I am a Van Gogh fan and have read every bio I can find of him. Definitely a genius and definitely troubled.
I have had very bright friends commit suicide. Vy troubling.
Have prayed on this a great deal.
Must admit that I don’t understand it at all.
When one spends their life becoming what others want,
there is great hazard of losing ones sense of self and depersonalizing.
This means I don’t have a chance. darn it.
What if you are a sub-genius?
Well I’m sitting pretty since I am basically a mouth breather...
Very bright.
Genius? Who knows.
Spent the weekend at my apartment. All the signs were there.
As a possible antidote to depression, I asked him if he had every considered religion/faith.
His response was that he had studied all of them.
I asked "have you ever considered Jesus."
His response was, "I will never consider Him."
Robert E. Howard
The same gene locus tied to manic depression, depression and schizophrenia is linked to high levels of creativity. As if you have to be farther from the norm to be either creative or mentally ill.
Is Obama a genius?
TFB
Googling Mensa suicide rate. BRB.
I was always astounded by how poorly adjusted they seemed to be in regard to what I'd refer to as "day-to-day life".Yes,they could talk for hours about the thirty five functions of,and the evolutionary origins of,the Fissure of Sylvius but,otherwise,their lives seemed to be so empty.
Hey,maybe it was all in my imagination...I'm certainly no expert on such matters.
I’m a genius but I just don’t care. No worries here.
I don’t think high IQ high retention folks kill themselves at a higher rate
I think two groups do
Creative people
Folks with a strong sense of duty
I belong to 2 out of those 3 high risk groups
But in the south if someone or thing has drove you to suicide
For Gods sakes kill it first
If the high IQ is inherited from the major caretaker parent, there is less of a chance of suicide. If it’s not, there is a disparity of understanding between the parent and the child that creates mental dead ends and frustration.
The unhappy fact is that genius and strength of character are not necessarily aligned.
I spent my childhood and early adulthood the subject of ridicule in my family, in school and in jobs. In my late 30’s, I tested for Mensa and was easily accepted.
At last, I understood why I was so odd. My mother had told me that genius and insanity were kissin’cousins. From school tests she knew my ability, but hid it from me telling me to just be average to protect me. The one thing I could not do.
I sort of understand. When the average person speaks with an insane person, they do not understand them, because they are crazy. When the same person speaks with a genius, they do not understand them, because they are brilliant.
The genius and the lunatic look the same to them.
I propose that it is very easy to distinguish between the genius and the lunatic. Products. A lunatic cannot produce anything of value, the genius can.
The statistic of genius suicides is based on this one factor. It really is a challenge to interact with decent average people and find a way to communicate with them successfully. That has been the greatest challenge of my life.
When you look at a person like Elon Musk or Stephen Hawkings, they are clear geniuses. These two men have not only genius supporting them, but also exceptional strength of character. What happens to the genius who does not have that strength of character?
It appears it is often suicide. I found a different path and suppose that many others, but not all, have as well.
For those geniuses who do not have the strength to deal with society and their peculiarities, it is a great shame that we do not have the social mechanisms to recognize and utilize them to their fullest capacity. That is what breaks their hearts and perhaps often forfeits their lives.
The next time you meet someone who sounds crazy, look at their products, whether artistic, scientific or social. If their products are of value, understand you are dealing with a genius and assist them. They don’t always have the strength of character to deal with society. You can help. Please do so.
Perhaps the trick is to give a brilliant mind plenty to chew on, so it doesn’t start chewing on its owner.
The simple fact is that a “genius” would solve whatever problem is making them “think” death is the only solution.
The only reason to expedite your own death is to alleviate immediate imminent pain and suffering of immediate imminent death.
Anything else makes you a coward and far from “genius.”
The empathetic risk overdoing it & despairing. The sweet spot comes when investing it in God.