Museo Galileo

Giftedness is something that we have been learning about for a couple of days now and I am beginning to understand it more and more each time. The way I like to explain it, is that is a noticeable difference in intelligence and/or skill for someone, compared to their age mates. There are many gifted individuals in the world, but only some are lucky enough to have the tools and ability to expand their giftedness to the best of its abilities. Some may be gifted, but if that are in a situation where they do not have access to the right provisions, their giftedness may be halted and not ever uncovered. On Wednesday, May 30th we went over to the Galileo Museum where we were able to see the Italian physicist and astronomers life’s work, on display. It was amazing to see through his work, how brilliant of a mind he had. There was no question that he was a gifted individual!

From an early age, his father encouraged him to question authority and not always go with the flow. One of the main things that he is known for is for the support of the Copernican theory. This theory is the idea that the solar system sun-centered. To be in support of this theory, Galileo had to be prepared for the shame and heresy he would receive from the people of the church, but he did not let that effect him. Because of this, he was even locked up by the church for having such “outlandish” ideas, but he never let it stop him.

He was persistent and wanted to share his ideas with the world. In fact, he even published five major books so that he could allow his ideas to run wild. We have learned that it is important to have a good foundation in order for your talents to thrive. However, Galileo had a lot going against him and he is still known as “The Father of Modern Science.” Galileo’s personality had to be strong. He had to be able to stand up and fight for what he believed in, no matter what. I think that shows through his work and how he never stopped inventing or trying to come up with new ideas on why the universe is how it is. It could be possible that your personality traits are a type of stimulation and motivation for giftedness to flourish or wither.

Something to ask ourselves is whether or not he would have had even more things to share with the world. If he would have been cherished for coming up with the things that he did and treated fairly, would he have had even more knowledge? Would his giftedness have surpassed what he has already shared with us? I guess there is no way of knowing this for sure, but from what we know about giftedness and how the environment effects it, I am sure that there could have been even more knowledge from him to share with this world. What if his father was not someone who supported him and encouraged him to be skeptic of established authority? If there was no support for him at all, we may not have been walking around his museum and seeing all his ideas brought to life right in front of my eyes. Society could very well be, not where it is today. It is interesting to see how many different outcomes there could have been in regards to his giftedness. It makes you think that just the smallest bit of encouragement or discouragement, could change the world for better or worse.

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