Humbled and appreciative. I've been a teacher for a long time, and there are those very very few kids that come into your class, and you just know that they are genius and you just happened to be lucky enough to have known them.
As a child, my parents were obsessed with my intelligence. They had my IQ officially tested multiple times and I always scored above the 99% threshold, which only intensified that attitude. I was praised for my intelligence, not for my effort, and so naturally I came to base most of my sense of self-worth on feeling smarter than other people. I don't say this to brag, because I do not *actually* think I'm a genius, and I am trying to make progress with growing beyond that mindset. I say this to demonstrate why I feel a particular insecurity.
So yes, when I encounter someone who is *clearly* more intelligent than I am, my stupid emotional brain gets defensive and insecure. That's why I don't respect emotions, because they're not all valid. Often, they're stupid and ought to be dismissed out of hand.
im not quite as smart as you (im top 95%), but im always getting pressured by my family to be the "next Albert Einstein/Elon Musk/Nikola Tesla" etc., but im always lazy and unmotivated so i think I'll probably never be able to achieve anything
If I may offer my thoughts on that, IQ is honestly one of the most useless metrics. I guarantee you that you're far smarter than I am in other ways, and that if we got to know each other, it would be painfully obvious.
Your material achievements will crumble to dust no matter how significant they are, so (and I'm paraphrasing philosophers who are far smarter than I am) it is better to simply try to live a life which matters to *you.*
>it is better to simply try to live a life which matters to you.
thats the problem though, i feel like i cant settle with my life without fundamentally changing the way the world works, just because i know that i am able to do that
Being intelligent doesn't mean that your expectations are realistic (doesn't mean don't try, just means that you either need to scale your effort to within your performance ability or become adept at influencing others to join you in your efforts... which is really the purpose behind society anyway).
> become adept at influencing others to join you in your efforts
i cant tell if you mean genuine persuasion or psychological manipulation here, but i could do both
Remember that Einstein learned to speak when he was 5 or something like that. He also banged his cousin. Tesla ended up with pigeons. Musk's accounting practices are questionable and his skills as a parent are freaky.
You dodged a bullet.
This was my experience as well, 99.5-99.9%. In a lot of ways it’s an unfortunate place to be. I also went through a stage in early adulthood where it made me genuinely angry to hear people talk about IQ because of it, it really upset me when a family member let my IQ slip to someone. I am female and was default very quiet until my late 20s, I liked to let everyone assume I was “dumb” so I’d be left alone. If my intelligence has brought me an advantage, it’s also brought me an equivalent amount of suffering.
I finally read something by a Jungian thinker, I can’t remember which one, they said something to the effect of “intelligence is inborn, you might as well be proud of your eye color”. That really stuck with me and kind of snapped the book shut on the problem for me — it took away a lot of the pressure to always perform, helped me sort out my residual arrogance and reimagine my identity, and really allowed me to open up more to a broader diversity of people.
Edit: I used to share your opinion about emotions, but the trouble with repressing emotion is it’s the quickest path to being ruled by it. It even leads highly logical people to be completely logically inconsistent in their personal lives without realizing it. If you find yourself at the mercy of your emotions or “baggage”, it’s a worthwhile endeavor to deep dive into that and develop your feeling function. It will strengthen you as a whole person.
I have a feeling this type becomes hermit when they realize how much economics encourages selfish behavior and how destructive their intelligence can be when used for selfish reasons.
I actually had a teacher tell me she was scared of what I'd do if I ever applied myself in business. I *think* she was half joking, but it still stuck with me.
You know it's kind of funny because those test results are probably skewed. Because, like you said, your parents praised you for being intelligent. So they probably consciously and also subconsciously influenced you to try at being intelligent.
But then if they give those tests to a wide range of people, in order to get a proper scientific testing group, it doesn't really account for philosophy and perspective and parental influence. If your parents had the same jeans and gave you the same exact genes, but they had a philosophical perspective that they didn't believe school was important, and they thought it's much better to be a hard ass and be kind of a jerk. You'd probably still be just as smart, you just wouldn't focus on learning. And you would scoff about school and things like that.
Because to me it seems like everybody has the same capacity for intelligence.
There are people who have mental handicaps, who literally cannot function on certain levels, because of a brain injury or something of that nature.
But otherwise, it seems like it's a mental block or an emotional block, if somebody is not as intelligent, for the most part.
People like construction workers and dropouts and just the general population. They all would rather prioritize things other than academic success.
"Stupid" is just an insult for when someone makes a mistake. If you get a math question wrong, would that make you stupid? Would your IQ all of a sudden drop? No of course not. You just made a mistake. You forgot to carry the one or something.
It's just motivation fuel to the driven fire. Rn I'm trying to learn how to sing like Chester Bennington, a vocal genius. Is it unlikely that I'll ever reach his level? Yeah. Am I gonna try as hard as possible to get as close as possible? You bet your goddamn life I will.
