Greetings to all,
I have to ask, do any of you feel a profound sense of isolation and lack of comprehension by others--especially parents and family members?
I am a "profoundly gifted" 22 year old in my senior year of college. Though I do have encouraging friends, I am quite frustrated with my courses and the majority of my peers. I expect more initiative and intellectual curiosity out of them, yet to no avail frequently. In fact, I write my syllabi because of the pace attempted many of my classes. While some professors have "taken me under their wing" and encouraged me through directed studies, I am rather tired of the befuddled looks (I recieved from others) and sense of rejection that I get even from my parents.
For example, I work out math proofs for hours on end and attempt to apply statistics to new fields, such as medieval literature. My parents and family members in turn tell me to "cool my heels" and "stop being so nerdy all the time". Often, I recieved comments growing up about how I needed a "lesson in socialization" by mitigating the time I spent perusing books.
They do not especially like or appreciate mathematics, statistics, or medieval literature--three fields in which I would like to delve further.
I feel as though my own family and many of my peers cannot understand me. What should I do and how can I overcome these feelings of inadequacy?
I feel misunderstood
