Conversations: Genius

Boldness is genius in itself - Ashish

With everything perfect, we do not ask how it came to be. We rejoice in the present fact as though it came out of the ground by magic - Nietzsche

That is what talent looks and feels like. We call them genius. The effortless ease at which a genius navigates the course, plays a sports/instrument, leads people, is simply magic. While the world sweats to learn the same skills, here walks amongst us humans, individuals who seem to do the incredible with ease.

What makes them special? The answer was also given by Nietzsche who said, ‘No one can see in the work of the artist how it has become. That is its advantage, for wherever one can see the act of becoming one grows somewhat cool.’ We only see these geniuses fully ready. We have not seen the hard work they put behind the scene to reach the pinnacles they have.

And by declaring them as geniuses, we are not obliged to compare ourselves and find ourselves lacking….to call someone ‘divine’ means: ‘here there is no reason to compete.’ It lets us off the hook.

The reality of geniuses is accomplished by those whose thinking is in one direction, who employs everything as material, who always zealously observes their own inner life and that of the others, who perceive everywhere models and incentives, who never tire of combining the means available to them - Dan Chambliss.

To become a genius learn what Nietzsche implores: ‘Do not talk about giftedness, inborn talents! They acquired greatness by possessing that seriousness of the efficient workman which first earns to construct the parts properly before it ventures to fashion a great whole; they allowed themselves time for it, because they took more pleasure in making the little, secondary things well than in the effect of the dazzling whole.’

So to the workmen of the world, construct each small part daily!