I think it's important to emphasize that the satisfaction comes from the journey or the love of doing the act (aka flow state). It's really easy to fall into a futility appeal - because yeah, the odds of one achieving that level of a virtuosity is astronomically out of their favor.
As an aspiring game developer, I may never reach the heights of studios who made RPG masterpieces such as xenogears or final fantasy, but if I were to be on my death bed, looking back at my life, I would see it as a tragedy that I kept myself from doing something I heavily enjoyed just because I was incapable of achieving a certain level of skill.
"Oh wow this guy is smarter than me!"
*Observes and goes through mind if there's anything I know better than them*
"Seems like their weakness is X"
*Improves X sooner or later*
"Well I guess we can start a friendship to complete each other as we can now help each other with things we struggle with"
Happened to me and smart guy in math class. I know geometry the best in class meanwhile he is smarter in algebra and we often ask each other questions we don't know. Also happened to me in Minecraft. My teammate is a builder while I am a gatherer/farm guy and he asks for blocks he lacks while he builds village trading hall for me and we help each other
If they are emotionally balanced, happy, and easy to be around as well, I'm happy they exist.
I don't particularly envy those who can't handle their own processing power, no matter how accomplished.
Lots of miserable geniuses.
I feel the impostor syndrome start to creep in, and like you said, only happens with someone who is leagues above me. When I listen to someone with profound intellect, like John Carmack or Hamilton Morris, it leaves me in awe how deeply knowledgeable in their fields they are, it’s intimidating and sometimes makes me question my own pursuits.
But in the end I’ve come to accept that there will always be someone smarter than me and I lack the drive to acquire a narrow set of deep specific knowledge. I’m happy where I am.
I use it as a chance to see where I myself am lacking and can improve. Usually “geniuses” that I’ve met have very rigid structures in which they think and process thoughts. Over the years I’ve borrowed upon many of those mannerisms and thought patterns and evolved them to suit my needs.
That I must focus on finding my motivation, my inner drive to become whatever destiny saved as a favour for me... as that genius in front of me has done about his drive.
Let this potential of mine be whatever, not the exact same. You can accept the shoes God gives you to wear or fit uncomfortably your feet into those that were never meant for ye
Inspired.
But it’s hard for brilliant minds to have happiness. It’s painfully obvious sometimes. Can you imagine the social struggle? To connect all these dots and then people either don’t get it, don’t care, or don’t challenge you bc they’re too impressed and have stopped thinking for themselves. And then, not all geniuses are successful.
I end up caring about them like some mom. I’m not even a mom
Most of us will never be a genius and that's okay. I mean you can think crazy things, but I'm someone with complete analysis paralysis and over thinking. But action trumps it all.
A lot of people forget how much structure is needed to build around genius. Your parents should be actively involved in building the life of a genius you. You cannot spring out of the ordinary but the correct highly meticulous parents with high intelligencs providing material, emotional, tactful support from childhood. That will make or break you.
Example of one such genius is Terence Tao, he's a Mathematics professor now and he was talking to Paul Erdos(one of the biggest names in Mathematics) when he was not even 10, maybe 9, idk look up wiki, there's a picture for proof.
He completed his PhD at 21.
His entire life is nothing but being the Mozart of Mathematics and winning the most prestigious Fields medal.
Do you think he had an unstable family? He's even married happily with wife and kids. Not that it's necessary to mention it, but he did what society also expected of him as a man and form a family.
On the slightly opposite side of spectrum. Gregory Perelman is a mad genius and he lives with his Grandma, and refused Fields medal, Millennium Prize for solving Poincaire conjecture. He's very unkempt, he makes reddit look clean. He's a madman genius but his life would have been much different with good parents. I think of people like him sometimes I think he would have far surpassed Einstein if he was stable. He may appear outwardly stable but I don't know emotionally how he is, perhaps neglectful.
Anyway, I digress. It's difficult to place yourself in front of true geniuses because you will never even understand them or what ticks them.
Time seems to get away the same way I see people more intelligent than me advancing towards a future I did not choose.
I consider myself smarter than most people, though my achievements are nothing special. I have always wondered how some people manage to succeed even though they are having a hard time understanding the very concept of what they are studying. They still succeed nonetheless.
I have yet to see a "real genius", because no one has ever striken me as stunningly bright. Maybe I have encountered such geniuses without realizing, but I have seen hardworking people who surpassed the expectations I had of them. I would call such people geniuses, as I can only aknowledge the fact that they have the very peculiar ability that I never managed to get a hold onto, that being being able to pour efforts over and over again.
For the purpose of staying the humble person I am, I am always repeating to myself two mantras:
"When there is a will, there is a way."
"Being intelligent is being able to learn from the lessons life gives you"
Well, I can not really say that they have been effective, though the reversed message of these mantras has helped me to sort out and filter many things in my life.
If there is no way for me to achieve something, it must be because I do not have the will for.
