Another wise essay from my longtime
teacher, Michael Meade.
— Molly
The common notion of genius refers to the exceptional person within the norms and expectations of society. However, the original sense of genius indicated that which is exceptional in each person born. Considering genius in this older, wiser sense shifts the question from whether a particular person might test out to be a genius to how each person might discover their genius self. Instead of simply elevating people with certain kinds of intelligence or talent, the issue becomes a consideration of in what way genius seeks to manifest in each person born. The sense that each of us, regardless of ethnicity, race, gender or social background, has inner gifts and something significant to contribute to the world offers practical benefits at both the individual and cultural level.
While each society must define its norms and standards of behavior, genius works outside of norms and sets its own standards. As the exact inner shape and often exacting spirit that is native to each person, genius brings its own expectations for life. Genius sets an inner gold standard, a higher standard that our soul would have us live up to.
Innovation, invention and creativity are trademarks of those who come to know and express their innate genius qualities. Resiliency amidst adversity is another hallmark of genius and an essential capacity to have and develop in a rapidly changing, often disorienting world. Originally, a hallmark was an official stamp that guaranteed purity in articles made of gold. In that sense, genius is the hallmark etched within each person, for each of us bears the official stamp of spirit.
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"Each of us came to this world bearing within certain golden
qualities that mark us at our core as the genuine article."
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This older, wiser sense of a unique inner genius stands against the collective ideas and designs of modern mass cultures, which are based in mass production and often put us on the verge of mass destruction. In a rapidly changing world faced with seemingly impossible problems, it becomes important to imagine that each person born might have something to contribute to the solutions. The deepest human resources tend to awaken amidst the greatest human disasters. If everyone has a genius nature, then each naturally has gifts to give and something of value to offer. Rather than being seen as an abstract consumer of goods in a mass culture, each person can be revalued as a unique gift-giver.
One of the few things that can stand against the onslaught of mass culture and the distortions and distractions of contemporary life is the sense of an inner uniqueness that distinguishes each individual from all others. As the original agent and source of our talents and gifts, genius stands against blind divisions and the loss of meaning characteristic of mass cultures. When the world rattles and everything turns upside down, holding to the inner thread of genius may be the surest way to find a way in life. If we allow the inner thread to pull us, the unique ways in which we are woven and spun will help us find our own way to survive and contribute meaning and beauty to life.
— Michael Meade, "The Genius Myth"
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