Strangely, when I look at this painting, it reminds me of “zero vanguard” – cosmonaunts who were involved in experiments before 1961.

Time Transfixed. René Magritte, 1938

Paris

Culture

I heard some people were really surprised to discover Malcolm McLaren genius beyond Sex Pistols.

If only we could open our eyes more often. Maybe then we could learn to appreciate good people before they are gone.

People convinced of something were always attracting my interest. Sometimes I felt kind of envy, sometimes curiosity. Because the way they have found their something was always obscure. There were times I thought there is no “way” at all, that people are just born with it. Or without. Me without. I was never convinced of anything. Convictions scare me. Most appalling tragedies of XX century were connected with convictions. But most striking scientific achievements were too.

Convictions look good on the third hand. They simplify the appearance. I guess they may help in focusing all the efforts on something. But the price can be high. And the oddest thing is the you can easily overlook the price.

The question stays on: should I have any convictions at all? Maybe humanness should be one?

What is the probability that a randomly selected newborn child will become genius? What is the probability that a randomly selected genius will commit a suicide?

Society that minimizes the chances for genius is probably a doomed one.

Determinancy and algorithmic behavior are expected of educational system. But when everything is planned there is very little place for future. Future is not something predicted, planned and awaited. Rather it consists of unexpected events. Genius is unexpected.

Although genius seldom receives a favor of mass, today society disposes of very effective tools against it. And no matter how paradoxical it can seem, education is at the top among these tools. Educations teaching so many pointless things ends up with people who prefer dullness. People who prefer dwelling in a special kind of slumber, lulled with TV ads, antidepressants, stock chart statistics and supermarkets.

They try to find a peace of mind (it is by the way instructive to think of reasons peace of mind became so demanded), and stopping to think at all is the shortest path there.

As long as chairs are comfortable they can stop caring about destination point of the train of life. Indeed, as long as competitive salary each month appears on the account one holds in some respected bank, he is welcome to stop thinking.

But if one day respected bank will collapse and staff reduction will appear instead of salary, there will be no time to learn to think.

And there will be no Superman, no Angel A, nobody to rescue the life.