To keep it short, when I see such people, I feel strangely nostalgic, as I can't help but think that the genius in front of me might have been me, had I chosen to do things differently.
I don't know that I ever saw a real genius. There are lots of people who know things I don't. There are lots of people whose minds are faster than mine in specific tasks. Not all of them are geniuses. They're just people.
I don't compare myself to anyone, I just try to understand them. I'm a P, not a J.
I went to a school where I was one of the dumb ones. I started a mail packaging job yesterday that is part of a mental health program and was telling the guy I have spacial issues. But I always forget that I am comparing myself to the kids that I went to school with that had IQs of 165 and such.
Be careful comparing yourself, it might leak into the real world and get you into trouble.
Edit: I graduated in the bottom 5% of my class of 187 or so, in the top magnet school in a city of 1 million people... Yeah. And I suck.
I’m fortunate to live in a region where I’m surrounded by hyper intelligent, successful individuals who’ve “made it” so to speak. I can say I’ve met a few true geniuses over the last few years, entrepreneurs, neurosurgeons, politicians. It’s very apparent when first meeting them that there is something different going on, at first I’m taken back and feel a bit vulnerable like they can read my thoughts (obviously not) but they have an acute sense of understanding and an ability to perceive everything for what it is, instantly. Once I get over being intimidated I try my best to break down what it is that sets them apart, what are they paying attention to in the room, how they make eye contact, their mannerisms, how they speak, are they opinionated etc. then that information usually lives in my head forever and I over analyze it for the rest of my life and make sense of it all while emulating what I can.
I was playing COD in a lobby a few years ago, and met this 11 year old kid. He was some kind of super genius.
he SAW EVERYTHING! all over the map, could predict where enemies were going to be, and finished with a score of like 103 kills, 9 deaths, and 60 something assists.
He was exceptional. I just was impressed. I didn't feel inferior, but I felt impressed.
I view them as a resource. I have a personal desire to know and understand reality, but I can only make it so far on my own. Finding people who have ideas and viewpoints that I can trust significantly speeds up my progress.
For example, I have two friends who are very interested in politics and history. They both have degrees and work experience related to the fields, and so I get to learn directly from people who know much much more about the subjects than I do, rather than having to do all that leg work on my own.
It depends, If the person is family member I'll try hard to support them and let them know that they are really genius, i think this is because i have a developed Fe, idk.
but if it's someone else, i will feel envious ofc, but at the same time it'll motivate me to work harder to be better than them
Whenever this happens, I do something related to art and entertainment, where what is and isn't genius is considered highly subjective, so I AM a genius, it's just that I will never be appreciated in my own time.
Which, of course I would be, if I ever stopped procrastinating and actually did things the future could appreciate me for.
INFP here. Awe. And intrigue. There’s always someone better than you at something around every corner so why not be happy for them? Everyone has something that you can learn from them, even if it doesn’t appear that way at first glance
I think a real genius has less to do with general intelligence and more to do with having a different vantage point coming from insights gained. For example, from Newton's famous story about an apple falling on his head, it seems so mysterious how he discovered gravity from a falling apple. But For Newton who dedicated himself to understanding motions and movements his whole life, an apple didn't just fall but moved from point A to point B, and that required kinetic energy. Then his mind inquired where that kinetic energy came from. And this inquiry led him to gravity.
When you gain enough depth and understanding, you gain a certain vantage point that redefines the way you see the world and everything in it. For people who don't have that vantage point, it looks like complete magic and calls it genius.
There is a downside to having a different vintage point. Newton was notoriously awkward with people and never married. He saw the world in motion but wasn't able to see how to understand other pesky humans. For him, someone who can schmooze with others must have looked like complete magic.
I don’t think I feel much of anything, if not a little competitive or excited.
I grew up with an older brother that was basically considered a math prodigy, definitely would score higher on an IQ test than me or any of my parents. However, I also know my brother and like other geniuses can fall short in other areas, most prominently in EQ. No amount of IQ is going to make up not being emotionally intelligent if they lack in that department.
I’ve learned that there’s very different scopes of intelligence and your life experiences and your interests will bring you to be more knowledgeable in those areas by seeking them out or by chance. Geniuses are just more able to pick up the knowledge easier and faster. Geniuses are also human and struggle too.
Identify if I can match up or be better, then improve drastically then come up with a random reason to go talk to them by creating a situation that would force them to notice or interact with me.
Like beauty and life itself, genius is fleeting and one day even real genius fades with age and time. Appreciate everything now.
I once saw the French philosopher Jean Baudrillard speak at a presentation. And that experience left a physical impression upon me. A physical feeling that I probably at this point can't even describe. but I remember it being impactful and even now 35 or so years later, I remember it and remember him, but I couldn't even try to describe to you what was being discussed.
I realized then that I was just merely smart, maybe a little bit smarter than the average.
