Sean Kenan
His life began like that of a superhero.
Kim Ung-Yong was sitting in his crib before bedtime. His mother came in to check on him.
After she tucked him in and turned to leave, she paused, thinking she’d heard something. She turned around, came back, and stood over him. Then she realized her baby was saying several words — her 6-months old child was talking to her.
It was no fluke. Her son was gifted, literally beyond measure. But how would this affect his life?
A life of incomparable brilliance begins
There are several signs of extreme intelligence in a child, and some of them would surprise you:
A mature sense of humor
- Passing intellectual milestones very early
- Steel-trap memory
- Negotiating (trying to make deals with parents to push back on rules)
- Asking highly-specific questions about world events
- Making new rules for games
- Impatience with other children
Kim blew the lid off of all these signs.
By nine months, he spoke full sentences. By his first year, he spoke fluid Korean. By age four, he spoke Spanish, German, and English. He was doing differential equations by age 5.
On paper, it isn’t terribly surprising that Kim Ung-Yong is intelligent. He is the son of a physics professor and a medical school professor. But it seems that some genetic eclipse happened and he took things far beyond the normal measurements.
In fact, some argue he is the smartest living person. Yes, IQ tests are certainly flawed and limited measuring tools, which also have a deeply troubled history. However, it’s worth noting that Kim scored north of 210 on a formal test with a psychiatrist.
Deciding how genius a genius is, is no small task — and is somewhat unnecessary in most cases.
Test scores aren’t particularly reliable at high ranges. And, at a certain point, intelligence matters far less than other qualities, like passion, kindness, curiosity, and persistence.
Yet it’d be hard to argue that something special wasn’t going on between this young boy’s ears.
He was without peer — capable of learning anything, faster, and more accurately than students who were many years older. He naturally picked up a huge vocabulary and never used words out of context.
Initially, most people didn’t even believe the claims written about him. And so he was often brought on national TV to prove it.
(His appearance on Korean television at age 7, performing math equations.)
His fast upbringing accelerates and explodes
At the invitation of NASA, Kim traveled to the United States, to study with — and also be studied by scientists.
He completed his Ph.D. at age 15, getting near-perfect marks in every subject. Then, he enrolled as an employee of NASA, doing top-level research alongside astrophysicists.
Everything in his life was about maximization. How fast could he solve a problem? What was the hardest problem he could solve? Possessing a one-in-billions intelligence put an avalanche of homework in front of him.
But then things changed
Ten years after joining NASA’s roster, and after accumulating a mind-numbing pile of academic awards, he abruptly quit.
Here you have the smartest man in the world, whose mind dwarfs that of ivy league elites, and he walks away from it all.
Why? He wasn’t happy. He’d been born into an Asian society that prized academic excellence. He’d been milked for every ounce of potential from his earliest age.
His talent became a cursed vehicle to hijack his childhood. As his star grew brighter, he felt a stronger calling for normalcy. Authenticity began to rear its beautiful head. And so he walked away.
Where he is now
Ung-Yong serves at a university as a tenured professor. It’s a very prestigious, highly competitive job for most people. But for him? Not so, apparently.
Kim is still routinely targeted by Korean news outlets. They cite him as an example of failed potential, a person who let it all go to waste. With all of his prodigious gifts, he was expected to change the world and innovate within several fields.
And that begs the question, “Who was it that decided Kim was supposed to change the world?” It certainly wasn’t him.
Dr. Kim Ung-Yong may not be someone most of us can relate to. But he is certainly analogous, perhaps ground zero, to the problems that intelligent people face with regard to potential.
Just because someone is smart, gifted, and creative, doesn’t automatically mean they want to revolutionize science or change the world.
Kim now leads a comfortable life, educating young people, making a good salary, and doing research periodically. And most importantly, he spends time in the company of family.
No TV appearances.
No rocket ships.
Just living how he always wanted to: on his own terms.
Here’s the thing
Your talent or lack thereof has nothing to do with what you want.
Neither your parents nor your neighbors or your friends get to decide your life’s path. Too often, we have other people’s egos interfering in our destiny and talent becomes a siren song for misery. Even when that pressure is rooted in love, it’s highly problematic — and often leads to an adult who makes a reasonable salary, and is completely unhappy.
It isn’t easy to live free of other people’s assessments of our worth. We intrinsically are wired to seek it and relish praise. Just consider that there is true freedom in finding a silo from this judgment.
Some people are happy with a low-key life. That is exactly what Kim wanted and now has.
Happiness is the great equalizer. If you are happy, their expectations no longer matter.
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