One of the most brilliant...
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One of the most brilliant men I've ever met was also the epitome of lost causes and dashed hopes. While he had all the makings of success and was a wunderkind at science and mathematics, he never really applied himself. Things simply came too easily.
At 13, he graduated from high school and won a scholarship to M.I.T. He finished M.I.T. at 17 and went to work for a major corporation. While he was exceedingly brilliant, he could hold no job longer than six months.
One day, driving through my old neighborhood, I saw him standing on the corner in tattered, urine-soaked clothing with several other men, sipping wistfully from a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey. So dazed was he that he didn't even recognize me. Several years ago I heard he had died of cirrhosis of the liver. The famous line in the movie, A Bronx Tale, came to mind. "There is nothing more tragic in life than wasted talent." He had the mind, gifts and opportunity to excel, but never put himself to task to make himself better.
--Stewart
At 13, he graduated from high school and won a scholarship to M.I.T. He finished M.I.T. at 17 and went to work for a major corporation. While he was exceedingly brilliant, he could hold no job longer than six months.
One day, driving through my old neighborhood, I saw him standing on the corner in tattered, urine-soaked clothing with several other men, sipping wistfully from a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey. So dazed was he that he didn't even recognize me. Several years ago I heard he had died of cirrhosis of the liver. The famous line in the movie, A Bronx Tale, came to mind. "There is nothing more tragic in life than wasted talent." He had the mind, gifts and opportunity to excel, but never put himself to task to make himself better.
--Stewart