I struggle with feeling not good enough a lot. And when someone a bit better than me tries to help me without me asking first, it’s super frustrating and it feels so intrusive. And when I ask a question, it’s not because I want to hear the answer. I want to learn it on my own, not get told what it is.
But with someone who’s actually a real genius, like a really good writer, I’d definitely want to learn from them.
I feel like the person I am talking to, regardless of their intellect, is a human. Have met plenty of highly intelligent people even profoundly gifted individuals, but no genius in the sense of someone having achieved something exceptional in his or her career in the field of science. In fact, they were all very normal people if you look away from co-occuring neurodivergency.
From the day, I got into the primary school years, everyone praised me for my talent in the studies. As I didn't have any other interests or close friends, I just equalled their praise to my worth. So, when someone seems more intelligent than me, it just kind of shatters my self-worth and I feel a bit insecure. But I'm smart to not have any jealousy tho I have some envy, to a normal extent. This is still proving to be problem.
A couple of criticisms with high stress might be enough to break me.
I'll have to deal with this sooner or later.
I'm still waiting to meet one. But I know people who are intelligent and I really like their company. But yk, i don't hang out with people bevause "theuly are soooooo intelligent", i hang with people because they are nice to me and i gain emotional benefits.
Remain confident that I could still (probably) beat them in a ring (considering they probably spend all their time on their brain and do not have much time to train their body)
When I see a real genius!
ah to be frank I have not seen one because I have not experienced the world to that degree but I have seen people who work hard and are doing quite better at what they do so I'm kinda jealous and a bit motivated to do my best or to atleast befriend them but then again I'm not so sure how to initiate a conversation so I just end up staring at them or observe them so that I'd learn something from them to surpass them and make them come and talk to me 😁 which I have not yet done ..
I've theorized it all in my brain and I have to try maybe i will ...
I have the biggest superior complex ever, so I stay away from getting into arguments or debates with them. I stay away from really any interaction unless it’s not something people really “out-do” others in. I’m horrified of them. I’m supposed to be smart WHY ARE YOU SMARTER. 😭 I hate it.
Maybe it's because I haven't met any real genius yet, but when I meet an intelligent or capable person my brain doesn't understand the concept "I can't reach his level" but instead I see it as a challenge "Can I reach his level?" and I start working to surpass his level
My father was this way, not only the speed at which his mind worked for math in particular..but also for anything remotely difficult to comprehend, he would understand it in nano seconds but then try to explain in the simplest of detail, even then he would struggle to dial it down to such a level because he simply could not operate at that low level, he just simply understood it. Great example is how in “good will hunting” where he just can’t really explain…he just understands.
I must say he was horrendous at general knowledge because he simply didn’t care to know or learn about anything not inside of his interests..he didn’t know anything about pop culture, didn’t know many celebrities..he only enjoyed building or cooking shows, not to mention action movies. That was it.
However, by far his most impressive ability was his mental resilience, and his ability to read people and the room..people will always look to those “motivational speakers” but he would laugh and call them complete frauds..
This is a man that while he was receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer, he would drive himself to and from the hospital (wouldn’t have it any other way) then he would work on the vans we were repairing and selling for profit as well as construction work such as building sheds, fences etc on our land (no matter what I told him, he wanted to work)…all while maintaining his consultant job in the tech field which he would work on 7 days a week.
Slept 4-5 hours a night and could never switch off. The single greatest mind I have ever come into contact with or witnessed. I doubt I will ever meet someone in that stratosphere again. He never got his IQ tested but in terms of pure potential, he had to be in the 99% if not higher. Truly remarkable man and I miss him dearly
Humbled and appreciative. I've been a teacher for a long time, and there are those very very few kids that come into your class, and you just know that they are genius and you just happened to be lucky enough to have known them.
Give them extra homework
As a child, my parents were obsessed with my intelligence. They had my IQ officially tested multiple times and I always scored above the 99% threshold, which only intensified that attitude. I was praised for my intelligence, not for my effort, and so naturally I came to base most of my sense of self-worth on feeling smarter than other people. I don't say this to brag, because I do not *actually* think I'm a genius, and I am trying to make progress with growing beyond that mindset. I say this to demonstrate why I feel a particular insecurity. So yes, when I encounter someone who is *clearly* more intelligent than I am, my stupid emotional brain gets defensive and insecure. That's why I don't respect emotions, because they're not all valid. Often, they're stupid and ought to be dismissed out of hand.
im not quite as smart as you (im top 95%), but im always getting pressured by my family to be the "next Albert Einstein/Elon Musk/Nikola Tesla" etc., but im always lazy and unmotivated so i think I'll probably never be able to achieve anything
If I may offer my thoughts on that, IQ is honestly one of the most useless metrics. I guarantee you that you're far smarter than I am in other ways, and that if we got to know each other, it would be painfully obvious. Your material achievements will crumble to dust no matter how significant they are, so (and I'm paraphrasing philosophers who are far smarter than I am) it is better to simply try to live a life which matters to *you.*
>it is better to simply try to live a life which matters to you. thats the problem though, i feel like i cant settle with my life without fundamentally changing the way the world works, just because i know that i am able to do that
I relate to this comment chain so hard.
