Yours is the voice of bitter experience. The painfully bright blaze that was once at the core of your very being has dimmed to a warming glow, even though your mental faculties are still essentially as sharp as ever. And you've had to learn to make some compromises along the way. This is all to the good, and you're now a far more loveable person than you've ever been before, and you can express empathy in a way that has previously eluded you.
You're also someone that knows why you're the kind of person you are. When you were younger it was enough that you were the smartest person in the room, seeing things other people were too lazy to spot and filtering the world in a way few of your friends could match. Now you have old scores to settle, old ghosts to lay to rest, and your ultimate goal is peace. This is no bad thing, and the best part of being a more empathic human being is that people will try and help you along the way, rather than hide from your previously withering sneer. `
Could it be that you're finally managing to develop personal wisdom, in the midst of all of that cleverness?
This is quite weird as I really lack empathy, which is quite an issue when you're a social worker, haha. (I've always hated my job though. I took a skills assessment last year and they said one of the most appropriate jobs for me would be embalmer... Well, that way I wouldn't need to show empathy I guess )