Gift of intelligence- gift or curse?

I feel that the gift of intelligence is, to a certain extent, a curse. Firstly, this is because I feel that a person with a gift if intelligence will be so smart that it will be difficult to converse with the other party with a lower IQ as the person with higher intelligence will talk about things that are way beyond the average layman. Or, the person with a higher IQ will use powerful words that the average layman cannot understand. The smarter person will probably include the use of many theories while talking to an average layman. The average layperson will not understand what the person with the higher IQ is talking about and this will cause a communication breakdown. Furthermore, the smarter person might give an average layman an inferiority complex and thus, the layman will shun and try to avoid the smarter person. This will cause the smarter person to lose his friends and this in turn will turn him into an outcast. Thus, he cannot converse with people of his same level as the reason is simple- you do not make friends with an intellect everyday. Therefore, he will become very cold towards people and will probably turn eccentric. This will also cause him to be lonely, downcast and forlorn. In today's world, one needs friends to survive. It is impossible to not rely on friends. My first point is further explained in Flowers for Algernon. In the story, Charlie Gordon finds it impossible to communicate with his peers effectively, transforms into an outcast and becomes unhappy.

Secondly, if you are too smart, you would get discriminated and laughed at. This is a scary part in the society. If you are different, people would segregate you. They do not care whether you are too smart or stupid, too tall or short, too fat or skinny. As long as you are different, they will call you names, beat you up and treat you like a freak. They will make you feel frustrated at yourself at being different. This stress, accumulate enough and it will turn into a full blown illness like depression. This will cause you to have low self-esteem and you will be depressed. This is further explained in Flowers for Algernon, where Charlie said," Before, they laughed and despised me for my dullness and ignorance; now, they hate me for my knowledge and understanding. What do they want of me?"

Lastly, being smart will mean that many people will pin their hopes on you to build or create something wonderful and revolutionary. Examples are cures for cancer and Aids, or Solutions to stem global warming. The pressure will not only be from the public, it will be from teachers, empolyees and employers. All of them demand greatness from you just because you have a higher IQ than them. This will be mounting pressure on you and once you make a mistake, the public and other people will hiss at you- just because you have a higher IQ. What the public does not know is that people with higher intelligence are also the same as them.

In conclusion, I feel that the gift of intelligence is to a larger extent, a curse, rather than a gift. Yes, one must have soaring aspirations to suceed and aim to be nothing but the best and having a higher intelligence than all the rest helps just fine. However, I feel that sometimes being an average Joe may just be fine as well.