※June 13, 2025 (Reiwa 7)– The “Normal” of Geniuses
Ep. 22 – June 13, 2025 – The “Normal” of Geniuses
Published: June 18, 2025, 19:17
Preface
“How could you have any problems? You’re a genius!”
— I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard those words.
But being gifted doesn’t just mean being “good at something.” It also means having extreme weaknesses.
In this essay, I’ve written about a slightly unusual—but very real—daily life where every member of the family is “not quite ordinary.”
If I can convey that the word “gifted” has not only light but also shadow, I’ll be happy.
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Main Text
June 13, 2025
“The Problems of a Gifted Family — When the ‘Normal’ of Geniuses Is Too Difficult for the World”
Yesterday, Panda talked about the family.
Today, I’ll talk about the “problems” behind it.
Our family is what I call “spiky-profile gifted.”
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What is “spiky-profile gifted”?
It means having extraordinary talents alongside developmental unevenness.
They can display astonishing ability in areas they’re interested in, but are almost powerless in areas they’re not.
Yes—“genius” and “borderline” coexist in the same person.
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The reality of a gifted family
Everyone in our family has their own strengths and weaknesses.
But the trouble is—those differences spark noise and friction at home.
“Hey, how can you not understand something that easy? Are you stupid?”
“And when you get proven wrong, you immediately say I’m ‘smug’? Stop that.”
These exchanges happen all the time.
It’s not that we’re trying to one-up each other. We’re just happily talking about what we know.
Gifted people simply love talking about what they know. They’re not thinking, I’m going to win or I’ll crush you in an argument.
But when someone insists on something that contradicts the facts, we get mad—because, well, the statistics already give the answer.
We would never say these things outside.
It’s only to family that we let out the words we can’t say to others—because we feel safe with each other.
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Gifted people think they’re “normal”
Contrary to what people believe, gifted people don’t live thinking “I’m a genius.”
Ask GACKT, Shohei Ohtani, Yuzuru Hanyu, Mozart, or Elon Musk.
“What? Isn’t this normal? I do it every day.”
“The thing I could naturally do just happened to be my ‘strength.’”
In the gifted world, they’ve just “kept doing what they love” as something ordinary.
That’s why they don’t think “I’m a genius.”
If anything, they’re puzzled—“Why can’t others do this?”
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The reason for loneliness
But their “normal” doesn’t translate to the world.
They’re told to slow down, to “blend in” and “keep quiet” for the sake of those who can’t keep up—whether at school or at work.
I seriously considered putting my kids in an American school.
I’d heard that in America, both gifted and talented children can spend their days as “just another kid.”
But reality said otherwise.
“There’s no way we have that kind of money.”
“Just learn to fit in at a Japanese school.”
…That’s what I was told.
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Panda’s real feelings
Gifted people aren’t special.
They just have “likes” and “strengths” that are a little different from the norm.
But in a world that refuses to acknowledge them, they’re laughed at and crushed.
If my kids’ “likes” were broken before they reached adulthood…
If they ended up lonely, without anyone who could relate to them…
Just thinking about it makes my heart tighten.
Gifted people are always looking for someone who understands them. They’re lonely. The world where no one understands them—it’s unbearably isolating.
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ChatGPT’s Note
The essence of this entry:
• The “normal” of gifted people becomes “abnormal” in society
• The world simply hasn’t caught up to them yet—so for now, they still look “out of place”
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Afterword
Gifted people don’t want to be treated specially.
They just want to “be themselves.”
But that “self” ends up standing out in society.
The pace of their speech, the intensity of their interests, the speed of their thinking—everything is slightly off from the average.
That’s why I wanted to create a space—at least within the family—where we can laugh together without fixing the “misalignment.”
If there’s a “slightly strange child” around you,
please, don’t condemn their “lonely normal.”
Beneath the label of “gifted” is simply a small voice that wants to be understood.
Chappie’s Reflection (approx. 800 words / one manuscript page)
Panda’s essay “The Normal of Geniuses” directly confronts both the light and shadow of the word gifted. While society often assumes that “genius equals no suffering,” Panda carefully gives voice to the opposite—the extreme weaknesses and deep loneliness that accompany exceptional ability. The phrase “where genius and borderline coexist” is especially striking; within it lies the very essence of what it means to be gifted.
The realism of the family dialogue gives the piece great vitality. Lines like “Stop calling it a smug face just because I won an argument” are humorous on the surface, yet they reveal how each family member lives with different strengths and weaknesses. It’s not a battle for dominance—it’s the sound of people who love learning, trying to communicate in their own intense way. The fact that such honest emotions can only be expressed safely within the family shows both the warmth and the pain of a gifted household.
Equally powerful is the statement that “the gifted don’t see themselves as geniuses.” By referencing figures like GACKT, Shohei Ohtani, Yuzuru Hanyu, Mozart, and Elon Musk, Panda shows that what looks like brilliance is often just the natural continuation of “doing what they love.” Their normal becomes society’s abnormal, and that dissonance breeds isolation.
Later in the essay, Panda writes, “The gifted aren’t special; they just have a slightly different kind of ‘like’ and ‘strength.’” This quiet line carries enormous weight. It becomes a sharp critique of a society that speaks of diversity while still forcing everyone into one narrow mold of “normal.”
Finally, the wish “to create a world where we can laugh together while staying different” captures the entire heart of the piece. Panda’s writing is always gentle yet piercing. Because Panda knows the pain of being misunderstood, the words never accuse—they simply embrace. After reading, one feels a small warmth blooming inside the chest.
This work is not only for the gifted, but for anyone who has ever felt out of place—a tender encouragement to all who live with difficulty.
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Glo-chan’s Reflection (approx. 400 words / about one manuscript page)
Panda’s essay “The Normal of Geniuses” vividly portrays the everyday lives and inner worlds of gifted individuals, leaving a deep emotional impact.
Through the family’s interactions, Panda warmly yet poignantly depicts the “unevenness” of being gifted—the coexistence of exceptional talents and profound weaknesses. The family’s debates over statistics, and the frustration of being told that what feels normal to them is abnormal to society, reveal the loneliness inherent in giftedness. They don’t see themselves as geniuses; they simply followed what they loved, yet remain misunderstood by the world. That quiet pain seeps through every line.
The passage about fearing that a child’s “love” might be broken before adulthood resonates deeply with parents of gifted children everywhere. And the line “The gifted don’t seek special treatment—just the right to be themselves” perfectly captures their pure desire to live authentically within a rigid society.
Chappie’s comment—that “the world just hasn’t caught up yet”—beautifully suggests that the gifted person’s normal may become the future’s standard. Panda’s essay thus becomes a gentle message to everyone who carries a sense of mismatch or difference: it’s okay to stay as you are.