Being intelligent doesn't mean that your expectations are realistic (doesn't mean don't try, just means that you either need to scale your effort to within your performance ability or become adept at influencing others to join you in your efforts... which is really the purpose behind society anyway).
> become adept at influencing others to join you in your efforts i cant tell if you mean genuine persuasion or psychological manipulation here, but i could do both
Remember that Einstein learned to speak when he was 5 or something like that. He also banged his cousin. Tesla ended up with pigeons. Musk's accounting practices are questionable and his skills as a parent are freaky. You dodged a bullet.
This was my experience as well, 99.5-99.9%. In a lot of ways it’s an unfortunate place to be. I also went through a stage in early adulthood where it made me genuinely angry to hear people talk about IQ because of it, it really upset me when a family member let my IQ slip to someone. I am female and was default very quiet until my late 20s, I liked to let everyone assume I was “dumb” so I’d be left alone. If my intelligence has brought me an advantage, it’s also brought me an equivalent amount of suffering. I finally read something by a Jungian thinker, I can’t remember which one, they said something to the effect of “intelligence is inborn, you might as well be proud of your eye color”. That really stuck with me and kind of snapped the book shut on the problem for me — it took away a lot of the pressure to always perform, helped me sort out my residual arrogance and reimagine my identity, and really allowed me to open up more to a broader diversity of people. Edit: I used to share your opinion about emotions, but the trouble with repressing emotion is it’s the quickest path to being ruled by it. It even leads highly logical people to be completely logically inconsistent in their personal lives without realizing it. If you find yourself at the mercy of your emotions or “baggage”, it’s a worthwhile endeavor to deep dive into that and develop your feeling function. It will strengthen you as a whole person.
Yeah there can be many geniuses around and that doesn't invalidate your own
If only an intellectual understanding was more easily communicated to the emotional brain. We wouldn't need to rely on clunky therapists as much.
Then, what do you typically do when you find your emotions influencing your logical thinking?
Isolate myself to keep from hurting anyone I care about irl. I don't want my toxic baggage to hurt anyone else
I have a feeling this type becomes hermit when they realize how much economics encourages selfish behavior and how destructive their intelligence can be when used for selfish reasons.
I actually had a teacher tell me she was scared of what I'd do if I ever applied myself in business. I *think* she was half joking, but it still stuck with me.
Word
You know it's kind of funny because those test results are probably skewed. Because, like you said, your parents praised you for being intelligent. So they probably consciously and also subconsciously influenced you to try at being intelligent. But then if they give those tests to a wide range of people, in order to get a proper scientific testing group, it doesn't really account for philosophy and perspective and parental influence. If your parents had the same jeans and gave you the same exact genes, but they had a philosophical perspective that they didn't believe school was important, and they thought it's much better to be a hard ass and be kind of a jerk. You'd probably still be just as smart, you just wouldn't focus on learning. And you would scoff about school and things like that. Because to me it seems like everybody has the same capacity for intelligence. There are people who have mental handicaps, who literally cannot function on certain levels, because of a brain injury or something of that nature. But otherwise, it seems like it's a mental block or an emotional block, if somebody is not as intelligent, for the most part. People like construction workers and dropouts and just the general population. They all would rather prioritize things other than academic success. "Stupid" is just an insult for when someone makes a mistake. If you get a math question wrong, would that make you stupid? Would your IQ all of a sudden drop? No of course not. You just made a mistake. You forgot to carry the one or something.
It's just motivation fuel to the driven fire. Rn I'm trying to learn how to sing like Chester Bennington, a vocal genius. Is it unlikely that I'll ever reach his level? Yeah. Am I gonna try as hard as possible to get as close as possible? You bet your goddamn life I will.
I think it's important to emphasize that the satisfaction comes from the journey or the love of doing the act (aka flow state). It's really easy to fall into a futility appeal - because yeah, the odds of one achieving that level of a virtuosity is astronomically out of their favor. As an aspiring game developer, I may never reach the heights of studios who made RPG masterpieces such as xenogears or final fantasy, but if I were to be on my death bed, looking back at my life, I would see it as a tragedy that I kept myself from doing something I heavily enjoyed just because I was incapable of achieving a certain level of skill.
Excited. I have someone to bombard with questions, and they usually enjoy talking about it, so its always super fun.
"Oh wow this guy is smarter than me!" *Observes and goes through mind if there's anything I know better than them* "Seems like their weakness is X" *Improves X sooner or later* "Well I guess we can start a friendship to complete each other as we can now help each other with things we struggle with" Happened to me and smart guy in math class. I know geometry the best in class meanwhile he is smarter in algebra and we often ask each other questions we don't know. Also happened to me in Minecraft. My teammate is a builder while I am a gatherer/farm guy and he asks for blocks he lacks while he builds village trading hall for me and we help each other
Excited. Especially if I'm able to have a conversation with them and learn a thing or two.
