Yes, geniuses see the world through a different lens from the rest of us. They tend to be more rational than most of the population and slower to reach certainty on any issue, retaining a high level of tolerance for ambiguity. As an alternative to feeling frustration over the limited rationality of the masses, they adopt a kind of sardonic humor that gives them a psychological escape. For example, Albert Einstein is often remembered as gentle and humble, but he also had a sharp, dry, and occasionally acerbic wit, especially when confronting stupidity, bureaucracy, or rigid academic orthodoxy.
A classmate, Hans Byland, describing his memories of Albert’s humor observed, “He confronted the world spirit as a laughing philosopher, and his witty sarcasm mercilessly castigated all vanity and artificiality.” Conjecturing that this acerbic wit was a protective mechanism, Byland said, “He was one of those split personalities who knows how to protect, with a prickly exterior, the delicate realm of their intense personal life.”
When Nazi Germany published a pamphlet titled, “100 Authors Against Einstein,” to discredit his relativity theory, Einstein wryly responded, “If I were wrong, then one would have been enough.”
Denigrating the culture of celebrities, he said, “With fame I become more and more stupid, which of course is a very common phenomenon.”
For years, Elsa, concerned about Albert’s health, nagged him about his pipe smoking, asserting that he was a slave to his pipe. One Thanksgiving, Einstein bet Elsa that he could go without smoking until New Year’s Day. At a dinner party just before the New Year, Elsa proudly announced that Albert had abstained from smoking since Thanksgiving, to which Albert added, “You see, I am no longer a slave to my pipe, but I’m a slave to that woman.” Then, on New Year’s morning, Einstein lit his pipe and according to Elsa, he thereafter never let the pipe out of his mouth except when eating or sleeping.
We live in a world exploding with exciting ideas, brilliant technologies, and highly intelligent people along with mass stupidity, and ill-intent. Those who see most clearly the negative elements of society can find refuge from their frustration in an ironic sense of humor that sometimes bites of angry passive resignation.
