Prodigious Nobel

A prodigy is someone with exceptional talents that are usually recognized at an early age. Prodigy is a word that can also be used to describe a rare or extraordinary event. The origin of the word, however, comes from the Latin prodigium which is translated to mean omen or monster.

Some historically known prodigies have left an enduring mark in their fields. In music a classic example is Mozart who began composing at the age of five. In the religious world a prodigy is often referred to as an Iluui, or someone elevated in Torah learning. There are many examples of such individuals in the Torah world and included among them are the Vilna Gaon and Reb Yonatan Eibschitz, among many others. These are prodigious, successful individuals.

There are many prodigies who are life-long successes and there are some who burn out by the age of twelve. Some prodigies have exceptional talents in specific areas and some are all around geniuses. Some channel their talents into benefiting humankind while, unfortunately, there are others who have prodigious success with criminal and anti-social activities.

The study of childhood prodigies has been limited so no meaningful scientific generalizations can be made beyond the few obvious following ones. For an exceptionally talented youngster to excel the child needs a great deal of support. After all, the child prodigy is well beyond his or her peers in intellect and may have no social support network, or worse, may be rejected and bullied. This type of child may also do very poorly in a normal academic environment as he or she will grasp what is being taught well ahead of others and may be able to explain it even better than a teacher. The amount of frustration that this can cause to all involved is often overwhelming. A child with so great an intellect and talent must be properly understood and reinforced so as to properly nurture their gift. The one thing that is clear is that if not properly nurtured a prodigy will likely be exhausted before any major life successes are achieved.

Why have I been thinking of prodigies? It started when the Nobel committee awarded President Obama the Nobel Peace Prize. My initial reaction was likely similar to most everyone else’s, expressed best by Lech Walessa, himself a Peace Prize winner, which was that the Prize was awarded much too soon in the President’s tenure. President Obama has not yet had a chance to earn it, what then was the point? I, along with many others, also saw the award as a political gambit on the part of the Nobel committee, a way to direct the United States toward the Committee’s vision of peace. But this is simply part of the Nobel committee’s modus operandi. Notwithstanding, the title of the award, prior Peace Prize winners have included Yasir Arafat, granting him license to trigger two intifadas, Mikhail Gorbachev when he was still the leader of the USSR and three times to the International Red Cross, despite the fact that it takes no stand on war in its charter and has for years not acted as a true international organization. Similarly, President Carter was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his determination to resolve conflicts through mediation in clear contrast to the US foreign policy at the time that his award was granted.

All of these issues came to mind initially but rapidly dissipated. The one that lingered is the analogy to the child prodigy. President Obama is a relative newcomer to national politics and a novice in world diplomacy. Before becoming president his experience in large scale politics was limited to Chicago. That is not to say that he has not presented himself in a most skillful manner. Quite the opposite, Mr. Obama is competent, triumphant in personality and in many ways even victorious in developing his grand plans for dealing with so many issues at one time. To the world he is seen as a beacon for positive change.

Writing in the New York Times, Bono, says that the world wants to believe in America and the choice of our president for The Nobel Peace prize is one clear indication of that. Perhaps, but if you award someone before they achieve any real success you set them up for failure and this is precisely what happens to prodigies that are not given a chance to develop. We talk a lot about giving children a strong sense of confidence. We want to help them develop a strong sense of self-esteem. The research, however, shows that self-esteem is a poor measure of lifetime success. Willingness to take chances, to fail and learn from failures is significantly more important. Prodigies do not often have these opportunities.

And, President Obama, by receiving this award so soon, too soon, is not unlike a prodigy being set up for failure. This award may be an omen for good or for bad. Will the award encourage a strong sense of drive and motivation to achieve in the President or like others who have received the Peace Prize, will it feed a sense of narcissism in President Obama and cause him to lose sight of the real goals of the Presidency? If it promotes the latter the Nobel committee will have caused this prodigious president to be viewed as a monster and the awarding of the Peace Prize a very bad omen.

Dr. Salamon, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is the founder and director of ADC Psychological Services, PLLC, in Hewlett, NY. He is the author of The Shidduch Crisis: Causes and Cures, published by Urim Publications and Every Pot Has a Cover: A Proven Guide to Finding, Keeping and Enhancing the Ideal Relationship, published by Rowman & Littlefield.