[geeks] RE: [rescue] OT: ADD - MOVING to geeks

[Mike Hebel]

Geek wrote:
> I am and find I am neither exceptionally bright, nor do I have any
> special aptitude for computers, the arts or science. I don't know why,
> as I agree wholeheartedly that along with autism, ADD seems to be found
> in some exceptional people with high aptitudes in those areas, but I
> think that that is not the rule, as there are many I know who have next
> to no aptitude, and in fact have a very hard time learning anything.

Please forgive the follwing vulgarity:

Bullshit.

If you're bright enough to post here and not constantly get flamed - 
then you're bright enough to learn things.  Hell, you learned how to 
post simple text e-mail - and in lower-case no less.  You're far better 
than most online users right there. ;-)

I went through more years than I could count listening to people tell me 
I was dumb.  I'd never amount to anything.

It took me years to _fail_ to accept that answer.  It took me several 
independant intelligence tests to prove that to myself - IQ 153. (Not 
that that buys me a cup of coffee anywhere but you get the idea.)
Had I listened to those people I would have stopped trying long ago. 
Even now I'm climbing out of the personal hole I made for myself because 
of them.

That's why I'm so vehimently responding to you about it.  I won't let 
anyone utter words to the effect "I'm not smart." in my presence because 
short of major brain damage it's never true.

I would put these thought to you:

1) You have a hard time learning anything because:

    a) You were never taught to learn properly.
    b) You have a problem that you have overlooked over the years.
    c) You haven't found anything interesting enough to you to learn.
    d) You're attempting to learn things for other people, not yourself.

2) You have no special aptitude for anything because you haven't found 
something "special" to you.

3) You _are_ smarter than most people - you just don't know it yet.

Don't put yourself down or you'll end up stuck there.

[/minor_rant]

Mike Hebel