There is undoubtedly an
irresistible drive and a seemingly unquenchable thirst in every ideal human
person to attain the status of genius – a quality by which one is said to be
exceptional. William Shakespeare is the envy of many a writer; Isaac Newton and
Albert Einstein have become deities in the sciences; Socrates, Plato and
Aristotle are too much talked about in the philosophical parlance; too many
people wish to become a “Bill Gates”, a “Steve Jobs”, a “this” or a “that”…and
so much more. Oh! If wishes were horses, beggars would ride ahead
of royalty.
But genius is a state of being, a
way of life, an attitudinal disposition, a value orientation, the product of
consistency in the rightness of our choices and the soundness of our decisions.
Genius is multidimensional. A
shrewd businessman is as genius as a distinguished academic; a spiritual avatar
is no less than a scientific trailblazer; and just the ability to be
exceptional is genius.
To some, such as the whizkids, genius is a birthright – they
couldn’t help but become one. But to some others it is a struggle to become, evident in the longing for and the motioning
towards.
At this juncture, those that have
genius for their heritage are at liberty to quit reading this piece. However,
for those of us that share the fate of having to work out genius by the sweat
of our brow, this piece is a must-read.
3 Steps to Genius
11. That
you were attracted to this piece is the very first step: that thirst, longing
or drive that propels you to seeking genius. However, too many people score an
A and even A+ here. Let’s progress.
22. Counting
the cost! That genius is not bought for cash does not mean it costs nothing.
Indeed it costs more than mere cash can afford. However, the nature of the cost
is so complicated that even beggars can pay without having to go abegging. The
cost is time, energy, and old unproductive habits; the cost is you – because
all of you is involved.
33. Do
the treasure hunt! If genius were not a treasure, then becoming one would have
been as simple and common as to having to fetch a sack of sand from a beach.
But it is a treasure, sought after like diamond and gold. Where can it be
found? … in the words of our fathers, on the lips of babes, on the pages of
books, in the gossip of the neighborhood, in the cresting on shirts, walls, and
vehicles, on that sheet of paper you just stepped on, on that newspaper you
just set on fire without reading, in that argument that ensued between your cab
driver and the traffic warden. It is written all over you: your very life
whispers it to you, the trees around chorus it, and our dreams reaffirm it
Now, all you need
do is get the right tools for the hunt: your senses and your reason. Like every
other human being, use your senses to collect the various data of perception,
but employ your reason to make unconventional meaning out of them – for which
you become exceptional. When you see it from a different angle, when you hear
it with rapt attention, and indeed perceive it beyond the average man’s
compare, then genius is not far away.In the final analysis, you won’t fine genius anywhere because genius is not found; genius is become. And we move from genius to more genius as we intensify our quest for it. Sounds bad? I would have told a lie if I said something else.
Become genius?
Yes, you CAN!
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