Sometimes when I read, being a voracious reader, I find odd connections between different works. For example, recently I read several excellent books that dealt with wit [1]. As wit is a rare sort of subject to find in nonfiction literature, and especially rare to find in books that one reads without looking for the subject so closely together, it is always of interest when such similarities occur. Being the sort of person who has a seemingly endless appetite for musing and mental analysis, seeking the patterns that tie together seemingly disparate elements and help construct a context for what others may see as isolated phenomena, such activity comes fairly naturally. As might be imagined, that too has been some of the content I have read recently as well and which provided yet more room for thought.

Ever since I was a child, the subject of genius has always been a bit of a sore subject with me, or at least a delicate one. While I have generally sought and enjoyed the company of fellow bright people, I have also always been aware that I have always combined a great deal of eccentricity and a certain amount of social awkwardness with my intellectual and intensely curious nature that has left me vulnerable to a fair amount of envious ridicule over the fruits of intelligence. So, despite my enjoyment of my intellect, I am also aware that it is a bit of a two-edged sword that has been used to cut me at least as often as my own sharp wit has cut others (sometimes without intention). I suppose every gift has two sides, as anything that should be appreciated can also serve to cause harm to ourselves and others. There is no good gift of God that cannot be corrupted by the wicked or denigrated by envious hearts, nor is there a curse that cannot be redeemed by the grace of God. We merely have to live so that we resemble our Heavenly Father in recognizing even unexpected blessings and not the father of lies whose spirit is poisoned by bitterness and envy.

Genius in its practical flowering, however one defines it, is not a straightforward quality. Rather, it is a combination of qualities that often exist in tension. For example, genius consists both in the careful collection of existing knowledge and the striking imagination that goes beyond it, with the discipline to practice activities for thousands and ten thousands of hours with a certain disregard for existing boundaries that segment knowledge into isolated and separated fields. Genius exists in the combination of intense curiosity along with the ability to detach from conscious thought to allow the mind freedom to see existing knowledge in novel ways. Genius exists in the relentless acquisition of knowledge and the intense exploration of implications and applications along with a curious refusal to consider the worth of those applications according to the mere acquisition of wealth. At times genius can be greatly rewarded, but often the eccentricity that comes with genius as well as the deep tensions that are involved in genius tend to make life stressful and difficult for people who are recognized (or unrecognized) as geniuses.

Yet this difficulty is worthwhile, for a variety of reasons. For one, it is not often through new truths but unrecognized implications of existing and even commonplace truths by which the world is made a better place. Likewise, it is connections between disparate truths that create the changed contexts that change the way that we see the world, by placing those seemingly isolated facts into a larger narrative that better unifies our understanding. These are great blessings, and those who help to increase our understanding in an intellectual as well as in a moral sense deserve our praise and gratitude. Such blessings are worth the tensions that seem to fill our lives and make our existence fraught with concern and difficulty. If we face trouble often enough because of our character quirks and oddities, may that trouble be worthwhile in the service we give to God and to others, for that is the only way we can redeem the time we spend here, to leave something of lasting worth behind.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/12/10/book-review-fierce-convictions/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/12/09/book-review-epigrams/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2014/12/08/book-review-the-hidden-agenda/