The first task with a subject like genius might be to define it, but I’m going to resist that temptation. I’d rather develop the ideas as we go, so that just about the time we think we’ve put our finger on it, we’ll understand why we can’t. What I’ll say is that while genius may seem to be a rare bird in our present society, it is not because any one of us lack access to it. What is suggested by this word is the fundamental nature of who we are, and if that sounds like a boring or inaccurate beginning it is only because of our lack of imagination about ourselves.
We’ve been led in our culture to believe that genius is evidenced by superiority of achievement in a field, which is not to say that it is not found in the masters we look upon with awe, but such an emphasis can be misleading. In any field there are those who possess a particular talent for it, which, if combined with years and years of practice and the type of ambition that shapes matter to its aim, may lead to the emergence of a sophistication. But technique alone is insufficient for genius. We are all familiar with those who possess astounding technique, but lack, for whatever reason, that little something extra that truly captivates and inspires us—that speaks to the very heart of who we are. Skill alone can be tedious.
On the other hand, we are also each familiar with those who lack the particular physical talent or practiced complexity that mark the most technically accomplished of a given field, but who, by the force of their passion and the manner in which they reveal the mystery of who we are, touch us deeply. We are wounded by such offerings, ushered to the brink of the roaring intensity alive within us, even as we are transported to the star-swept womb of a lowing silence. Genius inspires us to identify with what lies beyond necessity, beyond convention, and without which we would be but empty shells.
We might say that genius is the character of life itself, but this too is inaccurate, for what is meant by life? For too many of us yet, the experience of this world is a treadmill of survival. Genius may reveal itself in the face of life’s trials, but it is not the trial itself. There is no genius in suffering. There is no genius in earthly power, for that matter—in persecuting or enslaving others, in whatever form—just as there is no genius in deriving power from fealty. The power of genius is that it entitles everyone to a share, and where there is real genius, this is instantly recognized. Where there is genius, everyone is rewarded.
This niggling something extra we call genius cannot be captured or taught. It cannot be codified, reduced or pinned down, and no structured program can synthesize what is in truth the very content of our being. We cannot make ourselves any more or any less who we are, but we can desire to know who we are, and in our explorations is genius revealed. We can proceed only by remembering, and discover only by sharing.
The hallmark of genius is that it reveals us. Genius eclipses the norm, to be sure, but the norm is an arbitrary convention that nowhere exists, and uniqueness itself is not genius. We’ve all seen the sort of turning-away that is prideful and affected. Genius involves an authenticity that transforms all who partake of it, by releasing us from the bonds of our mistaken conclusions. It doesn’t rancor against what has been, but eclipses it with a beautiful certitude that renders our previous muddling moot. Though genius is not out to claim victory, it is our way out of loss, because genius makes us whole.
The problem with genius is that it is not a respecter of qualifications. It requires no resume or previous training, and our systems tend to be built on the convention of paying dues—on entitlement, seniority and lineage. Some of this is as it should be. And some of it is not. If you want to go farther in a field than those who previously set the markers, then you may have to retrace some of their steps. Genius is not about a willy-nilly hunch—it’s not about strapping wings made of wax onto your back and diving off a cliff. Too often we equate genius with derring-do. The genius is not in any particular feat, but in the attentiveness we give to our dreams, in the knowing that we work with—which no other can give us—and in our scraping away the barnacles of doubt we’ve picked up from the tidepools of history into which we were born.
Where there is genius, there is magic. The unknown is made real. There is conception, and birth, and new life. What existed for no one, comes into existence for everyone. There are stocks of this little something more within all of us, and I think the challenges we face on this planet arise principally from our efforts to come up with systems that work without resort to this most fundamental resource. It’s like trying to grow food without resorting to the use of sunlight, like trying to breathe only the air we’ve first squeezed into tanks.