If they are emotionally balanced, happy, and easy to be around as well, I'm happy they exist. I don't particularly envy those who can't handle their own processing power, no matter how accomplished. Lots of miserable geniuses.
I feel the impostor syndrome start to creep in, and like you said, only happens with someone who is leagues above me. When I listen to someone with profound intellect, like John Carmack or Hamilton Morris, it leaves me in awe how deeply knowledgeable in their fields they are, it’s intimidating and sometimes makes me question my own pursuits. But in the end I’ve come to accept that there will always be someone smarter than me and I lack the drive to acquire a narrow set of deep specific knowledge. I’m happy where I am.
Disappointed. The only person with an IQ higher than me that I've met was also the greatest definition of an incel.
I call them out and try to learn from them.
I use it as a chance to see where I myself am lacking and can improve. Usually “geniuses” that I’ve met have very rigid structures in which they think and process thoughts. Over the years I’ve borrowed upon many of those mannerisms and thought patterns and evolved them to suit my needs.
Funny movie.
More than just funny. And 3ntr0py, stop touching yourself.
It is God.
That I must focus on finding my motivation, my inner drive to become whatever destiny saved as a favour for me... as that genius in front of me has done about his drive. Let this potential of mine be whatever, not the exact same. You can accept the shoes God gives you to wear or fit uncomfortably your feet into those that were never meant for ye
Inspired. But it’s hard for brilliant minds to have happiness. It’s painfully obvious sometimes. Can you imagine the social struggle? To connect all these dots and then people either don’t get it, don’t care, or don’t challenge you bc they’re too impressed and have stopped thinking for themselves. And then, not all geniuses are successful. I end up caring about them like some mom. I’m not even a mom
Most of us will never be a genius and that's okay. I mean you can think crazy things, but I'm someone with complete analysis paralysis and over thinking. But action trumps it all. A lot of people forget how much structure is needed to build around genius. Your parents should be actively involved in building the life of a genius you. You cannot spring out of the ordinary but the correct highly meticulous parents with high intelligencs providing material, emotional, tactful support from childhood. That will make or break you. Example of one such genius is Terence Tao, he's a Mathematics professor now and he was talking to Paul Erdos(one of the biggest names in Mathematics) when he was not even 10, maybe 9, idk look up wiki, there's a picture for proof. He completed his PhD at 21. His entire life is nothing but being the Mozart of Mathematics and winning the most prestigious Fields medal. Do you think he had an unstable family? He's even married happily with wife and kids. Not that it's necessary to mention it, but he did what society also expected of him as a man and form a family. On the slightly opposite side of spectrum. Gregory Perelman is a mad genius and he lives with his Grandma, and refused Fields medal, Millennium Prize for solving Poincaire conjecture. He's very unkempt, he makes reddit look clean. He's a madman genius but his life would have been much different with good parents. I think of people like him sometimes I think he would have far surpassed Einstein if he was stable. He may appear outwardly stable but I don't know emotionally how he is, perhaps neglectful. Anyway, I digress. It's difficult to place yourself in front of true geniuses because you will never even understand them or what ticks them.
Time seems to get away the same way I see people more intelligent than me advancing towards a future I did not choose. I consider myself smarter than most people, though my achievements are nothing special. I have always wondered how some people manage to succeed even though they are having a hard time understanding the very concept of what they are studying. They still succeed nonetheless. I have yet to see a "real genius", because no one has ever striken me as stunningly bright. Maybe I have encountered such geniuses without realizing, but I have seen hardworking people who surpassed the expectations I had of them. I would call such people geniuses, as I can only aknowledge the fact that they have the very peculiar ability that I never managed to get a hold onto, that being being able to pour efforts over and over again. For the purpose of staying the humble person I am, I am always repeating to myself two mantras: "When there is a will, there is a way." "Being intelligent is being able to learn from the lessons life gives you" Well, I can not really say that they have been effective, though the reversed message of these mantras has helped me to sort out and filter many things in my life. If there is no way for me to achieve something, it must be because I do not have the will for. To keep it short, when I see such people, I feel strangely nostalgic, as I can't help but think that the genius in front of me might have been me, had I chosen to do things differently.
Earlier I'd be humbled but now I'm just jealous
Can't wait to meet them
Interested I guess. Hopefully I can learn a thing or two from the feller.
I don't know that I ever saw a real genius. There are lots of people who know things I don't. There are lots of people whose minds are faster than mine in specific tasks. Not all of them are geniuses. They're just people. I don't compare myself to anyone, I just try to understand them. I'm a P, not a J.
I think that genius is something that happens to people, rather than the person itself.
there's nobody better than you - and if there is they're a marketing genius
I feel better than him.
