An Unruly Mind

Real talent comes with a curse. For those who are playing the glass bead game of the mind and doing it on the fly the responsibly of conducting the background work seems like just so much bother.

As to me I was not really talented but I was impacted by this mental laziness. When I was young book learning came easily to me. Other things did not. Learning how to do home repair or how to show respect and kindness to people was elusive. But the early 1960s was an era where the path from elementary school to college was valued. I flourished more than most in class because my memory at that time was a steel trap. The problem came in when I got to university and I had to learn to study. It took time but I got it. I got it eventually.

My youngest whose video is posted on this space is very similar to me in that way. He is genuinely nicer than I was at his age. He can grasp things on the fly with an amazing deftness. But he struggles with discipline. To sit and pour over a book is not in his wheelhouse. He is all about picking up the highlights but he almost refuses to drill down to the depths of the material. It is so frustrating to me to watch this. He could be great but on paper he looks average.

He will come to the place he was meant to be. I am sure of that.