Genius and Obsession.

All genius is obsession, but not all obsession is genius.

It is typical that ordinary people, without any real distinguishing characteristics, like to criticize, even attack, those who seem “obsessed” for their very obsession. There is a perception, amongst ordinary people, that there is something wrong with being obsessed. I think this view comes from a complete failure to understand what obsession is, what it can do and how powerful it can be, for intellectual growth.

There has never been a genius, in history, without an element of obsession, in their character. Indeed, I am quite sure that it is impossible to be a genius, without also being obsessed. How else would a person spend years, sometimes decades, wrestling with a particular problem or set of problems, or writing a particular lengthy work, be it literary, musical, scientific or other academic area? Without the impetus of obsession with the subject matter, it is not possible to consider that the genius would ever do the work at all. Only obsession could propel the genius over every obstacle to overcome all that stood between them and The Answer.

Obsession, far from being something undesirable, or “mad” even, as many an ordinary person seems to consider it, is, in fact, key to all genius. Without obsession, there can be no genius, there would only ever be “talent” – and talent never changes the world, substantially.

Ainan is obsessed with science. It is something to which he returns, daily. This, to me, is a very good sign. It is a hint that he is likely to continue to develop his scientific interests, until he is fully equipped to create interesting scientific works. He has that inner spark of motivation towards his subject, which all geniuses need.

I, too, have a certain obsession towards the matters of my interest. Indeed, I could not, for instance, have maintained this blog for over five years, without a degree of it. So, obsession has proven a blessing for me too. In this case, I am focussed on understanding the childhood of my children, the nature of genius and what it means to be gifted in a world which is not. Without that inner focus, I would not have written so extensively, or at such length, about these interests. I would have been like most others are – I would have touched upon them, then moved on to other things. Yet, then I would have missed the deeper understandings I have come upon. I would have skated superficially over my subject matter and never really come to understand it. Obsession with the subject matter has propelled me to deeper insights and more complete expressions of those understandings.

Many years ago, when I was in my twenties, I spent five and a half years writing a book – in fact, one of the longest books written in any language, at any time. Now, without a degree of obsession with the act of writing, I could not possibly have written that book. Again, we see that to be truly creative, to produce any work that requires years of attention, that a degree of obsession is necessary to that work. Without the obsession, there would be no creative work. So, unlike the chicken and egg problem, it is very clear which comes first, in the genesis of all creative works. First there is the obsession; then there is the creation. Without that first, inner psychological step of taking a profound interest – that is an obsession in – the work to be done, the work would simply never get done.

I hope to see each of my children become obsessed by something, in their lives. I hope to see them take profound interests in their own special worlds, whatever they may be. For in that obsession will they find what no-one else has seen and do what no-one else has done. Obsession will lead them to greatness, if they are so lucky to have that characteristic in them. There is hope for them. It is part of my character to become profoundly interested in that which grabs my attention and intellect. I rather hope that they all have inherited some measure of that character element, for nothing, not even great intellect, is more likely to lead them to greatness, in whatever they choose to do, than that they should hold some degree of obsession for it.

Perhaps, indeed, it is true to say that the world’s greatest geniuses are also the world’s greatest obsessives. Those with the profoundest interests, are also those with the profoundest insights. Those who see deepest, are those most driven to see at all.

So, the next time you note an obsessive interest in someone, do not mark them as “strange” or even “mad”, but see in them the seed of greatness, that is there. Their profound interest, could lead them to see something no-one has seen before and so change the world, in an unexpected way.

In a world without obsession, there would have been no Lord of the Rings and no Mozart’s Requiem, no Guernica, no Hamlet and no Mona Lisa. We would not have a Theory of Relativity, or even a Heliocentric solar system, nor a Theory of Evolution. All these great works, were created by obsessive men, working obsessively, their whole lives long, driven by a demon no-one else could ever understand. Yet, we have all benefitted from their obsessions, even though, in their lifetimes, many of them would have been thought of as “odd” or even been persecuted for their obsessions.