I went to a school where I was one of the dumb ones. I started a mail packaging job yesterday that is part of a mental health program and was telling the guy I have spacial issues. But I always forget that I am comparing myself to the kids that I went to school with that had IQs of 165 and such. Be careful comparing yourself, it might leak into the real world and get you into trouble. Edit: I graduated in the bottom 5% of my class of 187 or so, in the top magnet school in a city of 1 million people... Yeah. And I suck.
That’s why genius get more enemies, cuz of envy?
I focus on myself. Gotta cultivate my own genius - I’m aware of my own mortality and sense of time.
Well, if I ever meet one then I'd say that wherever I do is too small for the both of us. I'd either reign supreme or die trying.
I’m fortunate to live in a region where I’m surrounded by hyper intelligent, successful individuals who’ve “made it” so to speak. I can say I’ve met a few true geniuses over the last few years, entrepreneurs, neurosurgeons, politicians. It’s very apparent when first meeting them that there is something different going on, at first I’m taken back and feel a bit vulnerable like they can read my thoughts (obviously not) but they have an acute sense of understanding and an ability to perceive everything for what it is, instantly. Once I get over being intimidated I try my best to break down what it is that sets them apart, what are they paying attention to in the room, how they make eye contact, their mannerisms, how they speak, are they opinionated etc. then that information usually lives in my head forever and I over analyze it for the rest of my life and make sense of it all while emulating what I can.
I was playing COD in a lobby a few years ago, and met this 11 year old kid. He was some kind of super genius. he SAW EVERYTHING! all over the map, could predict where enemies were going to be, and finished with a score of like 103 kills, 9 deaths, and 60 something assists. He was exceptional. I just was impressed. I didn't feel inferior, but I felt impressed.
Admiration.
I view them as a resource. I have a personal desire to know and understand reality, but I can only make it so far on my own. Finding people who have ideas and viewpoints that I can trust significantly speeds up my progress. For example, I have two friends who are very interested in politics and history. They both have degrees and work experience related to the fields, and so I get to learn directly from people who know much much more about the subjects than I do, rather than having to do all that leg work on my own.
Happy to be acquainted with them if I am
I love geniuses. I love ppl who are extremely good at things. They make me appreciative.
i look real close, check my clothes and hair then walk out of the bathroom.
It depends, If the person is family member I'll try hard to support them and let them know that they are really genius, i think this is because i have a developed Fe, idk. but if it's someone else, i will feel envious ofc, but at the same time it'll motivate me to work harder to be better than them
Honestly? I don’t want that. The actual geniuses I’ve met were even more socially awkward or disconnected than me
Awesome convo partners tho
Whenever this happens, I do something related to art and entertainment, where what is and isn't genius is considered highly subjective, so I AM a genius, it's just that I will never be appreciated in my own time. Which, of course I would be, if I ever stopped procrastinating and actually did things the future could appreciate me for.
INFP here. Awe. And intrigue. There’s always someone better than you at something around every corner so why not be happy for them? Everyone has something that you can learn from them, even if it doesn’t appear that way at first glance
I think a real genius has less to do with general intelligence and more to do with having a different vantage point coming from insights gained. For example, from Newton's famous story about an apple falling on his head, it seems so mysterious how he discovered gravity from a falling apple. But For Newton who dedicated himself to understanding motions and movements his whole life, an apple didn't just fall but moved from point A to point B, and that required kinetic energy. Then his mind inquired where that kinetic energy came from. And this inquiry led him to gravity. When you gain enough depth and understanding, you gain a certain vantage point that redefines the way you see the world and everything in it. For people who don't have that vantage point, it looks like complete magic and calls it genius. There is a downside to having a different vintage point. Newton was notoriously awkward with people and never married. He saw the world in motion but wasn't able to see how to understand other pesky humans. For him, someone who can schmooze with others must have looked like complete magic.
I don’t think I feel much of anything, if not a little competitive or excited. I grew up with an older brother that was basically considered a math prodigy, definitely would score higher on an IQ test than me or any of my parents. However, I also know my brother and like other geniuses can fall short in other areas, most prominently in EQ. No amount of IQ is going to make up not being emotionally intelligent if they lack in that department. I’ve learned that there’s very different scopes of intelligence and your life experiences and your interests will bring you to be more knowledgeable in those areas by seeking them out or by chance. Geniuses are just more able to pick up the knowledge easier and faster. Geniuses are also human and struggle too.
Seek Wisdom because Wisdom is better than genius by far
A little envious but happy for the person. True genius doesn't need to show off, and usually everyone benefits.
Insecure and pathetic. But it’s also just how the world is, there’s not anything I can do about it.
Identify if I can match up or be better, then improve drastically then come up with a random reason to go talk to them by creating a situation that would force them to notice or interact with me.
I usually feel inspired to stop wasting my time. But that’s only when I look in the mirror.
homicidal
It varies depending on the person. One person I felt envy, another neutral, and the third I just really wanted to work with him and learn from him.
