Intellectual at Sea
There is no part of
life which is truly easy, be it childhood, adolescence, adulthood, or the last
few years of life. Yet, it seems to
many people that the teenage years are the most difficult. The greatest cause of life's difficulties is
change; stress comes from change, and most of it from unwanted or unexpected
change. There is, of course, no greater
nor less hoped-for change than the death of a close friend or loved one, and so
such a time period in any part of life would be very hard to deal with. And yet, failing that, there is no part of
life where more overall change occurs than during adolescence. Thus, adolescence is often the most
difficult and stressful period in a person's life.
Not all adolescents
are the same, however. I cannot speak
from the point of view of any but myself, and can only relate the teenage
experience as I myself saw it. Yet, I
would never be so arrogant or self-absorbed as to claim that my situation was
unique; rather, I should like to share my insights with others who might be
experiencing those trying years in a similar manner as I did. By the very nature of the viewpoint, I may
undoubtedly come off sounding as though I have a superiority complex, but those
who live a similar existence through adolescence will understand completely,
and useless modesty in this situation would only hinder my message. Therefore, let me be blunt (if not brief), tell
you what it is like to suffer through adolescence as an individual with
above-average and early matured intellect.
Despite what many
teens think, grades are not the be all and end all of intelligence, and though
I always had very good grades, I did not gauge my intellect by them alone. From even as far back as middle school, I
was noticeably different. I had no
interest in the normal activities of kids my age; I found their games of
mock-dating and conformity most annoying.
I never took part in sporting events, preferring instead to spend my
time reading. I could never find any
interest in the art of name-calling, the degrading of others for their differences,
or the blind fun of other common adolescent social events. I spent my time discussing politics and
moral issues with the few friends I found who shared my interests and
intellect.
I soon discovered a
discomfort when in the company of my age peers. I could never relate to what they were saying, as it always
seemed so childish, and they could never understand what I was saying, because
it strayed beyond the realm of their comprehension. The differences were clear, but instead of earning me respect, my
heightened intelligence earned me disdain and ridicule from my peers. Rather than admit their inability to
understand, they chose to pick at my physical characteristics, a practice which
seemed immensely immature to me, yet which hurt me none-the-less.
I have always had
an easier time relating to adults than people my own age. Most of the time, when I was around adults,
I felt as though I were amongst peers.
These were people who read books like me, who had interests in politics,
art, philosophical and moral issues, and with whom I could discuss the thoughts
in my head. Yet, a paradox still
existed, for though I was on an even mental plane with them, I was still
physically a child, and so my opinion was always considered inferior. Should I, as an adolescent of 15, present a
logical argument against the existence of a god, which could not be aptly
refuted, it was eventually dismissed not on its merits or lack-there-of, but
because I was "just a punk kid, just trying to be rebellious." Superior intellect discrimination kept me
separate from my classmates, while inferior age discrimination excluded me from
the adult circles of knowledge and discussion.
Such is the limbo
in which the highly intelligent adolescent lives; not yet old enough for
respect from adults, but too old to find interest in the exploits of
teens. It is a bleak place to be, and
it quickly breeds mistrust of peers and adults. And yet, there is hope of escaping this void, this vacuum, this
no-where-land of solitude. There is a
cure for the separation from all around you, a magical solution which once
again joins you with your age peers and the intellectual adults with whom you
wish to associate. This magical force
will lift you out of the dimness of adolescence, and though it will eventually
present you with new problems, you will at least have others around you who are
able to help you through the tough times.
It does not occur
over-night, and you really have no control over it; it is called time.