foto: freepik.com
Brilio.net - To be smart and know many things, someone needs to study harder. Not just 1 or 2 years, knowledge that reaches expert level even has to be pursued for dozens to decades. Especially to become a mathematician whose knowledge is considered complicated and full of numbers.
But it's different with a man named Jason Padgett. Without needing to study up to a master's degree, he immediately became a genius after recovering from a concussion. The 54 year old man suffered a concussion as a result of being robbed by an unknown person.
The incident began when he left a bar in Tacoma, Washington, United States while drunk in 2002. Suddenly he was approached by several people who immediately threw punches at his head until he fell unconscious. Before fainting, Jason admitted he saw a flash of light for a split second.
photo: Facebook/@Jason Padgett
Jason was immediately taken to the hospital for an examination. That night, doctors diagnosed him with a severe concussion and bleeding kidneys. After the attack, Jason also suffered from anxiety disorders.
By the time he wakes up, Jason can see the world in a very different way. Everyday objects suddenly appear pixelated. This made the man discover that the image he was experiencing was phtactal, namely a mathematical pattern that more or less created a complex geometric shape.
In mathematics, it takes quite a long time to understand this concept. However, Jason actually had the opportunity to see it for real. In fact, Jason is one of those who doesn't like mathematics. But who would have thought, the unexpected robbery incident actually made him an expert in mathematics.
"My life was only surrounded by women, parties and drinking," said Jason Padgett, reported by brilio.net from youarecurrent.com on Wednesday (5/6).
photo: Facebook/@Jason Padgett
Finally, in the midst of his busy schedule, Jason drew shapes that had always crossed his mind at that time. He also believed that his drawings were the key to the universe. He consistently did this without any formal training to understand what was being drawn.
Finally a physicist recognized the picture and told Jason that he should take mathematics lessons . This urge is what made Jason become a college student and future number theorist. Its presence also attracted the attention of many people, including scientists.
Many scientists are curious about how it is possible for someone to become a genius so quickly, so they become research subjects. Scientists discovered that Jason was experiencing Acquired Savant Syndrome. Where there are parts of the human brain that are reorganized to enable these intelligent skills. The findings also say that not all human brains can activate it.
A cognitive neuroscientist from the University of Miami, Berit Brogaard, said that Jason's brain injury caused him to experience a form of synesthesia. Where certain things trigger the appearance of mathematical formulas or geometric shapes in his mind or as if they are being projected in front of him.
"They discovered that I have access to parts of the brain that we cannot access consciously and also that the visual cortex works together with the part of the brain that does mathematics," said Jason, quoted by Unilad.
With this sudden gift of intelligence, Jason was finally able to publish a memoir entitled "Struck by Genius". Jason has also traveled the world to tell his story to many people. Apart from that, he also shared his mathematical knowledge with many people.
(brl/mal)
