The Genius unrevealed

The 2007 Wimbledon championships yet again proved genius lies a sphere of its own, untouched by the the gross. Watching Roger federer play was wittnessing an artist at work at the height of his powers. The Staunch commitment, the languid grace of his ground strokes, the lissome movements on the court and above all the buddhist like temperment - was a treat to watch. He is arguably one of the finest grass court players who have ever graced the game.

What amazes me is the consistency of the performance. Its one thing to work hard and reach a certain level, but it is really difficult to sustain that over many years. Unless one really enjoys what he is doing , such levels of perfection can rarely be attained. In every game, In every profession, one would find people who will the deliver the goods time and time again. One may argue, that they are innately gifted, but still genius needs to be nurtured and channelised to achieve an end. One can never take away the fact long hours of toil and commitment that has gone into making them what they are today. True champions.

The real challenge for all these champions is to overcome the sense of complacency that can set in after reaching a level . The distractions that accompany success can be a great deterrent in pushing them forward. The constant public appearances and the limelight can tarnish the resolution of many. But thats precisely greatness is all about. The ability to rise above the circumstances and plung forward into the dizzy heights of glory. No doubt, a lot of sacrifices are needed to achieve this. Family life takes a beating, Socializing happens anly to satisfy the unending demands of the public and media. Every move is watched, commented and criticized by millions of people. Despite all that one needs to find anchor in our talent. Thats what we mean by the word professionalism.

it is my opinion that true professionalism cannot be developed without the inner joy that accompanies it. Unless one is able to love our job, greater heights cannot be reached. The fire of passion must burn intensely within us. Once that is there, no amount of sacrifices will a burden on us. Every genius exemplifies this. Vincent Van gough, the great dutch painter died in penury pusuing his artistic abilites. His life was a mental and physical wreckage, but the inner fire plodded him along. Winston churchill - the great English statesman, worked twenty hours a day,smoked cigars endlessly, fought a war and found time to pen eight fabulous volumes on the fate of the second world war - which is unsurpassed in literary and factual brilliance even till
today. Andre agassi, played tennis with flawless intensity,mesmerized public with his attitude and style, found time to flirt with three female celebrities and finally settled down with arguably the best female player of our generation - Steffi graf. History is replete with lives that have lived their destinies with joy and fun and yet have left an indelible mark in the history of time. A warren Buffet who started with dropping news papers; rose to become a financial wizard the likes of which the world has never seen; but still chooses to live in a house that he bought forty years ago and drives his own car.

These people aren’t unique because they were born to be unique, but because they chose to be unique.it is in our capacity to rise to these levels, but we are hindered by our own selves. Nietze spoke of the superman that lies in all of us. The dormant greatness that resides untapped in each one of us has to be woken out its long slumber. What we lack is the commitment to pursue our dreams. Every dream is indicative of our unconscious talent and fire,but we ignore it because there is risk involved in it. Pursuing a dream means breaking out of shackles, facing life face to face and plunging headlong into the swirl of it. It takes courage to do that, but that is where our true destinies lie. We live in a mirage and take that to be our fate, but for those few people who dont mind doing the bungee jump, there is an oasis of peace that is waiting out there, a panacea for all the pain and sacrifices that they have had to bear to get there.A fulfillment of life.