Reading this essay brought back an old Jim Croce song:

They wouldn't listen to the fact that I was genius

The man say, "we got all that we can use"

Now I got them steadily depressin', low down mind messin'

Working at the car wash blues

The story behind Good Will Hunting is one in ten million. Someone working as a janitor can become a top rate mathematician is rather absurd. It only perpetuates the myth that anyone can become anything only if they wished hard enough.

I was pretty good at math. But I remember the struggle of my last math course at engineering school. I got a passing grade but really didn't understand much. "I have reached my limit," I thought.

Having spent 15 years in adult education, I have encountered many adults who are "maxxed out" in academics. Regardless how much effort they put into a course or how well the course is taught, they will struggle to advance." They have a reached a practical limit.

And on the other side, there are people with some natural talent who won't put in the effort.

Acquiring academic skills requires both a natural talent and a lot of effort. But, I believe, everyone should push themselves just to find out where their natural talent lies. But, of course, there are also practicalities of life to consider.