For 450 years, my family made it a point to marry the smartest people they...

For 450 years, my family made it a point to marry the smartest people they could find. The result? Generation after generation, we were well above the average intelligence of the general population.

Intelligence is not an accident. It is an inheritance. A gift from your ancestors, not to the world, not to your neighbors, not to “humanity,” but to you and to your descendants.

Your intelligence is for your benefit. It is a blood-bound advantage meant to lift your lineage. Never forget that. And never let anyone guilt or manipulate you into believing that your intelligence is a curse, or that it is common property to be spent on the world’s behalf.

That being said, I do believe in noblesse oblige. After you have met the needs of your family and ensured the well-being of your descendants, it is right, noble, and good to use your gifts in service of your people, your extended kin, your community, your nation. But it must come from strength and surplus, not from shame.