Lives Less Ordinary
It’s a wonderful feeling to experience perfection. A piece of music that lifts your day whatever your mood; A well-written paragraph that makes you smile no matter how hard you fight it; A footballer scoring a beautiful individual goal with apparent ease. We have all had experiences of witnessing a talent at its peak, somebody doing the extraordinary to emphasise their position at the top of their field. But where would that genius be without the ordinary, without the bog standard for greatness to lift itself above? Thomas Edison once pointed out that genius is just 1% inspiration and the man should know a thing or two on the subject. It is the other 99% that genius cannot live without and those that nature failed to bless with that extra fraction deserve to be recognised.
Not wishing to take ‘Amadeus’ as a wholly true account of the life of Mozart, the film certainly helps to illustrate the point. The composer lived fast, died tragically young and created some of the world’s most memorable music in his brief life but we should at least understand the point of view of his contemporary Antonio Salieri. “The Patron Saint Of Mediocrity” takes his time over his music, works hard for every note he writes and composed some well respected work of his own but he cannot help resenting the brilliance that God has bestowed on another. Mozart is brash, annoying, successful and above all inhabited with that extra 1% Salieri sadly lacks. His jealousy can easily be appreciated by those of us who wish God had touched us with some sprig of natural ability. The split second of joy at experiencing something so magnificent is almost immediately overtaken by the resentment that it was someone else who created it. How many hours do we spend waiting for inspiration to strike only to find that the genius himself can call it up in an instant and for it to be so apparently simple? Salieri’s heart breaks at the thought of what he can never achieve and who amongst us can say they don’t at least sympathise with that emotion?
Sport offers us some of the most visual moments of genius and there are few greater sights than seeing a genuine physical talent in full flow. Lionel Messi shimmying past defenders before effortlessly sliding the ball past the goalkeeper; Sachin Tendulkar seemingly impassable with a cricket bat in his hand; Ronnie O’Sullivan potting a snooker ball almost before the cue ball has come to rest. At their best, they can make the most complicated manoeuvre look deceptively easy and even on an off day stand head and shoulders above any other player. For those without that built in sat-nav to guide them around the arena, hard work and sweat have to substitute for the missing skill. Grinding out results may not look pretty at times but in the uber-professional world of modern day sport, flare is often abandoned in favour of physical effort. Let us not forget though that, whilst often made to look ordinary (even foolish), these professionals have more ability than any layman could hope to possess. Of course, ability requires not just a certain amount of natural talent but countless hours perfecting that skill in training but this isn’t to say that the best in the world don’t need to practise. Usually it will be they who put in more hours training than others to supplement their God-given skill. A well oiled quote from the world of golf reminds us that “the more I practise, luckier I get” a maxim Edison would surely endorse.
The most famous musical quartet of the modern age, The Beatles, conquered the world of popular music but, whilst John and Paul are remembered as the creative force behind the group, let’s spare a thought for the other half without whom there could not have been a ‘Fab Four’. George Harrison, arguably the equal of Lennon and McCartney as a song-writer and musician, is responsible for some of the group’s most memorable tracks. Initially it was he who had the successful solo career following the group’s split and without his creative and technical input, The Beatles wouldn’t have the same artistic eminence they still hold today. George though seemed happy with his position as the ‘quiet’ member of the group but what about poor Ringo Starr. Anecdotes and some ‘interesting’ vocal performances have led to him being derided over the years, perhaps the curse of being the drummer. What is often forgotten though is that he was an accomplished and respected musician on the Liverpool scene prior to replacing Pete Best in the group. Being rated fourth in a quartet of immense talents still ranks him way above most other musicians anyway and, after all, where would The Beatles have been with the Beat?
Even sitting here, writing a few bland paragraphs on the subject of genius, takes an effort that neither Dickens nor Shakespeare seemed to struggle with. That between them they managed an incredible output without the aid of word processors or typewriters just makes mere mortals like us realise how ordinary we are. Within his vast array of writings, Dickens can suddenly summon up a description so simple yet dazzling that he makes you wonder if he was using a different dictionary to the rest of us but no, indeed all the constitute words are straightforward and available to us all, he just knew exactly how to utilise them. Whilst we rightly applaud the master storytellers who’s tales have lasted generations, we also frown upon the supposedly production line writing of someone like Dan Brown. His books have sold millions around the world, been turned into major Hollywood films and made a fortune for the author. Yet the writing community turn their noses up and dismiss him for his supposed lack of craftsmanship. Why not congratulate a man who may not have the verbosity and eloquence of more skilled novelists but has managed to entertain a huge readership with his writing. Let’s face it, if we could all right a novel as successful as “The Da Vinci Code”, we would have done it by now!
Whilst the word ‘genius’ is overused in today’s hyperbolic world, we should celebrate the sublime, the touches of class that make you realise just how beautiful the seemingly simple can be. Those with true genius deserve acknowledgment, (let’s not forget how Vincent Van Gogh ended up) but at the same time, spare a though for the ordinary, the grinders, those who can’t summon up a higher power at will. The next time you watch a football team getting thrashed or read a dismissive review of a book or film, remember the mediocrities in the world for whom Salieri spoke, those without that technical proficiency and whose talent is worked for and earned rather than God given. If we want to celebrate the geniuses of the world then we must also at least acknowledge those who are merely very, very good.
