The Piece of Crap at the Center of the Universe

Photo: Brian

Ever since my appendectomy, when I started watching Craig Ferguson when I couldn't sleep, I've had his show on Tivo subscription. I no longer watch it when it's actually on, but catch it in the morning or after work, before dinner.

A week or 2 ago, Craig had a guest on and their conversations turned to a strange concept, that of having low self esteem and a big ego. He summed that idea up in one of my new favorite phrases:

I am the piece of crap at the center of the universe.

He then commented on how it wasn't something he really thought was out there. They quickly moved on and I just filed the amusing phrase for the exceptionally rare possibility that I'd ever get to use the phrase appropriately.

Then, I read this article about kids who are constantly told they are smart, wonderful people and, as a result, underestimate their own abilities and underachieve in fear of failure.

In other words, these kids feel like they're the piece of crap at the center of the universe.

Who knew that that phrase would prove relevant within a few weeks of hearing it?

I've long felt that the people who faced adversity and overcame it are nearly universally more interesting and more capable of tackling the problems that life throws at you.

And, I'm reminded of the fact that Mensa is full of people who are off-the-chart smart, but have done nothing extraordinary with that intellectual capability, while many "average" folks do amazing things.