The theme of Diplocalendar 2013 was inspired by Mark Twain’s quotation that: “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them”.
Diplomats, like many other professionals, must read, understand, synthesise and make sense of newspapers, magazines, emails, official reports and so many other things related to their daily work. But there is so much else to read both for pleasure and to deepen our knowledge.
The selected book suggested for the month of April that supports professional development and is relevant to management in diplomacy is Michael J. Gelb’s Think Like Da Vinci
very interesting book, but I think geniuses are born, you can try but you are likely to fail and become demoralized.
A great poster that summaries how to broaden one’s thinking. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that one can become a genius per se just by learning and doing everything the graphic reveals. I look forward to reading the book for a deeper insight.
Fabio’s comment made me think about the term “genius”. Just to show how contrived the term is here are two contrasting quotes:
“Genius must be born, and never can be taught” John Dryden [English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright] To Mr. Congreve [English playwright and poet]
“One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius” Simone de Beauvoir [French writer, intellectual, existentialist philosopher, political activist, feminist, and social theorist]
I have a different theory. I believe that genius is neither of the above. I think that anyone could demonstrate genius at some point, I can’t fathom that someone is a born genius. On the other hand, I don’t believe that it is something tangible that can be learned in a conventional sense.
My take on the subject is that genius is a discovery (like the title of the article). Genius is reducible to understanding the relationship between the natural “perfection” that is all around us. Mathematics, Nature and the Universe all have perfection in common. Leonardo da Vinci discovered this, studied it and applied it to everything he did. All his artistic flair, scientific, engineering and anatomical studies helped him “read between the lines”. What he “saw” could not be explained easily so he reverted to making visual representations for the layman to study. People who don’t take the time to stop and observe what is happening around them cannot see the perfection and genius that is all around us. Once one understands how to “join-the-dots” then everything starts to make sense and one begins to think on a different level. Broken glass to a layman is just glass but to a genius it is a kaleidoscope of colours and geometric shapes and the use that that glass can be put to rather than just being thrown away.
As another example: Have you ever observed a spider weaving its web. You have so much to learn in just a few square centimetres. Engineering and construction – the location of the web and the geometric and tensile strength calculations required to build the web itself. Anatomy – the spider, its anatomy perfectly styled for the job it has to do…how and why does it not get trapped in its own web? Nature and Darwinian Laws – see the spider capture its prey and notice the precision and speed of preparation and storage of its meal…etc. etc. etc. You could apply this form of observation to anything that already exists in nature and then elaborate and apply it to inventions for human application.
Finally, genius is not the final destination but the journey. It cannot be measured nor quantified so there is no finishing line to cross. Discovering, observing, understanding and replicating the natural perfection in our Universe will get us closer to genius[ness]. Q.E.D.