you weren't born in the first place?

That about sums up my opinion.

[SnoringFrog]

As I was reading through this, I thought for a second that I wouldn't mind being a little more "stupid" just because then I wouldn't be such an IQ snob. I have a hard time taking seriously a person who can't spell a 5th grade-level word. Now that I really think about that, it's more of a personal defect than anything. It's something I have to work on for myself.

No, I absolutely agree with you. It personally irks me when I read posts on CAA written by people that are 20, 25, and have no semblance of proper grammar or spelling. I'll be the first to say I probably haven't spelled every single word correctly in all my posts, but I make a concerned effort to do so, we all slip up once in a while.

I dunno...I feel you on that one. I don't know why it bugs me. I guess because the English language is slowly being destroyed, and I don't want that to happen. Also it makes me wonder, if these adults can't spell simple words correctly, perhaps our public schools ARE as bad as they say, and please no one go down that route (it might get political).

So I feel you on that, and I realize that some people have certain conditions that might prohibit proper grammar from being used (dyslexia, learning disorders, and the like), but I'm sure EVERY person who uses poor grammar doesn't have those disorders.

Eh...I may have stepped on some toes here, sorry if I did...I just wanted Bunny to know she wasn't alone, and I kind of echo her...maybe if I was dumber, I wouldn't be harping on people like this, y'know?

Same here, and also, when you run across people that don't even know the meanings to some (what I thought were) fairly basic words. A kid I was talking to didn't know what 'extravagant' meant, while I thought it was common knowledge. There were others like that, but I can't recall the exact words right now.

Ever wish you weren't born in the first place?

That about sums up my opinion.

Myriads of times. Sometimes you feel as if you can't accomplish anythign worthwhile and that it would just have been easier if you never had to deal with any of this at all. But God's always there to help provide a way through these times, and help you realize that you're more than useless and are actually worth something.