We are all equal. You are no better than anyone else, and no one else is any better than you.

• Positive sayings from your childhood - Tell Us
  • I am surprised - Linda F
  • parents - Linda F
  • mentoring - Linda F
  • a transcription teacher told me, - sm
  • Nothing is permanent but change. - nm
  • Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without! - Drawing a blank here
  • I was my father's TV "remote" - LOL
    • lol - Linda F
  • If you did the best you can I am proud of you - Kaydie
  • every time you stretch, you grow an inch. NM - anon
  • If you don't stop crying, I am just going to - spank you again. (nm)
    • lol! my mom would say - exasperated
      • I think my mom and your mom were separated at birth. nm - trose
    • that doesn't sound very positive!! - good lord
  • We are all equal. You are no better than anyone else, and no one else is any better than you. - nm NCMT
  • If Cindy's parents let her jump off a bridge would you do it too. - Kaydie
  • Dad said: You can learn from your own mistakes, but it's easier to learn from - other people's mistakes.
  • Mothers! - ginny
    • and lets not forget - ginny
  • I kept my kids in line at restaurants for - kt
  • My ex-MIL told the ex that she would - "shake his liver out." (nm)
  • If you keep getting ... - sm
    • parents - Linda F
  • "Do that again and I'm taking you to the Baby Prison" - that one worked for years NM.
  • Anytime my mother would see graffiti she'd say,... - sm

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I've known other brilliant people who indulged in self-destruction.  There have been studies that suggest the smarter you are the less happy you are, and there may be some truth in it.

The first reason for this would be people with attitudes like yours, abc.  They hold smart people to the highest standards.  They don't allow a genius to be human, but they do have weaknesses.  Imagine spending your whole life hearing "If you're so smart how could you, why haven't you....".  There is enormous pressure put upon them by others to do something great, to perform mental tricks for the amusement of others, to "prove how smart they are".  Some become as insecure about it as beauty queens do about their looks - I remember when I was married to my genius, we watched a show about a child prodigy who could play great compositions at the age of 4.  This show upset my ex, I could see it made him jealous and insecure, and nervous that he was not as great as everyone assumed him to be.  Just like there's always someone richer, thinner, and better looking, there's always someone smarter too.

Another reason would be lonliness.  The smarter you are, the less you have in common with the majority of the population.  The things that interest you most people can't even understand.  I think one purpose Mensa was created was so that they could find people to talk to on their own level.  The pitfall there is most of them are so specialized in their own areas of interest they still don't have anything in common - the gifted musician does not want to discuss quantum theories with the scientist, they can understand it, they just aren't interested in it.

In my ex's case, his substance abuse has three factors - First, he's physically handicapped, and his health has always been a problem.  He self medicates with substances to escape the misery of being in his body.  Second, he's a classic nerd who never had any friends or a social life.  He started abusing substances to try to be one of the cool partying folk, to fit in.  All of his current friends abuse substances, but he at least has some friends now, that's how he sees it.  Third, the pressure to perform has caused him to give up.  He was a computer guru before computers were cool.  Once computers were mainstreamed to the general populace, and new software was coming out on a daily basis, he could no longer know "it all".  When he reached that crossroads, he panicked, gave up and dove into the bottle to hide from his insecurities.

A high IQ is often just as much a curse as a blessing.  I am assuming the reason to abuse substance is pretty universal - the desire to escape reality for a while, then it becomes a habit.  If a person doesn't have the courage to deal with reality and change their life, they may choose to destroy it instead.