If we had this stuff we’d use it! we say. But this is not so. The truth is we spurn genius, and we are frightened by those who can enter the sanctity of their own being and emerge with something we think we could not have. We think fairness is when long-suffering is the only resource at our disposal. Insights are too unpredictable; there is no obvious proportionality between the work that is input and the revelation received, and so they upset our tiered systems of privilege. But so long as we sustain a world in which the inventor reaps a reward that no caregiver can hope to receive, a world in which only what is provably earned may be received, genius will be thwarted.
We’ve created a world where power trumps authenticity, and this world requires only such genius as may be trademarked, copyrighted, or patented. In this world we cannot compute the possibility that what is real is only that which is shared by everyone. It is ironic, is it not, that the victors in our systems lay claim to the spoils? What we call power in this world exists in equal measure to all the unused stocks of genius that have gone rancid. It is the product of our dismay with all those who refuse to know so little as we ourselves do.
But worry not, for genius is the power of who we are, and it is the only power that will remain. If that seems like a definition, then perhaps you know something about us that I do not, for I have yet to even glimpse the horizon.
Embracing Forever 
Smiling … Thank you Michael, for this entertaining and insightful post on “the little something more” within all of us, that goes beyond knowledge and talent, and makes us whole. Inspiration indeed!
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You’re quite welcome, Val. Thank you for reading. It’s a topic I really enjoy exploring…!
Peace
Michael
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Speaking of genius, your writing genius makes me wonder why I bother! So cogent. Provoking. Though I’d maybe rename it “love” (even if we both already knew that that’s genius’s source)…
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You write because it makes you whole, Amy! Or because you express in wholeness when you write! Because it’s a creative, exploratory act… Yes, I’m with you on the use of the word Love. I might say that genius Love expressed, in a way… Thanks for reading and sharing!
Michael
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“Where there is genius, there is magic. The unknown is made real. There is conception, and birth, and new life. What existed for no one, comes into existence for everyone.”
So wonderfully formulated, Michael.
Warm greetings from Vera
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Much appreciated, Vera. Your work inspires in me the same feelings that inspired this piece. It is the feeling of something that is alive within us. Living is somehow reaching beyond ourselves… Such an endless, healing, whole-making process we are involved in!
Peace
Michael
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Lovely essay Michael. Maybe Genius is in play when embodied Spirit begins to truly evolve into his/her/they highest potential, fulfilling the soul contract. I agree it is magic and hard to contain or describe in words.
peace, Linda
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Yes, I can see that, Linda. What you are describing as a “highest potential” or “soul contract” feels to me as though it is related to giving our very being the freedom to express and come to the surface. Certainly what emerges when we give ourselves this freedom is the root cause of our manifestation–the soul contract if you like. It’s empowering to express who we are!
Peace
Michael
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“we are frightened by those who can enter the sanctity of their own being and emerge with something we think we could not have” Genius is something that I believe we can all tap into. We each come into existence with unique gifts, as conduits for the divine spark that powers the Universe. With age and conditioning, the conduit gets blocked, the spark gets snuffed out. Those who are able to reclaim their power are heroes to me.
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Me, too, Julie. They are my heroes as well. Such people inspire us, remind us of what we’ve forgotten, and invite us into the central room where life itself is still at work in its one and only task of creating… And I completely agree we all can tap into it… There are so many genuine heroes in this world!
Michael
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Talent hits a target no one else can hit; genius hits a target no one else can see.
— Arthur Schopenhauer
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Perfect, H! If I’d only found that, I could have saved myself a few hours! Ha! But it wouldn’t have been as much fun. 🙂
Peace, my friend,
Michael
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Concision is hardly my forté, either, as well you know.
But I’m trying, I’m trying; let me explain in considerably more detail . . .
[Several hours pass as HB explains. ]
So that’s it in a nutshell.
Peace and love to you too, dear Michael. H ❤
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Another thoughtful and beautifully expressed essay on the true nature nature of being. I particularly admired the following turn of phrase “we are also each familiar with those who lack the particular physical talent or practiced complexity that mark the most technically accomplished of a given field, but who, by the force of their passion and the manner in which they reveal the mystery of who we are, touch us deeply. We are wounded by such offerings, ushered to the brink of the roaring intensity alive within us, even as we are transported to the star-swept womb of a lowing silence.”
