A young Intel. officer, a software genius, was recently found dead in his prison cell. The details were banned from publication. According to the media he was a phenomenon in the field of computer from an early age.
One of the speculations is that his abilities have aroused the envy / anger of his superiors, his activity got suppressed. As a result, he planned revenge that would have harmed them, and the country. Perhaps he has even managed to carry out some of these plans. Anyway, he was arrested and jailed. Now he's dead (rip).
Besides the obvious tragedy of the loss of a young bright man, and the mystery (yet to be uncovered) וmposed on the case ׂׂ - the event brings to mind the concept of 'genius' (a person of extraordinary talent) and the list of geniuses among us - past and present.
There is a nice, little poem with the name 'The geniuses among us' by Marilyn L Taylor, Wisconsin poet laureate. She calls them 'high perennials above all the rest of us', 'bright testimonials to the scale of human possibility.' These people, according to her poem - 'take us by surprise every generation , with unprecedented notions and visions'.
So far, the great minds of the past ( like Einstein) and present (like Bill Gates) - have submitted the fruits of their genius, to the country, to the world, for the benefit of mankind. (As a matter of fact, not every invention was for the benefit of the world - the atomic bomb, for instance. R. Oppenheimer was "the father" of the Nuke.).
But times are changing. Perhaps these geniuses are beginning to feel underappreciated, even bullied. There's danger in this as the next stage could be something like: "either I rule or I destroy." Words like 'majority', 'democracy' might mean nothing to these bright people as the above notions already mean quite little to the average individual.
Maybe they are even asking what has the world come to. I think back to one of the smartest boys I knew at a country school who could read a book and then look up to what the math teacher was writing on the board and tell him what he was doing wrong. So the last 20 minutes of class was explaining the best way to do the math problem by this student. However, he didn't want to be the one who got the scholarships. He would miss answers on purpose so his friend would look to be the best all around student. He said all he really wanted was to teach history, and the other fellow already knew what great things he wanted to do. So sometimes, I do wonder just how smart these geniuses really are.
ReplyDeleteYes, maybe they are asking that.
DeleteI've often heard of highly gifted people that help those less gifted by money donations,teaching, employment... Hopefully, these things go on.
I hope your summer is going well. We've had a bit of a heat wave. I am afraid we will be in a drought, but there was rain last night. Of course, I don't want to be thinking about the weather all the time. Here's to good conversation and savory food!
DeleteWe're constantly in a heat wave. That's the kind of weather here. We don't have rain until winter. I prefer, however, hot to cold as the cold brings flu and other seasonal diseases.
DeleteThis really is so thoughtful. And a tragedy. I do remember boys that were just smart but nothing more (like an athlete or student leader) weren't always bullied as such but they were somewhat shunned. And I'll bet Bill Gates was the same way. The "I rule or I destroy" sounds like Donald Trump's mantra -- and he's no genius.
ReplyDeleteI think a politician can indeed cause suffering and destruction; still not in the same way as the mind of a genius turned twisted.
DeleteI haven't heard of this but it sounds like such a sad case :( It's so important that people who are gifted with things feel supported and able to achieve the things they want so their skills don't go to waste I think!
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a wonderful day :)
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Sad and tragic. Whatever the background, his death is a loss to science and a terrible loss to his family.
DeleteWishing you a wonderful end of the week!
I like Einstein.
ReplyDeleteYou've got good taste, Christine. Albert Einstein (1878-1955), german-born, was one of the greatest physicists of all time. He's known for his theory of relativity which explains how everything in the universe works.
DeleteThere certainly are some very talented people on this earth and we do hear about many these days due to the Internet.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Margaret. There are outstanding people in every walk of life: music, science, art etc...
DeleteI'm just an average person but feel deep admiration for these special human beings.