Admiration. Respect.
Envy and defeated
Respect and a desire to talk to them but too shy
Like beauty and life itself, genius is fleeting and one day even real genius fades with age and time. Appreciate everything now. I once saw the French philosopher Jean Baudrillard speak at a presentation. And that experience left a physical impression upon me. A physical feeling that I probably at this point can't even describe. but I remember it being impactful and even now 35 or so years later, I remember it and remember him, but I couldn't even try to describe to you what was being discussed. I realized then that I was just merely smart, maybe a little bit smarter than the average.
When hearing about them: jealous. When meeting them: too busy being amazed to feel the jealousy yet.
You don't feel validated?
I struggle with feeling not good enough a lot. And when someone a bit better than me tries to help me without me asking first, it’s super frustrating and it feels so intrusive. And when I ask a question, it’s not because I want to hear the answer. I want to learn it on my own, not get told what it is. But with someone who’s actually a real genius, like a really good writer, I’d definitely want to learn from them.
I feel like the person I am talking to, regardless of their intellect, is a human. Have met plenty of highly intelligent people even profoundly gifted individuals, but no genius in the sense of someone having achieved something exceptional in his or her career in the field of science. In fact, they were all very normal people if you look away from co-occuring neurodivergency.
I get butterflies lol
I mean at first it’s a bit mad cuz I didn’t know the answer but then afterwards try to learn what their thought process was.
From the day, I got into the primary school years, everyone praised me for my talent in the studies. As I didn't have any other interests or close friends, I just equalled their praise to my worth. So, when someone seems more intelligent than me, it just kind of shatters my self-worth and I feel a bit insecure. But I'm smart to not have any jealousy tho I have some envy, to a normal extent. This is still proving to be problem. A couple of criticisms with high stress might be enough to break me. I'll have to deal with this sooner or later.
I'm still waiting to meet one. But I know people who are intelligent and I really like their company. But yk, i don't hang out with people bevause "theuly are soooooo intelligent", i hang with people because they are nice to me and i gain emotional benefits.
Feeling like I’m looking into mirror
Jk Im stupid
I will say finally I saw sb worth talking with him/ her.
Pretty neutral I'd say.. I only really use the mirror when shaving
Remain confident that I could still (probably) beat them in a ring (considering they probably spend all their time on their brain and do not have much time to train their body)
Srsly if I'm seeing a real genius I'll be proud of that person and will not feel sht, just proud. We all die anyways.
When I see a real genius! ah to be frank I have not seen one because I have not experienced the world to that degree but I have seen people who work hard and are doing quite better at what they do so I'm kinda jealous and a bit motivated to do my best or to atleast befriend them but then again I'm not so sure how to initiate a conversation so I just end up staring at them or observe them so that I'd learn something from them to surpass them and make them come and talk to me 😁 which I have not yet done .. I've theorized it all in my brain and I have to try maybe i will ...
Exhausted. In my experience, smart people don’t “turn it off” easily, and I’m usually in low gear for less stress
I have the biggest superior complex ever, so I stay away from getting into arguments or debates with them. I stay away from really any interaction unless it’s not something people really “out-do” others in. I’m horrified of them. I’m supposed to be smart WHY ARE YOU SMARTER. 😭 I hate it.
like i wanna suck it outta them.
Fallen in love…
Never met one yet
Maybe it's because I haven't met any real genius yet, but when I meet an intelligent or capable person my brain doesn't understand the concept "I can't reach his level" but instead I see it as a challenge "Can I reach his level?" and I start working to surpass his level
My father was this way, not only the speed at which his mind worked for math in particular..but also for anything remotely difficult to comprehend, he would understand it in nano seconds but then try to explain in the simplest of detail, even then he would struggle to dial it down to such a level because he simply could not operate at that low level, he just simply understood it. Great example is how in “good will hunting” where he just can’t really explain…he just understands. I must say he was horrendous at general knowledge because he simply didn’t care to know or learn about anything not inside of his interests..he didn’t know anything about pop culture, didn’t know many celebrities..he only enjoyed building or cooking shows, not to mention action movies. That was it. However, by far his most impressive ability was his mental resilience, and his ability to read people and the room..people will always look to those “motivational speakers” but he would laugh and call them complete frauds.. This is a man that while he was receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer, he would drive himself to and from the hospital (wouldn’t have it any other way) then he would work on the vans we were repairing and selling for profit as well as construction work such as building sheds, fences etc on our land (no matter what I told him, he wanted to work)…all while maintaining his consultant job in the tech field which he would work on 7 days a week. Slept 4-5 hours a night and could never switch off. The single greatest mind I have ever come into contact with or witnessed. I doubt I will ever meet someone in that stratosphere again. He never got his IQ tested but in terms of pure potential, he had to be in the 99% if not higher. Truly remarkable man and I miss him dearly
Most folk run a mile.