Kim Ung-Yong has been an extraordinary person from the very beginning ever since he was born in 1962. In fact, it took him only six months to start speaking and by the age of three, he started reading Korean, German, Japanese, English and other foreign languages.
Kim’s father was a professor and he claimed that when Kim was only four years old, he had learnt more than 2000 words in English and German. Not only this, he also used to write poetry in Korean and Chinese languages. As expected, he scored an IQ of 210 at the age of four and his name was registered in the Guinness Book of Records. He appeared live on TV at the age of 5, solving difficult problems of differential calculus, making the whole world his fan.
Going by these facts, he must have been living an extraordinary life as of now, isn’t it?
Not really!
He worked for NASA during his teenage but later on, he came back to South Korea and joined a local university. Kim said that he took this step because he felt that he had tried too hard in order to fulfill his goals and that had created a vacuum in his life. In his words,
“When I was in NASA, every day I just repeated daily equations and research. I had no friends, I was lonely and exhausted. I lost a sense of purpose along the way. And I discovered that there is really nothing special about being special.”
He ignored all those who called him a “defective genius” and did what he wanted to do, i.e., studying Civil Engineering. He said that whatever he studied in the past was for non-constructive purposes while through his major studies, he got the opportunity to make those objects which didn’t exist.
When asked the reason as to why he quit, he said that during his stay at States, he was unable to understand what he was good at.
Kim wanted to live a normal life which he is doing nowadays, enjoying having drinks with friends and playing football with his son. In 2014, he attained the position of the Vice President in North Kyeong-gi Development Research Center and presently, he is working in Shinhan University as an Associate Professor.
When he was asked to give some advice to the parents who wish their kids to be genius, he said that parents should allow children to learn things one by one and not force them for anything. He said,
“The best thing you can do for your children as parents, is to support and guide them to achieve their goals one by one, on their own. By going on their own journeys, they will eventually discover what they would like to achieve in their lives. Just keep watching them and let them find their own meaning in life.”
He also laid emphasis on the fact that the everyday happiness should not be ignored in order to become someone in life. He added,
“But they should know happiness means ordinary things that we take for granted, such as nourishing friendships, sharing memorable moments with friends at school and so on… I couldn’t have these things even if I wanted to. This is why I know that what I’m saying is important.”
Well, that was indeed a brilliant piece of advice that every parent should listen and follow! What do you say? Share your opinion with regard to it in the comments section below.
