Recently I’ve been writing about David Bohm and the intersection of matter and consciousness. Bohm was brilliant and so different in his thinking. He also struggled with life-long depression and panic attacks. Nikola Tesla was arguably one of the most important and innovative scientists we’ve ever known. He also suffered from numerous phobias, fears, and obsessive-compulsive behavior. Van Gough cut off his ear to stop the voices. Retrospective analysis suggests Beethoven suffered from bi-polar disorder and PTSD, among other challenges.
Robin Williams was clearly a genius of comedy. There was no other like him, and he had all sorts of mental health issues. Prince, clearly a musical genius, turned out to be an addict, which is usually a coping mechanism for deeper mental health issues. Earnest Hemmingway suffered with depression and PTSD. Alan Turing, who laid the foundation for the invention of the modern-day computer took his own life. There are so many examples.
Brilliance and insanity often go hand in hand. Not just in the sense that geniuses push the boundaries of understanding. Not just that they see the world through a different lens such that they’re labeled “eccentrics” or just plain nuts. They also suffer genuine mental health issues.
Could it be that vastly strong mental and creative capacity causes some form of chemical imbalance in the brain. It’s a question that’s been well researched, but no actual link has as yet been determined. At present, the correlation is merely anecdotal.
Elon Musk is clearly a genius, and also kind of crazy. The short video below shows us a window into his brilliance which has resulted in stunning achievements in engineering and business model innovation.
I know people and have known people like him. They’re so brilliant and also a little crazy.
But maybe it would be helpful to ask the question of ourselves. Like, if you’re reading the DEEPER side of things on a regular or semi-regular basis then you’re one of a rare few who seek to expand the boundaries of thought and understanding, which places you in a category of brilliance, which might also mean you and I are a little nuts.
I have to ask the question of myself frequently, as I’m often pushing boundaries of understanding. So, does that mean I’m smart or crazy, or a little of both? Or maybe I’m delusional and not as smart as I think?
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