The Madness of Genius
And the tortured souls who live with it
“The place [MIT] has long been a mecca for “nerds” — people who get so lost in their studies that knowledge becomes a way of life. To most of us, these single-minded young idealists seem weird. In fact, they are among the most complicated, least understood mortals on earth.” Source
Some of the greatest minds I have ever known have been marred by genius. What some in society perceive to be different is often met with ridicule, scorn or suspicion and, yet, this sort of treatment is what heightens eccentricities to the point at which all genius explodes or fades.
So clever and creatively brilliant, many geniuses have suffered all for which they should have been celebrated... It was only last week that I sent a message to a friend whose brother had recently committed suicide. I wrote, “Some people are simply too brilliant for this world.” And it’s true. Some are.
What is normal?
So what is “normal”? Normal is relative. “If you were born on a colony on Mars tomorrow and everyone was dressed as Ziggy Stardust, that would be normal to you” says inventor Tom Lawton and he is right.
And after all, aren’t we all a little mad or sad in our own way? When I look at the tech industry, it makes me wonder if anyone…
