Saturday, January 24, 2009

Genius Wears Many Different Coats - For Example:

During our first years, my wife and I became acquainted with a number of brilliant and fascinating people.
Two of them became our dearest friends. They were older, both having gotten out of Vienna when Hitler annexed Austria.
They were both in the scientific field, she being one of the group which created a revolutionary process in photography which the entire world got to use as consumers.
One day we were invited to their home for lunch, and we were told that the scientist second in command of this new and burgeoning industry was also invited.
Well, he appeared on his bicycle, having pedaled his way about twelve miles in order to appear. What was interesting to us was that he was in his sixties, and had the physique of a twenty year-old.
It was a hot summer day, and after a short round of conversation, this gentleman, who did not exhibit much in the way of random banter, offered to chop down some of the smaller dead trees in the back yard (our friends' home was in the suburbs), and asked for an ax.
He proceeded to go to the back yard, strip to the waist, and began to dispatch some of the deceased greenery within his reach.
The remaining four of us continued conversation for awhile, after which Helen announced that lunch was ready. She then called out to the venerable Paul Bunyon in the yard to come in, upon which he removed the rest of his clothes, took a nearby hose, and rinsed himself off, all in complete view of those of us staring out at him from the living room windows.
Helen yelled out to get back into the house with clothes on, and compulsively reminded him to wash his hands (!).
The friendship continued thereafter.
Genius is devoid of constraint.

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