In a very real sense, our world has been built by obsessives – built by people with unremittingly profound interests in their areas of work, people who could not do but what they did. So, be at ease, parents all, if you see hints of obsessiveness in your children – for that tendency to obsession can, if properly harnessed, lead to great things. It only needs a productive focus – some subject area, which if regarded intently, can give up productive fruit. Consider this, also, no child without a degree of obsession, in their hearts, is ever likely to create anything worthy of remembrance, or indeed, to climb to the top of any profession. Only those who are obsessed, are most driven to achieve something of merit in this world, if only to assuage the inner demon, who drives them on. Those who lack obsession are doomed, in a very real way, to be mediocrities, since it is most unlikely that a person can reach the heights of any human endeavour, without being propelled by a generous dose of obsession. So, do not worry if you see this characteristic in your children – be pleased – for it has much promise in it.

It should be noted that the tendency to obsession with interests, that I write of, must be distinguished from “obsessive compulsive disorder”. They are not the same. The latter might force the sufferer to wash their hands a thousand times a day, or check the locks on their house a score of times, before leaving. This is not a productive compulsion. I speak only of those with the profoundest interest in their chosen subject matters. This is a very different phenomenon.

It would be interesting to hear from any parents who have noted obsessive interests in their children. Are your children intently focussed on things that interest them? Do they turn to these subjects again and again? Are they constantly learning in these areas, and building their prowess? Comments below please.

Posted by Valentine Cawley

(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page.

To read about my fundraising campaign, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-in-support-of-my.html and here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-first-donation.html

If you would like to read any of our scientific research papers, there are links to some of them, here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/02/research-papers-by-valentine-cawley-and.html

If you would like to see an online summary of my academic achievements to date, please go here: http://www.getcited.org/mbrz/11136175

To learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 5, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

There is a review of my blog, on the respected The Kindle Report here:http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com/2010/09/boy-who-knew-too-much-child-prodigy.html

Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at:http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is athttp://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

How to play computer games, Ainan's way.

Ainan, my 12 year old son, has his own approach to computer games playing.

A week or so, ago, he remarked to me: “I have been editing the lightwarp in Team Fortress 2.”

That sounded rather technical to me.

“How do you do that?”

He looked at me, with mild surprise, as if I had asked “How do you count to ten?”

“It’s simple Daddy. You just open the vtf file and change the colour strip.”

As an explanation, that rather failed to allow me to understand how to do it. Clearly, however, he knew how to do it.

Ainan has been doing this for some time. Whenever he finds himself dissatisfied with a gaming experience, he opens up the code for the game – and recodes it to his satisfaction, producing a game that looks the way he wants it to.

When he first revealed what he was doing, I asked him:

“How did you learn that?”

“I taught myself. It is easy. You just open the code and it is very obvious what to do.”

I am not sure that this “obvious” task, would be that obvious to most.

Ainan has a sense for these things. He seems to have an instinct for how computers work and what to do to make them work the way he wants them to. This, it strikes me, should prove a very useful skill in a future world in which computers are going to become ever more dominant. What is particularly good about this interest of his, is that it is self-directed. He is teaching himself how to do these things, because he enjoys it. It is something which arises naturally out of his own curiosity and joy. This, of course, is the best way to learn something and the way most likely to give rise to productive fruit.

So, Ainan likes to play computer games, at home. However, his computer games tend to have been customised to his own, inner vision, of what they should look like. That he does this, makes me much happier that he is spending valuable time playing such games – for I know that, for him, they are a lesson in computing, as much as anything else. He has managed to turn computer games into a somewhat creative hobby and one that is teaching him a lot more than one might suppose. I have written one snatch of his conversation regarding computer games and their coding. I have only written this quote because it is one that I remember. Quite often, however, his comments are beyond recall, because they are beyond comprehension. They are just too technical to be readily understood, by someone outside the field, like me. I am content, however, to listen and admire his enthusiasm. That is the best thing a parent can do in the circumstances. I enjoy his enjoyment, even if I don’t understand the fullness of his comments on his interest.

It gives me great pleasure to see Ainan deepen his interests, in this way. If, sometimes, those interests become so technical as to defy ready understanding, then I am even more pleased – for it implies that his understanding has gone beyond that of an intelligent, but uninitiated layman.

