[Dixielandjazz] Normal life?

[John Farrell]

Pat Ladd said (re genius kids):

" Is it really a good trade to give up a normal life, bereft of all the
 interactions with other people just to be the top of the tree in one
 particular skill?"

I watched the TV program about 12 year old Julian Bliss - quite clearly he
is not being coerced into something he does not want to do. Spending most of
his time tootling away on his clarinoose is far more fulfilling for him than
going to discos, football games, shooting things down on a computer screen
and mixing with people with whom he has absolutely nothing in common (if the
latter activities are part of a "normal life" then it is a fair bet that
many of us on this list also rejected them in deference to an irresistible
compulsion to learn how to play music, I certainly did). Nothing abnormal in
that.

You must do what you must do or your life will be hell.

John Farrell
stridepiano@tesco.net
http://homepages.tesco.net/~stridepiano/midifiles.htm