Hero or Fool, Madman or Genius
4/8/97
Hero or Fool
Madman or Genius
They are the same, its only the people at the time who decree the
title
Hero
A hero should be someone who values humans, who is kind, and who
is willing to take risks for the preservation of other humans.
But today, its different. Today a hero is someone who is wealthy,
someone who has played political games to reach status and power,
someone who wont cooperate but who will bully his way around.
Yes, these are what people today consider heroes, but it is still
a warped view.
A fool, then, is someone who has the drive and savvy of the hero,
but is in the wrong era. If Kennedy were young today, he would be
called a fool. If Jimmy Stewart tried to make movies today, he to
would be called a fool. If Michael Landon were young today, he,
too, would be called a fool.
I have tried to be a hero, but what was valued for many years is
not valued today. I have always wanted to be a hero. I have
always wanted to be respected and admired for showing integrity,
for being kind, etc. But, wow, everywhere I go I find that the
activities I have done are looked upon as utterly foolish. In
fact, the deeds make me look less of a man, not more, in their
eyes. I can not change the times I was born in. Thus, I will
always be called a fool.
Madman or Genius
Both are the same.
Both are creative. Both have ideas, and the trained technical
abilities necessary to make the ideas work. Both do not conform
to traditional views if they see an new or better method. Both
have the diligence to pursue, and the stoicism to ride out the
ridicule.
What is different? It is only if the people decide to like the
person or his idea. Then he is a genius. If the public does not
approve of his ideas or like the man himself, then he is a
madman.
If Jefferson were alive today, would he be considered mad? If
Edison were alive today, would his ideas also be considered mad?
I think their ideas would be considered mad, and I think those
genuises would be laughed at by our pessimistic and cynical
society.
Thus a madman is only mad because his ideas are too weird for the
majority of people, and so they strike at him. Notice that I did
not say the madman’s ideas were bad - in fact, often they
are quite intelligent and useful. It is only the people at the
time who do not understand the man with the vision, they are
people who do not have ideas themselves, nor do they have the
diligence to make these ideas happen. So, these people look upon
the doers of society as mad.
I have always wanted to be respected for my intelligence. To
match my wording, I will say my ‘genius’. I have always
believed that the most admirable products from a man’s mind
are real solutions to making small parts of the world more
humane. In this, I have done the best I could. However, again,
people do not understand this. They think it is weird that we
should ever try to be humane, or that we should try to make our
environment more humane. This confuses people today. So, rather
than being respected for my ideas, I will always be considered
crazy.
Conclusion
I can not give up on being kind or being humane. Does that make
me a hero or a fool? I can not stop my work, which I have spent
my life building, regarding finding real solutions to humanity’s
problems in my sphere of influence. Nor can I stop writing
positive poetry and real uplifting stories. Does this
perseverance and dedication make me a madman or a genius?
Today I may be called a mad fool, but I hope that tomorrow the
people will reconsider and I might yet get more praise.
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addendum: crazy fool madmen throughout history. June 97
After the time I wrote the above thoughts until today, I have
noted madmen and fools in my reading of various history books.
The following were considered foolish or crazy at one time or
another.
Ghandi
Columbus
Gallileo
Kepler