It is so easy to miss a gem right before your eyes, and there are treasures where one least expects.
   
Ordinary Geniuses

A man of insight

Geniuses and intellectuals are not necessarily famous, nor are they all found in important positions. Quite the opposite; while they want their ideas to be known, they mostly shun the limelight. In ancient Greece, the philosopher Diogenes lived in a large ceramic jar and when Alexander the Great offered to grant him any one wish, Diogenes asked him only to step aside as he was blocking his sun.

Here is a small gem you will like from a Spanish goatherd, El Cabrero, also known for singing a form of Flamenco. Tending goats was his occupation, but he was also a thinker, and here is what he said about singing Siguiriyas or Cante Jondo:

"Jondo depends on the depth of the interpreter. If the interpreter is not profound, there is no deep song. Jondo means almost inaccessible. It's not a stone, it's a seam that you mine. You drill down to find its real worth. Some Siguiriya singers are better than others because they sing from a place of pain. They take the lyrics and put themselves in the situation. Others motivate themselves (e.g.) by drinking; those are people who are afraid.

When there is something to say, one must not be silent; because to be silent is to die."

And this is what it means to be an artist in any of the arts, or to seek truth - scientific, philosophical, or any kind. It is never about hitting the right notes on the piano or measuring the size of a black hole. One must look for meaning, and never be afraid to speak the truth.

Soon after he gave this informal interview, El Cabrero was discovered by a wider audience for his singing. But I value his genius in thinking just as much as his musical ability.


Editor