Maciamo pointed out the unique numbering systems of the Hindus and the French, and their possible connections to the brilliance of the mathematicians these cultures have produced. Continuing in this line of reasoning, the following excerpt from his
Outsider link, specifically on Leta S. Hollingworth's (
Children above 180 IQ) thripartite characterization of the gifted child, certain cultural traits can be employed to illuminate at least in part this interesting phenomenon.
1) having it too easy in the average curriculum; unchallenged from an early age, developing a strong tendency to daydream and to be lazy
2) being overly versatile in diverse areas; scattered in activities and pursuits; unrealistic planning (or no planning) making them quitters or monumental failures in life in general
3) unrealistic assessment of self and others' true abilities, interests, values, leading to conflict, persecution, resentment, and misanthropy
Regarding these three major weaknesses of the gifted person, could it be that the Indian caste system were giving its youths the following ?
1) extra strong curricula to keep the gifted challenged enough and hence focused,
2) predefined role playing casting a yoke on potentially delinquent smart kids,
3) high regard for the caste preventing any unrealistic expectations of others
Was there something similar in the social institutions of the early Germanic tribes who later formed the Franks ?
If there is any factual basis to this logic, then the modern citizen-state may have only worsened the situation; with the numerals being one of the few safeguards for the gifted who might have gone mad otherwise.
Just another wild theory that deserves a little thought...
Edit: To quote one of my favorite postcards, "Don't tell me to relax. It's the tension that's holding me together."
Outsider link said:
One of the problems faced by all gifted persons is learning to focus their efforts for prolonged periods of time. Since so much comes easily to them, they may never acquire the self-discipline necessary to use their gifts to the fullest. Hollingworth describes how the habit begins.
Where the gifted child drifts in the school unrecognized, working chronically below his capacity (even though young for his grade), he receives daily practice in habits of idleness and daydreaming. His abilities never receive the stimulus of genuine challenge, and the situation tends to form in him the expectation of an effortless existence [3, p. 258].
But if the "average" gifted child tends to acquire bad adjustment habits in the ordinary schoolroom, the exceptionally gifted have even more problems. Hollingworth continues:
Children with IQs up to 150 get along in the ordinary course of school life quite well, achieving excellent marks without serious effort. But children above this mental status become almost intolerably bored with school work if kept in lockstep with unselected pupils of their own age. Children who rise above 170 IQ are liable to regard school with indifference or with positive dislike, for they find nothing in the work to absorb their interest. This condition of affairs, coupled with the supervision of unseeing and unsympathetic teachers, has sometimes led even to truancy on the part of gifted children [3, p. 258].
A second adjustment problem faced by all gifted persons is due to their uncommon versatility. Hollingworth says:
Another problem of development with reference to occupation grows out of the versatility of these children. So far from being one-sided in ability and interest, they are typically capable of so many different kinds of success that they may have difficulty in confining themselves to a reasonable number of enterprises. Some of them are lost to usefulness through spreading their available time and energy over such a wide array of projects that nothing can be finished or done perfectly. After all, time and space are limited for the gifted as for others, and the life-span is probably not much longer for them than for others. A choice must be made among the numerous possibilities, since modern life calls for specialization [3, p. 259].
A third problem faced by the gifted is learning to suffer fools gladly. Hollingworth notes:
A lesson which many gifted persons never learn as long as they live is that human beings in general are inherently very different from themselves in thought, in action, in general intention, and in interests. Many a reformer has died at the hands of a mob which he was trying to improve in the belief that other human beings can and should enjoy what he enjoys. This is one of the most painful and difficult lessons that each gifted child must learn, if personal development is to proceed successfully. It is more necessary that this be learned than that any school subject be mastered. Failure to learn how to tolerate in a reasonable fashion the foolishness of others leads to bitterness, disillusionment, and misanthropy [3, p. 259].
