The Genius

The term "Genius" seems to have been outdated. When we hear the word it is instantly crushed by the idea that they are special and extraordinary. People like Albert Einstein or Mozart are examples of geniuses we know. When we hear about their stories and accomplishments we are perplexed by what they have achieved. It seems magical to us how they have been able to spring up such grand ideas.

But the great 19th century American genius Ralph Waldo Emerson had a quite opposite view of a genius:

In the minds of geniuses, we find-once more-our own neglected thoughts.

This quote tells us that the geniuses do not have certain special or distinguished thoughts from us. The strange thing we have forgotten is that we are all in some way a genius. The genius doesn't do something extraordinary or grand that differentiates them. What differentiates them from ordinary people is that- they have learnt to pay closer and better attention to their own thoughts.

The reason for neglecting the thoughts that passes into our minds is worry. We destroy them for the alarming notion of looking stupid and strange to ourselves and to the world. We fear that the world would not accept this new person. So we try to bury it into our deepest desires. But when we criticize this fear and banish it, the genius within us starts to come to life. We start to pay better scrutiny to ourselves.

We need to stop being tricked by a beguiled portrait of the genius and recognizing that it is some mysterious land over the horizon. It is far more inciting. We can all be geniuses when we will pay closer attention to ourselves and being mindful. We are all adroit and possess similar minds, where the genius stands out is their vigorous tendency to analyse them properly.