Giftedness During Unpredictable Times

Lalitha Murali, WATG Board Member

We are living in unpredictable times. There is a global pandemic. Many of us are wearing masks and practicing social distancing as a sign of mutual respect for each other. Our Black brothers and sisters are fighting for their lives, and we stand in solidarity with them by listening to them, amplifying Black voices, and sharing and practicing anti-racist ideologies. 

So how do we, as gifted individuals and/or parents and educators of gifted children, activate our social conscience and practice social justice daily? The answer may be simpler than you think. Perhaps we already are. 

Giftedness is all about imagining and achieving the impossible, and living through these unpredictable times is also about imagining and achieving the impossible. Our lives have been greatly altered, and we’ve had to adapt. 

First of all, I challenge you to think about challenges that you’ve already faced in your life. What did you have to do to achieve work-life balance?  What have you had  to do to remain safe and keep everyone around you safe? How have you reconciled your feelings about the world with the actions in your life up until this point? Think about how you’ve grown, changed, and adapted. You’ve been resilient.

Now that we know and understand how resilient our minds are and how we grow to adapt to our life circumstances, let’s discuss how we keep this momentum going and create change to make this world a better place.

1. You like to read? Excellent! We need you and your brilliant minds. Read about our history and come to understand why 2020 seems to be a revisitation of our past. Read about the present and unlearn previous biases we’ve had. Read about the future hopes and dreams people have about the world, and contemplate how we can make those dreams come true. I guarantee whatever genre you like to read, there is something to learn. Sci-fi, historical fiction, nonfiction, autobiography, fiction, narrative medicine. You name it, then read it, and learn from it. 
2. You like to write? Even better! Practice wellness and self-care by journaling. Write about your thoughts and feelings at least once a week, perhaps even every day. We are living history right now and you’ll want to read this someday in the future to remember what these times were like. Write out your frustrations. Write out your hopes. Write out the changes you want to see in the world, and figure out how we can achieve them. We can breathe so much meaning into our lives once we take the time to sit down and sift through all of the thoughts in our heads. 
3. You like to talk? Welcome to the game! We need you. Help amplify Black voices. Talk to people who share different opinions than you. The divisiveness that exists in this world is built on persistent racist ideologies, and all of us must work together to combat this.. The more we talk to others, the more we can learn..and this positions us for action. 

You see, giftedness is about using the skills you already have and utilizing them to achieve greater heights. The more you perfect these skills, the better equipped you will be to face the challenges ahead. And believe me there, will be many challenges that will eventually make us better humans. These challenges will force us to rethink our ideologies, and to work together to make the world a better place. 

So keep reading, my friends. Keep writing, keep talking, and keep doing. These skills will serve you and the world well.. And we need these skills now more than ever.