Trigun and gifted kid problems: The character analysis no one asked for
A lot of kids who were known as the “smart kids” or identified “gifted and talented” were treated like they could and should do everything perfectly, without trying. They grew up without a realistic sense of what fell within their control or responsibility. They ended up feeling guilty for everything that involved them in anyway, and they fell into depression as adults.
Many smart kids bear another burden that only adds to the first. All that extra processing power means not just thinking more but sensing more, feeling more, remembering more. In other words, many smart kids are also extremely intense and sensitive.
And because gifted kids both are different (they think, talk and behave differently) and are treated differently, they often grow up feeling alone.
Imagine you’re a gifted kid raised with a rigid moral code.
Now imagine that you aren’t just a normal gifted human. You’re a plant. No one knows what you can do for sure, but there’s no clear limit. (And not only do you feel different, you are fundamentally different).
How responsible would you feel for everyone you come into contact with? Anyone you affect in any way? How much would you start to feel anything that goes wrong is your fault?
And how much would you want to downplay your intelligence/other gifts, and the horrific burden of responsibility and loneliness that accompany them?
Isn’t it fortunate that everyone around you seems to think being a good person means being naive and stupid?
(I have thoughts about how this dynamic affected Knives, too, but that’s another post).
