Table of contents:
Video: Who Am I: Genius, Talent Or Mediocrity? - Self-development
We admire geniuses, admire talents and, at best, condescend to mediocrity. How can I understand if there is a particle of genius in me, what am I talented in and what is the value of my "mediocrity"?
The line between talent and genius
The common understanding of these phenomena is as follows:
- Genius is the highest form of development of creative potential and talent.
- Talent is a special, outstanding ability of a person in any kind of creative activity.
- Mediocrity is mediocrity, mediocrity, a person who is nothing of himself.
But let's see if this is so. Scientists are still debating what the above-mentioned characteristics of the human person really are.
The most unclear question is where is the line that separates genius and talented person. If genius is the highest form of talent development, then how can one speak of a child's genius? After all, no one disputes the fact of the existence of brilliant children. And if we ignore man, then there are still brilliant animals, plants, or even natural phenomena. Perhaps it will sound paradoxical: there are people of genius who do not have any special talents. But we intuitively feel that they are brilliant.
The genius of the creator also depends on the genius of the person who perceives the creative work
Now there are several cases when world famous musicians in simple clothes played somewhere in an underground passage or a public hall and many people passed by without even stopping to listen to a beautiful performance. Although many of them paid a lot of money to get to the concert of this brilliant musician.
Or another example. The famous Cristiano Ronaldo, disguised as an old man, showed his masterly possession of the ball in the center of Madrid. Everyone passed by indifferently, and only one boy was delighted and happily responded to the offer to play with him, for which he later received a soccer ball signed by a celebrity. When the famous football player took off his wig and mask, the crowd rushed to him for photographs and autographs.
Ahead of its time
Probably, the geniuses themselves speak most accurately about genius. Johann Wolfgang Goethe: "Genius is an exact fantasy." He is echoed by Salvador Dali: "As for painting, I have one goal: to capture the concrete images of the Irrational as accurately as possible." And he: “I have always seen what others have not seen; but what others saw, I did not see."
Genius is contained in a paradox, it cannot be fully understood and accepted, especially by contemporaries. The essence of a genius is that he is always ahead of his time, always sees more and further than others. The basis of genius is initiative, curiosity, simplicity without flaw
From this we can conclude that every child is a genius. He is simple, inquisitive and proactive.
Unfortunately, we, adults, wrapped up in our daily affairs, often neglect children's genius, as we once neglected ours. We suppress children's initiative and curiosity, of course "for their own benefit", but in fact - for our own convenience and peace of mind. We impose our own rules, often unnecessary, artificially "complicate" the child, depriving him of his integrity and simplicity.
It is very important to give your child space to learn and express their genius. It can be expressed in anything, in any creative activity, and not only in the ability for a certain type of activity. Especially to the one that his parents like and which they, sometimes unconsciously, try to impose on him, thereby denying and suppressing his true vocation.
In a true vocation, or a special, only this particular person inherent ability, and giftedness or talent is hidden. Special talent in any kind of activity is due to innate qualities, it is usually one-sided, narrowly focused.
A talented person in one area is often unsuccessful or even completely helpless in another
This has long been noticed by the people and found its expression in the proverb: "Talent needs to be helped, mediocrity and it will break through."
Do I have talent?
How to understand whether a person is talented or not and in what exactly he is talented? Of course, when we see the result of a gifted person's activity, we understand what his talent is. Where another will do badly or ineptly, a gifted person will do it quickly and well, in his own way, uniquely, talented.
But judging only by the result, then if a person does not have a finished product, is he necessarily mediocre? Not at all. Perhaps this person is simply not doing the job in which he is gifted. Or is engaged, but has not yet achieved a significant result. We see that he again and again makes all his abilities and efforts in this direction, he does not need to be motivated, set goals for him, he will still do it.
That is, the defining feature of talent is the ability to make repetitive efforts in a certain direction, over-motivation
Again I want to quote the proverb: "What is an end for mediocrity, then a means for talent." That is, a talented artist will always paint pictures, even if this does not bring him either recognition or money, because he cannot live without it.
A striking example is Vincent Van Gogh, who received recognition only after his death, lived a life of need and made ends meet only with the help of his brother. And Kazimir Malevich, who became famous during his lifetime, was appointed a major art official. And this is what he wrote in a school essay when he was 13 years old: “My dad works as a manager at a sugar factory. All day he listens to the workers cursing … therefore, when he returns home, he often curses at his mother. Therefore, when I grow up, I will become an artist: no need to swear with workers, no need to carry heavy things … A good picture costs a lot of money, but you can draw it in just one day."
The most famous painting by Malevich is "Black Square", which is now estimated at $ 20 million. But whether this picture is a talented work or a great PR object, like "the dress of the naked king", heated debate is still going on. It is a known fact that before Malevich there were already at least three well-known "Black Squares", the first of which was written 300 years before him. There is no doubt that he was a talented organizer and PR man.
Another inherent feature of talent is uniqueness, exclusivity
An easy way to understand what you are gifted at is to imagine that you have lost that gift. For example, that suddenly - he lost his sight. And then the habitual, everyday routine will show its true value. Realizing your talent, living a talented life is a difficult and responsible task. Many give up their talent, their true vocation in pursuit of the mythical achievements of others, driven by envy, thirst for fame, money, and success.
Psychologists are often approached by people who have reached significant heights, recognition and suddenly, at the peak of success, who realized that they do not need all this, that they do not live their own lives, that their life is empty and worthless. This just means that they betrayed their true calling, neglected their talent.
Is mediocrity so bad?
I would like to return the dignity and give the right sound to the word mediocrity. Almost until the 19th century, this word was not derogatory. And it meant - a normal, average person, able to live within his means, at his own expense, to provide for himself and his family.
In Russian, the word "mediocrity" comes from the adjective "average", "median". In Latin there is the concept of Aurea mediocritas - “golden mediocrity, golden mean”
The qualities of mediocrity arising from its properties are its stability, moreover stability in time, constancy, possession of certain skills, mastery. Most of the benefits of our life are created and provided by mediocre people who daily, constantly, in a timely manner and skillfully do their job. Thus, mediocrity is another full dimension of the creative life.
The qualities of mediocrity are vital to both genius and talent. For a brilliant idea to come true, you need the super-efforts of talent, as well as skill, consistency and timeliness of mediocrity.
You cannot replace one with another. So, you can endlessly generate ideas, but without their development and implementation, they will remain just ideas. You can endlessly repeat the efforts, but this may not give results without a new initiative, a fresh idea. An excess of funds cannot compensate for the lack of originality and uniqueness.
