Personally, I subscribe to the theory (socially) which suggests that to whom much is given... much is also expected. That's the breaks.

So I hold my daughter to a HIGHER standard as a result of her higher order thinking. She is better able to understand when her behavior is selfish, hurtful, or thoughtless toward others. I consider it my duty as her parent to correct any behavior that crosses that line.


It's a burden to have a mind-mouth pair that can cut others to the quick in a moment of frustration. In order to be a decent human being, one really MUST learn extraordinary levels of control over that particular set of superpowers. IME, anyway-- it is sometimes a real struggle not to say the first thing that pops into my head when I'm irritated, and I have a serious gift for telling people things that haunt them for years and make them question their self-worth. DD has it, too, because she's a complete empath and generally knows what makes other people tick-- though she has less of a tendency to turn it on others than I did at her age. I had to find a spouse who can truly forgive and forget... because I still have that impulse only imperfectly reined in when I get seriously angry.

It's an awful thing to do to someone less verbally/intellectually able than yourself, quite frankly. And usually, my frustration is related to others not being able to see what I see, or go where I can go mentally, or at least not as fast as I can. I'm very good at apologizing, but it's just not enough. You can't un-say the words.

I don't consider high intellectual ability to be an EXCUSE so much as a possible reason. There can BE no excuse for cruelty like that. I don't care whether it is a "natural" part of being at a high LOG or not. The hurt that you can cause others is just as real to them, too-- and they're special to someone as well. frown


Schrödinger's cat walks into a bar. And doesn't.