Big
Genius
“But
the Greeks and the Romans both believed in the idea of an external daemon of
creativity—a sort of house elf, if you will, who lived within the walls of your
home and who sometimes aided you in your labors. The Romans had a specific term
for that helpful house elf. They called it your genius—your guardian deity, the
conduit of you inspiration. Which is to say, the Romans didn’t believe an
exceptionally gifted person was a genius; they believed that an exceptionally
gifted person had a genius.”
Elizabeth
Gilbert (Big Magic, p.67; Riverhead Books, NY, 2015)
There
is a big difference between “being” a genius, and “having” a genius. The Mensa
group would probably disagree, but they will have to take it up with the
ancient Romans. In my experience, the people we think of as geniuses have
ingenuity in one primary area—like Einstein in math. His private life was anything
but genius. I think of Elon Musk and know that he’s made some brilliant
decisions (Tesla) and some, in my opinion, really dumb ones (buying Twitter). Mark
Zuckerberg—brilliant and bumbling. He founded Meta (Facebook), yes, and then he
lost his way by failing to control destructive misinformation posted there. Both
men are entrepreneurial geniuses, and ego-driven human beings.
Closer
to home, I have friends who are genius in certain areas and deficient in
others. I’ll bet you do, too. Perhaps that is the nature of human brain
development—we can’t be brilliant across the board because we develop certain neural
pathways by repeating their patterns, and at the same time, neglect others. If
something interests us, we become good at it through trial and error and by
persistence and practice. Yo-Yo Ma isn’t a great cellist because he’s a genius;
he’s a great cellist because he worked hard and practiced long—he still
practices 3-6 hours per day.
One
thing that has always puzzled me is why the offspring of entrepreneurial geniuses
believe their progenitor’s success is theirs as well. It’s an archaic notion
handed down from the aristocratic past. We have all know people of very humble
means, who grew up in poverty, and yet achieved genius. To achieve genius, even
if it’s only in one area, almost always happens because you work to improve
every single day for decades. Just ask Venus and Serena Williams.
Do not
despair if you are not a Mensa member. Brilliance is a matter of work and diligence—or
what the “geniuses” at Harvard call “grit.” Patience and persistence pay off. Most
of us are middle of the roaders—we do some things well enough, and other things
we simply don’t even try—for me, it’s algebra and rock climbing. And that’s
okay, too. To echo Mr. Rogers, “I like you just the way you are.” You don’t
have to be a genius to be good. And, of course, your guardian deity will help.
They’re pretty handy to have around.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment