I did a lot of whining in post #17, and I thought about it since then.
It seems every generation has decried the future of the next generation. Maybe that is natural because every parent wants the best for their own children, and by extension, goodness for every child. I think this site is loaded with nerds to the point that most people can't think on this level. Not to disparage other types of overachievers; There are people skilled in a hundred fields of endeavor...doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs, bibliophiles, mathematicians, lawn mower repairmen, furniture makers, etc. By definition, half the people have an IQ below 100. We worry about those, but more so, we worry about people with average or better assets who just don't seem to have any focus or future. That doesn't mean the world is doomed. It just means we worry more about those individuals who seem doomed, and some of them touch our lives in a personal way. That is the source of my anguish.
I sincerely wish I did not watch my friends' children grow up to be parasites, and that was most of them. I also know one who passed me like I was standing still and half a dozen that are my equal, any way you look at it. I guess that is the way the world turns. The bell curve is in action here. We don't worry about those who turn out well, but those seem to be the minority. Most people are about average and there is a ne'er do well for every genius. What boggles my mind is the 7.4 billion people on this planet, and 3.7 billion of them are below average in intellect and/or achievement. I find that difficult to imagine. I wish it wasn't true. I especially wish it wasn't true for the children of my friends and family.
It seems every generation has decried the future of the next generation. Maybe that is natural because every parent wants the best for their own children, and by extension, goodness for every child. I think this site is loaded with nerds to the point that most people can't think on this level. Not to disparage other types of overachievers; There are people skilled in a hundred fields of endeavor...doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs, bibliophiles, mathematicians, lawn mower repairmen, furniture makers, etc. By definition, half the people have an IQ below 100. We worry about those, but more so, we worry about people with average or better assets who just don't seem to have any focus or future. That doesn't mean the world is doomed. It just means we worry more about those individuals who seem doomed, and some of them touch our lives in a personal way. That is the source of my anguish.
I sincerely wish I did not watch my friends' children grow up to be parasites, and that was most of them. I also know one who passed me like I was standing still and half a dozen that are my equal, any way you look at it. I guess that is the way the world turns. The bell curve is in action here. We don't worry about those who turn out well, but those seem to be the minority. Most people are about average and there is a ne'er do well for every genius. What boggles my mind is the 7.4 billion people on this planet, and 3.7 billion of them are below average in intellect and/or achievement. I find that difficult to imagine. I wish it wasn't true. I especially wish it wasn't true for the children of my friends and family.