Where do geniuses come from? (Review of the book "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman")

So where do geniuses come from? Unfortunately, the answer is unknown to anyone.
But some interesting assumptions can still be found in the book "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!".

Many will say that it all depends on genes. Yes, undoubtedly, genes are the main clue of any personality. It cannot be done without them. But there are other equally important circumstances.

Only a free world gives birth to free individuals, ready to take as much as possible from life. And give back as much, if not more. Almost all winners of the Nobel Prize and other prestigious world awards belong to the free world. Oppressed continents, which were the majority not long ago, do not produce geniuses.

And it is the geniuses that are the progress of the world. Humanity needs them to improve the lives of every individual. Now this quality multiplies not in centuries, but in decades.

But let's get back toRichard Feynman.
The book is a vivid example of how a person enjoys life, in a good, sublime sense.

Feynman destroys the stereotype of a person as a closed space. When a person is unique from head to toe. Yes, "from" is the beginning. But "to" has no end. Except physically. But let's not talk about sad things.

Tell me, can a person who has never drawn, who has no talent, become an artist? Most will say no. But Feynman proved otherwise by his personal example. Never having drawn, he became quite a good artist. He set a goal and achieved it... And not just that: he wanted to and became a wonderful musician. Who won famous competitions. International ones!..

And how he danced!.. And how he played on stage!.. As if he was a pro in everything...
Can you imagine your dean or professor who sings, dances, plays, jumps, runs, reads poetry? In a state when he hasn't had a hundred grams of brandy? Although, even when he drinks enough, he probably won't succeed in anything.

Say that Feynman was talented in everything. But what is talent? Success in any endeavor can only be achieved through constant work and self-improvement. Natural predisposition alone is worthless.

Many of us do not understand this. We suppress our predispositions, our dreams, or they are suppressed by society, parents, schools, universities, work... We do not believe that we can achieve something, or we are just lazy.

Feynman, on the other hand, as we have already mentioned, was free. He did not betray his dreams. They were a part of his free life. He embodied them.

We can be amazed and admire the life of a scientist. Some may say that he is eccentric, not of this world. Not everyone will understand his actions, words, behavior... But that does not mean that Feynman is "different". He is exactly that, while most of us are "different". If it were not so, humanity would not be on the brink of a precipice. It is unfortunate that nature endows everyone, but only a few take advantage of it.

A lot of time is spent on “re-educating” humanity. Although thanks to people like Feynman, Einstein, Newton, Planck, and other geniuses who came to change the world, we see that "re-education" is not standing still.
 
Feynman talks a lot about his scientific work - it is also enlightening. For him, work is also life, very captivating because it is creative. He is a creator. First and foremost, a creator of science, which played a crucial role in his life. From this, it can also be concluded that a free person is, first of all, a person of work. Work as pleasure. In other words, an idler, a sluggard is not a person of freedom and a free world. Paradoxically, idleness condemns not only a person but also humanity to stagnation and regression.

The happiness of a person is constant movement, searching without stopping at what has been achieved. A person is a moving car, gaining speed and breaking records. This was also the case with Feynman. He not only did not stop, but also moved in different directions, which all aimed at one point called "life".

Feynman is very attractive and enlightening. He expands the boundaries of a person and makes him see the world in all its beauty. Because the majority, who came and went, never saw beauty. And in this lies the tragedy of people.

And Feynman could spend hours, days watching the lives of ants, other insects. And he was amazed by this life!.. He loved it like his own!.. He lived in a world of numbers and on dozens of pages he describes this, focusing, for example, on the structure of a safe lock, its code, etc. He had a wonderful ability to see and hear something in every moment. And this something also became a part of his life. Like the creation of the atomic bomb, which he did not admire, but considered it a necessity for Good to conquer Evil. Or at least to balance the two parts of human morality.

Traveling through the pages of Feynman's book, that is, his life, one deeply realizes that this person is a child of the Universe. Like all of us. But he is its best part. Although he did not believe so personally. It undoubtedly belongs to the creative part of humanity. That works to affirm life on Earth. While we waste this life.

Wherever fate took Feynman, he would definitely study the language of the country, its customs, traditions, and culture. And he admired everything!.. He never despised a person because of different languages, belonging to a different culture, race. Such thoughts simply could not exist for a person of his level. It was like this in Brazil, Japan, and other countries where he visited, worked, and spoke.

For a person of the Universe, humanity is not divided. It is united, a single whole. This is undoubtedly the most humanistic mission that Feynman left on Earth, in addition to his contribution to science.

In our divided age, when a kind of competition of world cultures and worlds is taking place, a good narrative about the life of a great scientist is more than relevant and instructive. On Earth, there is no separate truth for each person. There is one truth for all of humanity. Which must overcome Evil, Violence, and other disasters that are approaching it. The more Feynman is among us, the more chances humanity has for the Future.

People need very little: to comprehend the beauty of the world, which, as they say, will save it. And by comprehending beauty, we comprehend ourselves. Whether this is enough or not for the Triumph of Creation, time will show.