Sick of being a dumb smart kid

I used to do well in school. I used to be praised for being a bright student. I used to be a complete imbecile.

How did I miss it? I thought that if people told me that I was intelligent, I should mindlessly accept the opinion as fact. Believe it or not, mindlessness is not a characteristic of intelligence.

One day, I took a good hard look at myself and realized the uncomfortable truth. Despite my grades and my praise, I was mentally deficient. I frequently made a lot of simple mental errors, and I had to turn to others to tell me what to think. I could do and be so much more if I made the effort. It didn’t happen overnight, but I eventually learned how to think for myself. I also learned that thinking and schooling do not go very well together.