The Crazy=Smart Conversation
I had dinner last night with Dartmouth Guy, a friend from business school (guess where he went to college). We met about five years ago in a class called "Power and Influence," then went on a very fun trip to Europe together a year later (also through school).
Every few months, we get together for drinks or lunch or something, just to catch up. Dinner last night, though, was a little less social. DG and his fiance just broke up, and are in the throes of cancelling wedding plans, as he buys her out of the house they own together. What a nightmare. He's obviously very sad (I'm sure she is as well) and isn't quite ready to start getting over her, even though he knows he must.
So, the original purpose of dinner was company-keeping and shoulder-crying. It quickly evolved, though, into a conversation that I've had with more people than I care to admit: the relationship between intelligence and insanity.
I wish I could say these conversations take place on a purely abstract level ("Yes, Van Gogh was crazy...so many of the great geniuses are...what a shame...think what they could accomplish if only..."). Unfortunately, they're much more tangible and self-serving than that. They always start with the self-analysis discussion and end with "I just think that everyone who's truly intellectual must overanalyze things to this degree. And to do so brings on craziness. So all truly intellectual people are crazy."
Of course, this isn't true. At least I have to hope it isn't true: my craziness has cleared up significantly over the past few years and I'd like to think that I haven't lost any sort of intellectual edge as a result (and yes, I am suggesting that I have some sort of intellectual edge. Keep it to yourself if you think otherwise.)
A few years ago, just as I was getting over my really deep craziness, I sent myself an email from work. The subject line was "reasons why it's good to be crazy." And the list of reasons was all about how nicely people treat you when you're teetering on the edge, and how you can think about yourself all day long without worrying that you're narcissistic - because you're crazy, and who would want to be crazy?
Sending that email was the real beginning of the end of craziness for me. Once you can see through what you're doing, you don't really have an excuse to behave so badly. The crazy=smart rationale is really just an excuse for that allows somewhat intelligent people to be self-indulgent and self-centered without the guilt. With pity instead ("poor me...so crazy.")
That said, there are times when its certainly OK to be crazier than others. And cancelling your wedding is one of those times. Dartmouth Guy will get through it - I actually think he's too smart not to get past some of the crazy (or at least manage it enough) to realize that living a sane life is actually much more enjoyable than genius insanity.
Every few months, we get together for drinks or lunch or something, just to catch up. Dinner last night, though, was a little less social. DG and his fiance just broke up, and are in the throes of cancelling wedding plans, as he buys her out of the house they own together. What a nightmare. He's obviously very sad (I'm sure she is as well) and isn't quite ready to start getting over her, even though he knows he must.
So, the original purpose of dinner was company-keeping and shoulder-crying. It quickly evolved, though, into a conversation that I've had with more people than I care to admit: the relationship between intelligence and insanity.
I wish I could say these conversations take place on a purely abstract level ("Yes, Van Gogh was crazy...so many of the great geniuses are...what a shame...think what they could accomplish if only..."). Unfortunately, they're much more tangible and self-serving than that. They always start with the self-analysis discussion and end with "I just think that everyone who's truly intellectual must overanalyze things to this degree. And to do so brings on craziness. So all truly intellectual people are crazy."
Of course, this isn't true. At least I have to hope it isn't true: my craziness has cleared up significantly over the past few years and I'd like to think that I haven't lost any sort of intellectual edge as a result (and yes, I am suggesting that I have some sort of intellectual edge. Keep it to yourself if you think otherwise.)
A few years ago, just as I was getting over my really deep craziness, I sent myself an email from work. The subject line was "reasons why it's good to be crazy." And the list of reasons was all about how nicely people treat you when you're teetering on the edge, and how you can think about yourself all day long without worrying that you're narcissistic - because you're crazy, and who would want to be crazy?
Sending that email was the real beginning of the end of craziness for me. Once you can see through what you're doing, you don't really have an excuse to behave so badly. The crazy=smart rationale is really just an excuse for that allows somewhat intelligent people to be self-indulgent and self-centered without the guilt. With pity instead ("poor me...so crazy.")
That said, there are times when its certainly OK to be crazier than others. And cancelling your wedding is one of those times. Dartmouth Guy will get through it - I actually think he's too smart not to get past some of the crazy (or at least manage it enough) to realize that living a sane life is actually much more enjoyable than genius insanity.
posted by Kit Pollard at
9:04 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home