Gratuitous memorial post
Two people died last week, within hours of each other. One has been all but forgotten, the other is still inducing people into fits of hysteria. Some are questioning why, attacking those that might call one or the other a genius, or wondering why we care about two people dying when at least that many are killed in some unjust violence in some unstable part of the world, like Detroit, Motown, where on somedays two people are a victim of homicide.
We are human and when our idols die, we hurt. That is life. So we care. But that is not what I am here to talk about. I am here to talk about genius, and recognizing the unique gift that is genius is our fellow people.
Farrah was a genius. She leveraged a picture in a red one piece swimsuit, chosen to cover a childhood scare, and one season on a popular TV show, into a career. Genius is about learning to thrive in the real world. Farrah did so. On her own terms and her own ability.
Geeks have a hard time accepting this. We want to reserve genuis for the person who gets a Noble Prize, or builds a cool toy. But if we are scientiets, and we are clear about evolution, genius has to be generalized to those who thrive and change society in a more sustainable entity either through their actions, idea, or, we must admit, personality. A genius is one that allows us to view the world a little differently. After Farrah we never looked at a blonde as a victim.
Michael is also a genius, certainly a prodigy, absolutely not a possibly a savant. Michael showed us how to be together in motion, how to not look at color, how to focus on ability. He created and presented unique products. He used the tools of his time, Motown and later MTV, and leveraged those tools to express himself. His music, his dancing was his own. Like all geniuses, there was a derivative quality, but like all genius it was unique.
I am here to talk about genius, and not just about genius of these two individuals. I am here to talk about the genius of everyone, and how we can maximize the benefits of such genius. When we look at a blonde woman, we might only see her a wife or someone who can be managed until she is 25. When we see a black man, we might see only a sports figure, or a kid who can be used until he is no longer cute. When we see a geeky kid in glasses, we might allow her to stay in her room, with her books. When we see a clumsy kid, we might let him linger with his maths, hoping that he can get into college.
I think what we see is that genius is not a passive act. It is something we must actively pursue. The mistake that is made is that we often pursue the genius that is not within the person, but that is imposed from without. I think Farrah was lucky because she was able to express her Genius in reasonable bursts. I think Michael as unlucky because although he was a genius, the world was not happy with simply benefiting from that genius. As happens, the worl wanted more, as one person cannot do everything. We might try, but we have limitations. If we do not respect those limitation, we destroy ourselves.
I hope that everyone has the freedom to express their personal genius, and I hope that everyone else accepts that no matte how incredible an individual might seem, at the end of the day we are all fragile humans how just want to be loved and have someone to love back.