Not wishing to take ‘Amadeus’ as a wholly true account of the life of Mozart, the film certainly helps to illustrate the point. The composer lived fast, died tragically young and created some of the world’s most memorable music in his brief life but we should at least understand the point of view of his contemporary Antonio Salieri. “The Patron Saint Of Mediocrity” takes his time over his music, works hard for every note he writes and composed some well respected work of his own but he cannot help resenting the brilliance that God has bestowed on another. Mozart is brash, annoying, successful and above all inhabited with that extra 1% Salieri sadly lacks. His jealousy can easily be appreciated by those of us who wish God had touched us with some sprig of natural ability. The split second of joy at experiencing something so magnificent is almost immediately overtaken by the resentment that it was someone else who created it. How many hours do we spend waiting for inspiration to strike only to find that the genius himself can call it up in an instant and for it to be so apparently simple? Salieri’s heart breaks at the thought of what he can never achieve and who amongst us can say they don’t at least sympathise with that emotion?
Sport offers us some of the most visual moments of genius and there are few greater sights than seeing a genuine physical talent in full flow. Lionel Messi shimmying past defenders before effortlessly sliding the ball past the goalkeeper; Sachin Tendulkar seemingly impassable with a cricket bat in his hand; Ronnie O’Sullivan potting a snooker ball almost before the cue ball has come to rest. At their best, they can make the most complicated manoeuvre look deceptively easy and even on an off day stand head and shoulders above any other player. For those without that built in sat-nav to guide them around the arena, hard work and sweat have to substitute for the missing skill. Grinding out results may not look pretty at times but in the uber-professional world of modern day sport, flare is often abandoned in favour of physical effort. Let us not forget though that, whilst often made to look ordinary (even foolish), these professionals have more ability than any layman could hope to possess. Of course, ability requires not just a certain amount of natural talent but countless hours perfecting that skill in training but this isn’t to say that the best in the world don’t need to practise. Usually it will be they who put in more hours training than others to supplement their God-given skill. A well oiled quote from the world of golf reminds us that “the more I practise, luckier I get” a maxim Edison would surely endorse.
The most famous musical quartet of the modern age, The Beatles, conquered the world of popular music but, whilst John and Paul are remembered as the creative force behind the group, let’s spare a thought for the other half without whom there could not have been a ‘Fab Four’. George Harrison, arguably the equal of Lennon and McCartney as a song-writer and musician, is responsible for some of the group’s most memorable tracks. Initially it was he who had the successful solo career following the group’s split and without his creative and technical input, The Beatles wouldn’t have the same artistic eminence they still hold today. George though seemed happy with his position as the ‘quiet’ member of the group but what about poor Ringo Starr. Anecdotes and some ‘interesting’ vocal performances have led to him being derided over the years, perhaps the curse of being the drummer. What is often forgotten though is that he was an accomplished and respected musician on the Liverpool scene prior to replacing Pete Best in the group. Being rated fourth in a quartet of immense talents still ranks him way above most other musicians anyway and, after all, where would The Beatles have been with the Beat?
Even sitting here, writing a few bland paragraphs on the subject of genius, takes an effort that neither Dickens nor Shakespeare seemed to struggle with. That between them they managed an incredible output without the aid of word processors or typewriters just makes mere mortals like us realise how ordinary we are. Within his vast array of writings, Dickens can suddenly summon up a description so simple yet dazzling that he makes you wonder if he was using a different dictionary to the rest of us but no, indeed all the constitute words are straightforward and available to us all, he just knew exactly how to utilise them. Whilst we rightly applaud the master storytellers who’s tales have lasted generations, we also frown upon the supposedly production line writing of someone like Dan Brown. His books have sold millions around the world, been turned into major Hollywood films and made a fortune for the author. Yet the writing community turn their noses up and dismiss him for his supposed lack of craftsmanship. Why not congratulate a man who may not have the verbosity and eloquence of more skilled novelists but has managed to entertain a huge readership with his writing. Let’s face it, if we could all right a novel as successful as “The Da Vinci Code”, we would have done it by now!
Whilst the word ‘genius’ is overused in today’s hyperbolic world, we should celebrate the sublime, the touches of class that make you realise just how beautiful the seemingly simple can be. Those with true genius deserve acknowledgment, (let’s not forget how Vincent Van Gogh ended up) but at the same time, spare a though for the ordinary, the grinders, those who can’t summon up a higher power at will. The next time you watch a football team getting thrashed or read a dismissive review of a book or film, remember the mediocrities in the world for whom Salieri spoke, those without that technical proficiency and whose talent is worked for and earned rather than God given. If we want to celebrate the geniuses of the world then we must also at least acknowledge those who are merely very, very good.
Jonathan Paxton
Jonathan Paxton scribbles a few words in what spare time he can muster. He has 3 unfinished novels to complete and will be getting round to finishing them in a minute. One day, he hopes to reach the level of 'ordinary;.