Sad about the young man's life cut short. I hope an investigation pursues about what happened. I do think Bill Gates is a genius but I wish he would stay out of medical things like vaccines. I don't believe he has been to medical school
ReplyDeleteBetty
Well, I suppose pressure from the family and media will bring about investigation and disclosure of the results.
DeleteYou're right about Bill Gates. However, he's not the only one climbing on the wagon of the vaccines without having any medical knowledge. Politicians have done it all the time from the beginning of the pandemic.
It is sad. Duta. Like in the old stories, when the king worried about his power then they killed their smart young man because they predicted those people would be rebels.
ReplyDeleteYour analogy seems correct. However, so far it's all speculation. Perhaps the truth will be revealed at a later stage.
DeleteThe problem is rarely that the genius creates concepts that are not understandable by ordinary people or that the genius develops unwanted products. Speaking personally I am only irritated by geniuses' inability to maintain normal human relationships and to speak in normal human language.
ReplyDeleteI've never really met a genius,just plain talented people. From your comment I gather that you are somehow familiar with the behavior and language of a genius.
DeleteI knew some brilliant people when I was married to a phycisist at Princeton. Brilliant in their own disciplines, some with Nobel prizes to prove it. I was young then, so it's interesting that I only really remember Dr. Wigner, who was a very kind man. And probably a genius.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you did.Princeton is one of the top universities in the world. It's a hub of brilliant people. You are probably brilliant yourself if a genius got in love with you.
DeleteOhh that's so sad. Unfortunately, the more intelligent person and has a different perception of the world, the more incomprehensible and lonely he becomes :(
ReplyDeleteThat sounds true - the more intelligent, the more depressed, the more lonely, the less happy.
DeleteA very interesting post and also very sad too. It would be good if all the genius' of our world would use it for the benefit of all and that it would be appreciated by all. Many people like to take down anyone with different opinions or ideas.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rosie.
DeleteYes, it could be good to reach the ideal formula of benefit and appreciation - benefit brought by the genius' inventions and public appreciation for him and his work.
You speak truth. Blessings.
ReplyDeleteI very much hope so. Thanks for coming by.
DeleteBlessings to you too.
That is so sad.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is. The death of a human being is always sad. I never rejoice even at the death of an enemy or a terrorist.
Deleteit's always sad to hear that someone lost their life.
ReplyDeleteRight. I think not only about the deceased, but also about the family and friends he left behind. It's their tragedy too.
DeleteI hadn't heard about this, but it is very sad.
ReplyDeleteA huge loss to his family and friends but also to the world of computer science.
Enjoy the remainder of your Sunday and have a good week ahead.
All the best Jan
You couldn't have heard as it is a local matter, though it might get spread around by the computer people.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a good week ahead too!
The danger is all too real across the world, I believe. Scary times where dictators rule and the majority rule doesn't matter. Our state voted to extend an insurance program for the needy. The governor overruled. Mind boggling. Frightening.
ReplyDeleteNowadays, things seem to be more complicated than ever. I don't know about your state, but in ours, the majority is being questioned as to the nature of its contribution to the benefit of the country.
DeleteThanks a lot for the thought-provoking post. There are expressions like "evil genius" and "good genius". I think good geniuses always create. And geniuses are always oppressed. Because they are not like the others. In my country, there is even a phraseological unit "white crow". It's about such people ...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Victoria, for reading and commenting. You may be right about this distinction between good genius and evil genius. Anyway, they are sure not like the others, and that might attract some form of oppression.
DeleteThank you so much for sharing this post, I appreciate your work.It was a great informative post.Go so many useful and informative links. Loved your writings also. Concept of the topic was well discussed. Love to come here again.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
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Many thanks for your very kind words. You're welcome to come over and read my posts any time you wish. I'll feel honored.
DeleteI never heard anything about this. So sad he was found dead! Big Hugs!
ReplyDeleteIt's local news, so you couldn't have heard about it. Anyway, it's sad that he died. Great loss of a brilliant person, to his family and to computer science.
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