Anyway, Ainan’s example has shown me that there can be unexpected lessons to be found, even in the most unpromising of places, if the child, in question, is resourceful enough to see something interesting to do with the material at hand. In this case...reprogramming the computer games, rather than just playing them passively.

Carry on gaming, Ainan...and coding, too!

Posted by Valentine Cawley

(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page.

To read about my fundraising campaign, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-in-support-of-my.html and here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-first-donation.html

If you would like to read any of our scientific research papers, there are links to some of them, here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/02/research-papers-by-valentine-cawley-and.html

If you would like to see an online summary of my academic achievements to date, please go here: http://www.getcited.org/mbrz/11136175

To learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 5, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

There is a review of my blog, on the respected The Kindle Report here:http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com/2010/09/boy-who-knew-too-much-child-prodigy.html

Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks.

You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at:http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is athttp://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)

The effect of passion.

The other day, my wife and I were talking about Art and artists. We have recently been visiting galleries in Kuala Lumpur and it is a pleasant surprise to us, to have learnt that there are many private galleries in this capital city. Indeed, some areas like Solaris Dutamas, look set to become art hubs, with a wide variety of Art offerings.

In the course of this conversation, she expressed her own personal understanding of the motivation which drives artists: "Without passion there would be no beauty.", she observed. For Syahidah, an artist without emotion, is an impossibility. She sees artists as being driven by their feelings to create. Of course, in seeing artists this way, she is most probably speaking of her own motivations to create Art. For Syahidah, it is passion for life, for Art, for feeling, for people, for things, for achievement, that spurs artists to create: the concrete objects that result are solidifications of human feelings. For her, all man-made beauty, begins in the Heart.

I find her outlook interesting as a counterpoint to the scientific currents running through the family. For Ainan, for instance, beauty emerges from THOUGHT. For him, a certain type of thought is inherently beautiful. In the past, he has expressed what seem to be aesthetic reactions to thoughts and ideas. How funny, therefore, to see this contrast to Syahidah's outlook on beauty.

However, that is not to say that Ainan does not appreciate Art: he does - it is just that I think his way of doing so, is different in key ways to his mother's. He is looking for other things and seeing Art in a different way from her - though perhaps some of Syahidah's outlook has informed his reactions to scientific beauty.

Syahidah sees beauty as a product of feeling. Ainan sees beauty as a product of thought. I rather stand between them, and see both types of beauty in the world, in art and in literature.

Syahidah's remark may have broader applicability than she might have noted. It may be that no creativity, whether it be in the realm of beauty, or not, might be possible without passion of a kind. Perhaps, therefore, the whole human world owes itself to that feeling. It is a pity, then, that so many people seem to lack it.

(If you would like to support my continued writing of this blog and my ongoing campaign to raise awareness about giftedness and all issues pertaining to it, please donate, by clicking on the gold button to the left of the page.

To read about my fundraising campaign, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-in-support-of-my.html and here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/01/fundraising-drive-first-donation.html

If you would like to read any of our scientific research papers, there are links to some of them, here: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2011/02/research-papers-by-valentine-cawley-and.html

If you would like to see an online summary of my academic achievements to date, please go here: http://www.getcited.org/mbrz/11136175

To learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 7 and Tiarnan, 5, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

There is a review of my blog, on the respected The Kindle Report here: http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com/2010/09/boy-who-knew-too-much-child-prodigy.html

Please have a read, if you would like a critic's view of this blog. Thanks. You can get my blog on your Kindle, for easy reading, wherever you are, by going to: http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/B0042P5LEE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284603792&sr=8-1

Please let all your fellow Kindlers know about my blog availability - and if you know my blog well enough, please be so kind as to write a thoughtful review of what you like about it. Thanks.

My Internet Movie Database listing is at: http://imdb.com/name/nm3438598/

Ainan's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3305973/

Syahidah's IMDB listing is at http://imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

Our editing, proofreading and copywriting company, Genghis Can, is at http://www.genghiscan.com/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Use only with permission. Thank you.)