If our brains really contain multiple minds, then some of them might well mature at a faster rate than the rest, whatever the skill(s) or capabilities they support. Whether that can happen solely from genetics, or requires further nurture is still a wide open discussion. But apparently most children turn out as they do in spite of whatever the parents try to do while rearing them [granting there must be special case exceptions].

Probably because Asian mothers do a very similar job as Jewish mothers used to, they push their kids to excel.

This is something today’s parents, too focused on being “cool friends” cannot manage.

There is such a thing as “too much”, but we seriously don’t push our kids enough.

To excel means drawing attention to yourself, and that is not something which the Hoi Polloi are meant to do.

P.S., thanks, Neo. I love The Four Seasons… it ranks up there with the best of Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven for awesomeness.

Yes, but this is probably possible for lots and lots of kids. Children have all the mechanisms for picking up multiple languages early on, their brains are truly primed for it. I would lay odds Mill is/was not so much a prodigy as much as one of many who could do the same, were they only exposed to the languages early on. Not saying he was not awesome, but suspecting perhaps more like 1 in 100 or 1,000 than 1 in 1,000,000.

If I had had children, I would have gone way out of my way to make sure they had at least 3 steady language exposures before they were 7, preferably Chinese and one European language, just because Chinese is such a radically different language type, as a tonal language.

It would no doubt have been an issue, as it would have meant my kids could carry on conversations I would not be able to understand in my presence. Never a good thing for parents. 😛

😛

They can see the kids have extreme talent, and there is no doubt of it… but here they are having spent decades getting to where they are and here is this kid @ 11 or 14 going, “Hey, grampa, here’s how you do it!”

😀

One wonders how many kids he had. Because… let’s face it. One would expect him to know as much as anyone how to get… Bizet. 😀

This works fine in places where youth is essential — sports like tennis or gymnastics where age becomes a major hindrance due to loss of speed and precision that comes with age.

Violin is not, however — you’d generally be better off having yourself peak at about 20 or so, because then you’ll retain your interest for far longer, and use your talent for 30,40, or even 50 years.

Rufus T. Firefly:

Well, yes.

Credit where credit is due, Asians have their home team favorites, but when the West hits home runs in science and culture, Asians have paid attention.

They also like the serious discipline the crown jewels of Western Civilization require, even if we, for the historical moment, seem to have forgotten.

It’s been a two-way exchange. Western art and spirituality have drawn clearly on Asian sources in the past century or two.

Now that Covid is drawing to a close, I look forward to returning my local Zendo for meditation. Call me an old fuddy-duddy but Zoom Zen meditation just doesn’t make it.

Because Western Classical music is awesome! And those driven to be the best in their field aspire to what is most sublime, challenging and beautiful.

I have always wondered about that; Asians – and not just prodigies – attracted to Western Classical music.
Check out the members of major orchestras in the USA or Europe; you will find many are Asians.
Also, many Asian nations (Peking, Tokyo, Manila, Hanoi, Bangkok, etc) have orchestras that perform Western Classical music.
It’s interesting to speculate why this has occurred.

The Left/educational establishment thinks everyone is the same and have the same innate talents, and all results are the product of racism.

Steve raises a great question. Nature or nuture? I tend to go with “Both!” To deny some rather obvious facts such as the NBA, asian music/mathematics prodigies, etc etc, is to ultimately deny each person a path which best utilizes their ability. All in favor of a so-called “equitable society”.