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Both geniuses and madmen pay attention to what others ignore

nautil.us

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Re: Both geniuses and madmen pay attention to what others ignore

#91

Post by sverige »

hyperpallium wrote: post #89
sverige wrote: post #20

Every time I read one of these articles about genius and madness, I become smug for a little while, then I get depressed because I realize that I haven't accomplished anything noteworthy, then I'm mildly reassured because occasionally my wife will spontaneously aver (contrary to all expectation) that I am a genius, then I get distracted and start chasing some ideas, then I get depressed again because, well, shit, I s…

There's that TED talk about an older meaning of "genius" is something that visits you, like a muse, and not something that you are. It's just up to you to be prepared when inspiration strikes, to notice it, and follow up on it. Noteworthiness is also very dependent on context. If you're too late, you're not a genius, even though you came up with it independently... how can what other people do affect your brain tissu…

Well said! I read those ancient Greeks a long time ago and yes, real "genius" is something that overtakes a person, not inherent.

Re: Both geniuses and madmen pay attention to what others ignore

#93

Post by ironic_ali »

sverige wrote: post #20

Every time I read one of these articles about genius and madness, I become smug for a little while, then I get depressed because I realize that I haven't accomplished anything noteworthy, then I'm mildly reassured because occasionally my wife will spontaneously aver (contrary to all expectation) that I am a genius, then I get distracted and start chasing some ideas, then I get depressed again because, well, shit, I s…

You sound like a classic e/intp Meyer's Brigg's type... The Western isles scotch's are a personal favourite :)

Re: Both geniuses and madmen pay attention to what others ignore

#94

Post by sverige »

da02 wrote: post #82
sverige wrote: post #20

Every time I read one of these articles about genius and madness, I become smug for a little while, then I get depressed because I realize that I haven't accomplished anything noteworthy, then I'm mildly reassured because occasionally my wife will spontaneously aver (contrary to all expectation) that I am a genius, then I get distracted and start chasing some ideas, then I get depressed again because, well, shit, I s…

What are some examples of why your friend is a genius? IQ or discoveries?

One is a genius of entertainment. He's on TV five times a week. TV doesn't do him justice -- he's much more interesting in person. He always knows exactly what to say in any given situation.

One is a genius of memory. He memorized the entire Norton Anthology of Poetry when he was a child. (I'm not even kidding.) In college we all played a game where we would give him the first line of a poem. He would then supply the title of the poem, the author, the year it was published, and generally the rest of the poem, or at least the rest of the first verse. He's a college professor. You've never heard of him, but his students invariably love him. He changes people one at a time.

There are others in this group who are very accomplished in publishing, acting, comedy. I also know a guy whose name is associated with the creation ("discovery") of several elements. (I suspect he glows in the dark from all the radiation he has absorbed, but I haven't actually confirmed that.) Tough crowd if you're in a mood to compare yourself.

Re: Both geniuses and madmen pay attention to what others ignore

#95

Post by taurath »

sverige wrote: post #74
taurath wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well then you have a clear chance of being a genius, since according to other threads those who think they're a genius aren't!

This, my friend, is the well-worn path to the rabbit hole.

I suppose we could pair it with a causality loop and be here for the rest of our lives!

Re: Both geniuses and madmen pay attention to what others ignore

#96

Post by sverige »

ironic_ali wrote: post #93
sverige wrote: post #20

Every time I read one of these articles about genius and madness, I become smug for a little while, then I get depressed because I realize that I haven't accomplished anything noteworthy, then I'm mildly reassured because occasionally my wife will spontaneously aver (contrary to all expectation) that I am a genius, then I get distracted and start chasing some ideas, then I get depressed again because, well, shit, I s…

You sound like a classic e/intp Meyer's Brigg's type... The Western isles scotch's are a personal favourite :)

I always come out intp or intj, depending on my mood when I take it. Very occasionally it shows extrovert, but not as variable as the p/j dichotomy. And I like Tennessee or rye. Had a bad experience with scotch in my youth, still haven't recovered. ;P

Re: Both geniuses and madmen pay attention to what others ignore

#97

Post by jhulla »

sverige wrote: post #20

Every time I read one of these articles about genius and madness, I become smug for a little while, then I get depressed because I realize that I haven't accomplished anything noteworthy, then I'm mildly reassured because occasionally my wife will spontaneously aver (contrary to all expectation) that I am a genius, then I get distracted and start chasing some ideas, then I get depressed again because, well, shit, I s…

Wit and whisky. Wonderful combination. Cheers.

Re: Both geniuses and madmen pay attention to what others ignore

#98

Post by xapata »

noir_lord wrote: post #49
sverige wrote: post #20

Every time I read one of these articles about genius and madness, I become smug for a little while, then I get depressed because I realize that I haven't accomplished anything noteworthy, then I'm mildly reassured because occasionally my wife will spontaneously aver (contrary to all expectation) that I am a genius, then I get distracted and start chasing some ideas, then I get depressed again because, well, shit, I s…

When my GF tells me I'm really clever I just say "not really, I have a good memory and read a lot." I'm not proud of my intelligence, why would I be? (much of it) is determined by genetics and the environment you grew up in and I had little control over either of those. I also point out she is the one who speaks 3 languages fluently, has a degree in finance and qualified as a shipbroker, I just explain things really…

> good memory

Funny, that's the same for me. People confuse memory for thought.

Re: Both geniuses and madmen pay attention to what others ignore

#99

Post by alanh »

noir_lord wrote: post #49
sverige wrote: post #20

Every time I read one of these articles about genius and madness, I become smug for a little while, then I get depressed because I realize that I haven't accomplished anything noteworthy, then I'm mildly reassured because occasionally my wife will spontaneously aver (contrary to all expectation) that I am a genius, then I get distracted and start chasing some ideas, then I get depressed again because, well, shit, I s…

When my GF tells me I'm really clever I just say "not really, I have a good memory and read a lot." I'm not proud of my intelligence, why would I be? (much of it) is determined by genetics and the environment you grew up in and I had little control over either of those. I also point out she is the one who speaks 3 languages fluently, has a degree in finance and qualified as a shipbroker, I just explain things really…

> I just explain things really slowly and simply to a very fast idiot for a living.

Given that I have the same job as you do, this took me an embarrassing number of seconds to understand.

Well said.

Re: Both geniuses and madmen pay attention to what others ignore

#100

Post by xapata »

sverige wrote: post #94
da02 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are some examples of why your friend is a genius? IQ or discoveries?

One is a genius of entertainment. He's on TV five times a week. TV doesn't do him justice -- he's much more interesting in person. He always knows exactly what to say in any given situation. One is a genius of memory. He memorized the entire Norton Anthology of Poetry when he was a child. (I'm not even kidding.) In college we all played a game where we would give him the first line of a poem. He would then supply the…

No need to restrict yourself to friends. Feynman, Da Vinci, Alexander the Great, ... there are countless individuals who have done more.

I used to (and still occasionally) suffer from staring out into the stars at night and realizing how insignificant I am. We should all be like Zaphod, eh?

Just remind yourself that life in an absurd universe is pointless, so there's no need to achieve anything beyond having a nice snack and a beer this evening.

To be honest, the thing that's most improved my happiness is exercise. It wasn't that long ago I (re)discovered the joy that you can observe on the faces of small children when they run for the sake of feeling their muscles move.

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