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Discussion » Statements » Rosie's Corner » Ever know or know of a tortured genius?
RosieG

Ever know or know of a tortured genius?

My long-ago best friend's brother whom I never met committed suicide. He was a troubled genius she told me. Had problems with alsohol and drugs and finally ended his life.

Geniuses are not all alike. Some function at very high levels and live comparatively "normal" lives. Others are not so fortunate. I'm not sure why since I'm not among them but I suspect it gets very wearisome engaging with those who your intellectual inferiors who think they know everything when they know nothing. I don't know but unless they can find others on their level to interact with it would be a very lonely life.

Genius ain't always what you'd think it is. Sometimes they have to pay a price for it. No one asks to be one you know. They are born not made and so they do the best they can and sometimes for them it becomes too hard a task and meaningless. SIGH.

Posted - November 3, 2019
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Responses


  • 10746
    Unfortunately, yes... myself.
      November 3, 2019 9:41 AM MST
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  • 113301
    I take it you're serious m'dear. I hope I have not offended you. I knew you were intelligent and have had some issues but I did not know how severe they may have been. I'm nowhere near that. My IQ is 126 or was decades ago when I was tested. I think it may have risen a few points since then but then again maybe not. I am drawn to very smart people and always have been. I think I may have mentioned that my long-ago best friend had a genius brother who was an alcoholic and took his own life. I never met him. I hope you have never contemplated anything like that. There is Mensa where folks who are genius-level  individuals can engage with one another. Do you belong to that? I think you are a loner like me not a joiner but perhaps it might be a good thing if you haven't already investigated it? Now you NEVER EVER talk down to me. Sometimes extremely smart folks do even though they may not mean to do it. If it is not too nosy what is the hardest thing for you about being a lot smarter than others? Do you feel isolated? I'm always so happy when I find others who experience what I have experienced who feel the same way about it. A commonality I enjoy a lot. Apologies if I asked a question that hurt you. Thank you for your reply Shuhak. ((hugs))
      November 4, 2019 4:42 AM MST
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  • 10746
    I'm not offended in any way.
    The hardest part is having to 'dumb things down' for other people.
    I try not to talk down to people. 

    I'm not a people person (weird for someone who worked nearly 30 years in retail... where my intelligence "wowed" others daily).  Much like an artist, I spend a lot of time in my head (thinking, creating), which keeps me from having to interact with "idiots".
      November 4, 2019 9:42 AM MST
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  • 113301
    I appreciate your having taken a "liking" to me Shuhak. I mean that sincerely. I think you know how much I LOVE TO LEARN and you seem to not mind "my ways". You don't seem to mind my style. I think you go beyond that packaging and focus always on the content which I appreciate and which also not everyone is wont to do. So thank you. You make me feel I'm not alone in my idiosyncratic predilections except many of yours are probably unknown to me...the secret ones that you can't share with others because they'd never understand. I get that. Thanks for showing up oftenly and just being you unvarnished. It's rare. :) This post was edited by RosieG at November 4, 2019 11:05 AM MST
      November 4, 2019 9:51 AM MST
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  • 7280
    I had to look up "tortured genius" to be sure what that meant---but no, I never knew one personally.

    From:   https://www.huffpost.com/entry/creativity-mental-illness-health_n_5695887

    "There are plenty of geniuses who are not mentally ill, and there are plenty of mentally ill people who aren't geniuses," said HuffPost Mental Health Medical Editor Lloyd Sederer, M.D., medical director of the New York State Office of Mental Health.

    "Sometimes you have the two combined. When you have geniuses who have such prominence, like Philip Seymour Hoffman or Robin Williams or John Nash, they make you think that this is more common than it is," said Sederer. "One in four people annually in this country has a mental illness that impairs their function. That's pretty common. The illness is pervasive. Genius is much more rare."

    Some ideas and concepts are inherently complex---or at least require some background or learning on the part of the audience for them to follow what you are saying---but I find that phrasing my ideas in words that can be understood by various levels of intelligence is not particularly difficult.

    And here's another link if you are interested in this particular aspect of the issue:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1282252/
      November 4, 2019 10:50 AM MST
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  • 113301
    Thank you for your reply tom and the links. I appreciate all of it. So you do not think of yourself as tortured then? How many people do you know with whom you can speak on your level? Ever feel isolated and lonely? I hope not. That would be a bummer. Happy Monday! :)
      November 4, 2019 11:04 AM MST
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  • 7280
    Tortured---no, not at all.  

    And that's why I had to look it up---I have never associated "tortured" with being intelligent.

    When I took my first philosophy course, the professor had three doctorates.  His served as an excellent example of the philosophical principle that the higher you are, the lower you can go---which became my model for communication, and why I can now talk to just about anyone at their level.

    I can speak to my wife on my level---no doubt that is a great advantage that I probably don't appreciate fully because I have had it for over 38 years now.  I also have my adult children and a number of friends.  And I've never felt isolated or lonely due to my intelligence.




      November 4, 2019 11:35 AM MST
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