What is a genius?

Elon Musk is a genius. A 5 year old is a genius. Your genius is questionable.

A genius is defined by someone who is “unusually intelligent or artistic, or who has a very high level of skill, especially in one area” This is the definition we have grown up with and universally accept. And we LOVE geniuses. We put them on our commercials, we quote them in our blogs, and we are moved by them. Moved so much so that we’d blindly follow what they do or say, which as an extreme example is why the stock market changes when Elon tweets.

Why do we do?this??

The obvious answer is because we think they know something we don’t. They possess some ability that was God given or otherwise acquired, and because we don’t have it, we assume they must. How do we get to that conclusion? Well it’s all in their accomplishments. Clearly Elon is smarter than I am because he sold PayPal at a young age and became a millionaire before me. He’s definitely a more clearer thinker because all his tweets make sense. And since he’s so rich, he must hang around other rich people and they all probably talk to each other and control the world.?

This is extremely dangerous thinking. It forces us to not think for ourselves, and default to whatever they believe. By following their actions, we end up financially or socially hurt. Worse, we indirectly (or sometimes directly) teach this to our children. They start to believe that they are not geniuses so they shouldn’t try. They should just do what the smartest kid in the class is doing. And when schools measure everyone on the same spectrum, it’s easy to see why kids cheat and grow up relying on other people for their actions.?

How do we stop?this?

We need to change the definition of what genius means. Part of being a genius means having some sense of originality. It could mean thinking from first principles, or forcing yourself to be different in some way. It boils down to the question of ‘how are you different?’ Remember different is not better or worse, it’s just different. The beauty of humanity is that we are all different. Not just physically but also in our thoughts and experiences. But we’re not all geniuses. We need to go one step further.

Most of us throughout our lives try to hide what is different. We hide it so much so that we neglect it. Be it our thoughts, our creative pursuits, or worse, our dreams. We don’t take any of these things seriously and eventually become dependent on other people’s thoughts, art, and dreams. Then we raise our kids to do the same. What’s crazy is that a 5 year old doesn’t know she’s different until she’s told. And when she’s told, she has two options — fit in or stand out. For far too long, we tell her to fit in. And when she inevitably does, when she inevitably neglects her original thoughts, her original creativity, her original dreams, we thank her for fitting in by sticking her in the hamster wheel of life. Then 30 years down the line she wonders if she is really doing what she wanted, and we wonder why the middle class is expanding with a mental health crisis.

I’d offer up a different definition of?genius.?

I’d suggest a genius is someone who “pays closer attention to their original thoughts, creativity, and skills; and is willing to pursue them for the sake of it with tenacity”

“Intelligence” is abstract. “Artistic” is abstract. Genius is not.

How can you be a genius? How can you encourage your kids and those around you to be geniuses?

It starts with an extremely high self belief that who you are matters. You need to take yourself seriously in order for others to appreciate your genius. To instill that belief in others, you need create a comfortable space where you nurture them for being different. Congratulate them for their unique thoughts and aspirations. Give them room to create and stand out. Encourage them to think from first principles about everything. And put the fear of God in them that if they ever end up as sheep, if they ever end up following what other people are doing without thinking for themselves, then they have failed.?

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