Alison and I just spent a month sitting with Mooji in Rishikesh. He is a living example I would call “genius” by your definition. Eckhart Tolle, Adyashanti, and Gangaji are also living examples of this type of “genius”.
As always, and like many others of your readers, admire your lucid prose.
Much love,
Don
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Thank you, Don. Sitting with Mooji sounds wonderful! And I agree completely with your assessment. Genius is not about facts, but a living truth within us, and the countless ways in which it finds expression through us. Sometimes it is a seemingly simple thing; other times it beguiles us. But the complexity of expression is not the litmus test for me. It is the authenticity.
Thanks for reading and joining me here, Don! Always a joy to hear from you, my friend.
Peace
Michael
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Appreciating and laughing over your and Hariod’s dialogue. Ultimately my thoughts have been 💭: “I’m glad, Michael, that in your view, Genius is accessible to all. If it is for you, then you can share this perspective for as long as it takes to make believers of even the remotest of us who are among us. Perhaps. Also, if you choose to make genius more accessible to us via this portal on embracingforever, so be it: let’s give it a go. 🙂🍏”
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Giving it a go, Ka! Thanks for the support and enthusiasm! I definitely feel it is accessible to all–it is who we are in a sense. And that makes it a joy to both share and to encounter.
Hariod is usually one step ahead, and I love his wit, truth be told. The man is pure genius. 🙂
Peace
Michael
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I love your mutual admiration for each other! My pleasure to support whenever I can, afterall… your interests are not far from my own neck of the woods. Joy to you, always
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it’s intriguing how i
find this essay on genius
uplifting , Michael!
looking about and having an experience
of the dumbing down of society
i’m appreciate of your tapping
us in to the possible 🙂
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Hi David, I loved the subtlety of your reply, as I often do. To be aware of being intrigued by something and not knowing quite why is a beautiful thing. Ha! There’s a quote from Herbert Spencer I’ve never forgotten after encountering it: “In vain do we build the city, if we don’t first build the man.” Something like that. What comes with release of the genius within each of us will make quick work of our difficulties I think. The real challenge is finding our way to it, and creating the conditions for what is alive within us to safely emerge, for the good of all beings…
Peace
Michael
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Oh, Michael!
I had so many things I wanted to quote…so many things I wanted to say, and yet here I am feeling like my soul has been touched and all I want to say is, “Thank You!”
Thank you for showing me that the true genius lies in our connection with each other, and it is, available is not the word I want…
It just IS
It has been a long day (week) so I’m not certain I explained myself well. Know that you, once again, take me to places I am so happy to go. It is nice to see you back on your blog. A GIANT congratulations on the acceptance of your short story…and keep working hard on your novel. I know it will be awesome! Sweet blessings my friend. Have a wonderful Easter weekend! ❤
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Your very welcome, Lorrie. Been a long week on this end, in getting back to you. I’m grateful for your reply, though, and it is always a joyful feeling to know my words have carried another into a place they desire to be. This is a fun topic, and an important one I think, as I’ve tried to say. A little sparkle can so easily mislead us… when genius is all around and within as well.
Thank you for the congratulations, too! It was an encouraging moment for me, for sure. The novel is coming along in fits and starts. Writing a long project for me is really like exploring a cave. I just don’t really know what it’s quite adding up to until I’ve mapped it out, and the only way for me to map it is explore the various rooms. So there will be plenty of editing to do once a draft is down!
Wishing you a blessed Sunday afternoon!
Peace
Michael
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Nice to see you, Michael😁 Reading your response was just what I needed in this moment!
Sweet blessings, friend!
💜
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We’ve created a world where power trumps authenticity, and this world requires only such genius as may be trademarked, copyrighted, or patented.
Every so thoughtful Micheal and imagine ☺️💫 sending writing vibes smiles Hedy
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Many thanks, Hedy… Always appreciate your encouragement and kind words. Hope you are having fun inspecting the world today for more of those hidden treasures you are so readily able to discover… 🙂
Peace
Michael
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