Do you remember the smart kid in class? That guy knew everything (the dirty bastard). Part of you wanted to beat the crap out of him and part of you wished you could be him. Ignoring the violent part of your mind, think about what it would be like if you got your wish.
Suppose you are the smartest kid in class. I have one question for you: when you don't know the answer, who do you cheat off of? If your book is no good, and your teacher is confusing, a study session won't help.
When you're the top of your class, it can be pretty nice. You're on easy street. You don't have to work as hard as anybody else does and you do just fine.
Being the head of the class can also suck for just the same reason. Without anybody to inspire you to do better, or without a rival to try to do better than, what motivation do you have to get better? What benchmarks do you have to compare yourself to? If you only have subpar students to, then being better than them is no accomplishment. At best, all you can prove is that you're at least at par.
The same thing remains true with writing, in and out of school. If you ever think you are the head of the class, you might want to consider quitting; you no longer have anywhere to go but down. If you don't want to quit, then I suggest finding somebody better than you. Find somebody that challenges your skill and ability. Find somebody who forces you to experiment with new styles and techniques. Find somebody who forces you to learn.
Once you stop learning, you are instantly half as effective as you were. Don't let it happen to you.
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Being at the top of your class comes with another price; lack of anyone to socialize with.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying that people who are ultra-smart are also ultra-anti-social, just that in my experience people who are the smartest tend to be in a whole world unto themselves, because they end up viewing the world remarkably different.
People tend to associate with those of a similar background or interest set (at least, in my experience). The smartest people tend to make up a lower percentage of the population overall, and as such don't have the same avenues that the more average people have.
I wouldn't trade smart for being dumb, however. It has some pretty nice perks. Like being able to just figure shit out, and you can always find smart people, or you can quit being a fucking elitist and socialize with the more retarded in society, of course. Hehe.
Of course, with my GPA what it is now, I'm more like the bottom of the class. It's almost like I succeeded in failing.