What it means to be a Genius

What it means to be a Genius

In dictionary terms, ‘genius’ means a person with extraordinary intellect and talent. In a very literal sense of the word, any person who harbours vast knowledge, ability and a natural intent to all these, is regarded a genius on his own.

Factual part of it

On hearing genius, the instant images that come to our minds are of Einstein, Darwin, Vinci, Picasso, Galileo and all other eminent people of that stature. All of them might belong to different areas of expertise yet they are bound by a single thread of reference – genius! So, what is the common trait in them?

It is their outlook of the world, the questions they ask, the approach they take, and the basic wiring of their thoughts.

 Einstein had his first conceptual breakthrough while looking at a mirror and wondering what he would see if he could travel at the speed of light. Galileo went against the world believing Earth to be a sphere. He was cursed to prison yet he never lost his faith. Tagore left every school and university he was admitted in and was deemed as a notorious illiterate in his early life, yet he shone as a literary genius round the world. Da Vinci somehow made a connection between sound of a bell and ripples in water that eventually led to the discovery that sound travels in waves.

Be it science, art, politics, a genius in every field has their unique way of perceiving and pursuing, their inconceivable process an apparent crazy to common eye.

Practical part of it

Biological fact is some of us are born with inexplicable charisma; some endowed with innate intelligence, some a born-leader, a prodigy in one form or other. But the other factor that acts as a catalyst to creative mind is the right push and perseverance. A positive attitude and an intellectual support group is the external guide to nurturing one’s inner genius. Both this inner-outer coupling forms the bond to give way to a perfect symbiosis.  

Surreal part of it

The more subtle way of seeing it is to understand the mere fact that every man is a miracle. The one thing that differentiates an apparently common man and a genius is their way of thinking. A common man always goes by the conventional means of what was taught and what they had learnt in past. They don’t apply intuition or guts to seek the new. But then again, how do we grow up?

Every baby learns survival based on their instinct and desire that compels them to push through the limits. The little minds learn from their mistakes with an indomitable craving. This is nature’s way of telling that there lies a hidden potential in every man. Whether that potential is tended with just effort and faith decides whether one has reached his own peak in life.

The debate on whom and what to be reckoned as genius continues till date but as Einstein said ‘“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”