Smell that fellow geeks? That, my friends is the sweet smell of retribution.
For years we suffered under the boot of the jocks, the louts, the ‘cool’ kids; for us school lunch breaks were horrific gauntlets with the omnipresent fear of humiliation lingering throughout the playground.
Oh times were hard – watching our tormentors getting dates, enjoying respect from their peers and living without a care in the world.
How deliciously things have changed.
The joy of getting older is that this whole relationship turns right on its head. As the bullies go out into the adult world, they inevitably struggle to interact with mature people – they flounder, alienate others, become jaded.
Some even end up on the streets… On the other hand, us smart ones get better and better with age, like a fine wine. All that studying pays off eventually, and we end up with the best jobs, the best friends, the best partners. We end up with the best lives. Didn’t some guy once say that “the meek shall inherit the Earth”? We can’t help but think that fella was absolutely right.
Let’s break it down – how exactly do our smarts help us to stand out? Well, how about the small matter of mate selection for starters? Those steroid-pumped gym freaks have gotta be compensating for something and no, we’re not talking about male genitalia… We’re talking about personality. Intelligence. Substance. Soul. The fact is that whilst good people may well find hot bodies sexy, they’re generally more attracted to beautiful minds when it comes to finding a mate. Google ‘Salman Rushdie’ and you’ll see what we mean.
Then there’s the lighter side of life – hobbies, pass-times. Sure, the jocks are still gonna win at soccer, but the humble geek can outstrip his or her burly counterpart when it comes to skills and tactics.
You’re a hell of a lot more likely to see a geek ripping out a mighty guitar solo than a jock – Weezer, anyone? – and you can bet your bottom dollar that all that brain power’s gonna come in handy when it comes to making a quick quid or 2 – a nerd’s gonna trounce a jock every time if they play online in a poker or blackjack challenge.
Oh, and another thing. Jobs. Those of us who live in small towns may even be lucky enough to see the reversal in fortunes from school to adult life illustrated plainly in front of their very eyes, in the local job market.
Everyone knows that to do well at school is to set yourself up to get a great job; something you love that’s also gonna earn you some respect and most probably a decent amount of money. Smile quietly at the cycle of life as those who once tormented you as a child heavy-heartedly scan your groceries, because in the end, it pays to be smart.
