The phrase about the fact that people are not born as someone, but become such, is known to almost everyone. One of its most popular variations: "Geniuses are not born, geniuses are made." Only if you think about it, it is not always true.
It so happens that children demonstrate genuine genius almost from infancy. Such gifted guys are called geeks and, as a rule, they are predicted to have a bright future …
"Wunderkind" is not a new concept. The word is taken from the German language - Wunderkind, which literally means "miracle child". In 1982, the psychic Nancy Ann Tapp coined a similar term - "indigo children". According to Tapp, the aura of especially gifted children glows with a characteristic purple light, reflecting their extraordinary abilities.
Any parent dreams of seeing something wonderful in their child and developing his best features. But if a child quickly learns to read, sings well, or beats his peers at chess, this is one thing, but when by the age of eight he writes books, solves logarithmic equations and speaks five languages, it is quite another.
Such achievements cause the admiration of those around them, being fulfilled by mature adults, and even among children they look like absolute fantasy. But even if we exclude the numerous fictional articles of the yellow press, parasitizing on the topic of geeks and indigo, cases of genius among very young representatives of humanity are more than real. Although first you need to look carefully.
Research suggests that there are tens of thousands, if not millions, of less gifted children for every child prodigy. In addition, not everyone succeeds in showing themselves properly.
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Our brain is an incredibly complex device, the functions of which still remain a mystery to scientists. The phenomenon of geeks is also not fully understood, although it is obvious that it is somehow connected with the stimulation of certain areas of the child's brain at birth or a little later, during growing up.
This brings us to the next thought: not all geeks are equally gifted and versatile. As a rule, the only unifying feature is high intelligence, which manifests itself at a very early age, from one to two years. The development of the child's talent in the future falls on the shoulders of his parents and himself.
For example, the Korean Kim Un Young was born in 1963. At the age of four, he knew four languages and performed the most complex mathematical calculations. Officially registered in the Guinness Book of Records as the smartest person on the planet of his time.
And here is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the world famous Austrian composer of the mid - late 18th century. With an incredible ear for music and an excellent memory, he also received full support from his father, Leopold Mozart, also a composer. Thanks to his natural talent and a brilliant education at home, Mozart began playing the harpsichord at the age of three, at five he wrote small pieces, and at eight he finished his first symphony.
An example from literature is Howard Phillips Lovecraft, one of the most prominent mystic and horror writers of the early 20th century. Unlike Mozart, surrounded by family care and love, Lovecraft was forced to watch his father being taken to a psychiatric clinic at two years old.
The boy was tormented by incessant nightmares, which he transferred to paper. At two years old, he recited other people's poems by heart, and from six he began to write himself - both poems and prose. Unfortunately, most of his works have not survived, because during his lifetime Howard could not boast of great popularity.
Another creator, Pablo Picasso, the great Spanish painter of the 19th and 20th centuries, is rumored to have started painting before he spoke. Unlike other geeks, who easily calculate equations in their mind and write books, Picasso hated mathematics, read syllables and made gross mistakes in writing even at the age of 12.
But when he took up the brush, he simply had no equal. At the age of eight, Picasso created his first serious oil painting - "Picador", which he kept until the end of his life. At 14, he brilliantly entered the La Lonja School of Fine Arts, where minors were, in principle, not allowed before. At 16, his first exhibition took place, and at the age of 20, Picasso's fame thundered all over the world.
Gift and curse
To become a child prodigy, there is not always enough innate talent; often it awakens due to external circumstances. Would Mozart have become a great musician if not for the right upbringing? Would Lovecraft have written unsurpassed horrors if not for the psychological trauma of childhood?
But the main thing is that not all gifted children are destined to become great personalities when they enter adulthood. It seems that if a child is able to go to university at the age of 12, at 20 he will already solve all the main mysteries of life … Alas, this is a common logical mistake.
Most of the geeks only learn faster than the rest of the children, but sooner or later they stop, reaching the average-high level of an adult. At the same time, they are under constant pressure from society, parents, teachers, journalists, expecting new and new achievements.
Some - only ten percent of the total - survive and make their way into history. Others retreat into the shadows, dreaming to be left alone. Studies show that suicide rates are extremely high among the most gifted children and adolescents.
One of the most telling examples of how even the smartest child prodigy can easily turn off the path to greatness is William James Sidis, a young talent of the early 20th century. Having recognized the abilities of their son, the parents were determined to grow a genius out of him and at first they succeeded. At the age of one and a half years, William James could easily read the New York Times, and by the age of eight he had managed to learn a dozen languages and even invent his own.
The first time he tried to go to Harvard at seven, but the management refused such a young student. Nevertheless, he was taken there four years later, at 11. At the age of 16, Saidis had already received a diploma.
And now, despite the highest level of intelligence and a huge amount of knowledge accumulated from childhood and adolescence … William James Sidis lived until his death, which came at the age of 46, working as a simple accountant and diligently hiding from the press. He not only did not show his talents in any way, but also did not leave heirs, since he was never married.
Most likely, this was due to the early unsuccessful experience of communication with other students and teachers who did not want to deal with the precocious young man. Society can often be cruel, but it lives by its own laws. The mark of a prodigy in it can be both a gift and a curse.
Nature versus nurture
In the countless debates of scientists - biologists, psychologists and sociologists who discuss the phenomenon of geeks - sooner or later everything boils down to the main question: are they born or become? Numerous arguments and strong arguments are presented to support their point of view. How important is heredity and how much external factors? Will a child become a genius if he received the desired gene from a distant ancestor, or is it just the right upbringing that is needed?
However, in the 21st century, with the development of genetics and sociology, the overwhelming majority of disputants have come to terms with each other. Hereditary and external factors were considered equal and too subtle to distinguish one from the other. The passions for geeks also subsided.
In the era of information and communication, gifted children can more easily find their own kind and integrate into society much faster. They have become a little less noticeable: when machines that perform calculations and open access to a huge number of works of art for every taste are at hand, the abilities of geeks do not shine so brightly. But in fact, it benefits both the children themselves and their environment.
In the end, it doesn't matter if a person was born or became a child prodigy. The main thing is how he built his destiny further.
Maxim FILARETOV