Life: Gifted

I used to help a friend with her Algebra II homework. She was definitely above average intellectually, and yet, she was often pummeled by the material. To me it was inconceivable that someone could not understand logarithms, radians, or basic statistics. But it isn’t inconceivable, in fact, it is normal.

So in many ways, I am gifted. The State even told me so.

I go to a pretty decent school and get more than decent grades. Any math class is an easy A. I would like to think I am a fairly good writer. And I can orate with the best of them. By most standards, I have been blessed. But recently, I’ve been humbled.

I saw Rent this past weekend and was awestruck at the vocal talent people can possess. The way actors can captivate an audience with a single glance or make a heart skip at the sound of one note. I wonder how a songwriter can be entirely poetic and interesting at the same time. I cannot understand how marks on a page can turn into intangible feelings. I have no talent for music. No matter how hard I try, I cannot sing a note on key, play an instrument to match, or imagine writing a song. I am below average.

A friend of mine let me into his website before Thanksgiving break. He writes poetry well, carves out emotions from digital images, offers thoughtful incites into politics in well articulated posts, and overall enthralls anyone who visits his site. His talents are, in a word, amazing. See for yourself. Again, any time my computer even sneezes incorrectly my roommate has to fix it because I am computer illiterate. I have no artistic talent to conceive of or to create fictitious characters and bring them to life. I am below average.

Society attributes giftedness to math scores and vocabulary. Society says I am gifted. But I will never create a picture worth looking at or sing a song worth listening to. Maybe there is something to be said for talent outside of Algebra II?