We hear it all the time: genius borderlines insanity. But to really understand the true meaning behind the words, we first have to distinguish between the two – which is often debatable. To be insane is to be unsound of mind, and to have difficulty dealing with reality. To be genius is to possess exceptional intellectual ability and creativity, and to think beyond the scope defined by reality. To get to the deeper meaning, we have to dig a little further. Reality, as most describe it, is nothing more than social convention. People typically deal with social reality by accepting and internalising the dominant cultural ideas and norms. Many greatly desire social acceptance so much to the point of denying themselves entirely just to fit in. Being creative on the other hand requires seeing things differently – as noted by Apple’s advertising slogan, “Think Different.” To be able to think from a different paradigm is to think outside of reality, which is to be labelled as insane. In truth, reality is a lot more complicated than most think. But to think that reality is any more complicated than social convention is either genius or insane, but is not normal. It turns out that there is actually a fine line between insanity and genius. It’s so fine in fact that many great minds are misdiagnosed as insane, or eventually become insane. The differences between insanity and genius can be so minute, that many great minds form their own definition of insanity for their own comfort, such as Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein: “insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.” I’ve always constantly doubted my own sanity, and had doubts about whether I fit into social norms. But recently, certain situations have caused me to question myself further than ever before. I’ve questioned myself about my abilities, and whether I’m utterly insane, or whether I’m in fact a genius. Society doesn’t help much either – some people class me as insane, some class me as genius, and others class me no more remarkable than normal. Continuously learning and having an unquenchable thirst for knowledge can sometimes become a burden. Personally, what I have experienced is that my intellect increases, but society doesn’t change. This in effect causes the feeling of society becoming more stupid, and makes connecting with others even more troublesome. During conversations it can sometimes feel like I’m emitting facts and denying my true self, just to fit in with reality and not comment or bring up anything that other subjects may not appreciate or understand. And if I were to bring up a topic which I am truly interested in, say quantum physics, and present one of my many radical theories which are complicated to the untrained mind, which extend beyond the scope of reality, then surely questions would arise of my sanity. (Strangely enough, believing in a mystical entity such as a God fits within reality, and therefore is sane.) Creativity is not normal, so creative people tend to be social misfits. People who dare to see the world differently, to imagine new possibilities, and most importantly, to act upon them, cannot be classified as fitting within social norms. Innovation and creativity never originate from those who cling tightly onto social convention. Intelligent people can perceive reality in many ways an average mind cannot, which in turn opens up many new possibilities. When a new technology is created that is so far ahead of living times and extends beyond the understanding of reality, naturally the creator is considered insane, until society catches on. Such was the case for Thomas Edison with the creation of the light bulb – selling such an item must have been quite a difficult task at the time. Albert Einstein wasn’t a genius until he proved his worth through physics and created the foundation for which the rest of modern science builds upon. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs weren’t geniuses until they made computer devices usable by normal society (Steve said himself that selling computers was a difficult task in a time when people had only just discovered calculators). Much more is involved with being a genius than just having high intellect – some form of success or contribution is needed. Geniuses are people who are recognised as introducing a creative innovation of value. The consequence of such a successful innovation is usually that society makes an adjustment, sometimes loving and embracing the new creation. Insane people can’t deal with reality. Geniuses can’t stand reality. Normal people try desperately hard to fit within reality. The difference between genius and insanity then is that geniuses have succeeded in changing the parts of reality they hate, whereas insane people have failed. Normal people do nothing and accept the belief that the world cannot be changed (at least by them). Geniuses are able to see more wrong with the world because they are more able to form ideas about how the world should be. To know how the world should be you first need to know what’s wrong with it. When you see a lot of what’s wrong with reality, you begin to hate it, and can’t tolerate it to the point of forcing yourself to fix it. The problem with genius is that it cannot be attributed until other people can understand it, or at least comprehend it. Otherwise it is classed as insane. We can see evidence of this all throughout history, where societies have condemned, and in some cases executed, those with greater understandings that did not fit within reality. Many people who we now class as geniuses lived lives of poverty, unappreciated and distant from reality in their own societies. In terms of intellect, many past geniuses were a lifetime ahead, which unfortunately meant that society did not catch up until after their death, and then realised the great losses. Often to be a genius is proving reality is wrong, which is to prove that you are right and everyone else is wrong. So it seems that a powerful force for success is the determination to prove that one is not insane, and is actually genius. It is a powerful force to prove that one’s vision is not only reasonable and realistic, but also inevitable. It is a dream for geniuses to see their visions triumph over conventional wisdom, and to impose their will upon the world. Many psychologists have also noted the relationship between insanity and genius. Generally, people who score well on IQ tests lean towards autism and other mental disorders. Simply put, many of the brains of highly intelligent people are wired differently to the norm – for better or for worse. This unique wiring in effect causes individuals to think outside the scope of reality. I’ve wondered many times about why my thought patterns are so vastly different, and about my ability to solve problems that most people don’t know even exist. I’ve come up with many explanations over the years to attempt to explain my oddity within society, ranging from insanity to genius, and from Asperger’s syndrome to schizotypal disorder. But now I have a new philosophy: my way of thinking is insane, until I prove to the world otherwise. For now, I am just a crazy individual with obscure behaviour, thinking and beliefs, trying to prove to the world that I am in fact sane. For as long as I fail to push my visions upon this world, I shall be classed as insane. Once I have proven my worth by improving society through my ideas, skills and determination, then, and only then, shall I be classed as genius
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 18:25:29 +0000