“You know, you’re no genius!”
The above pronouncement made by the author’s father toward the author during childhood proves to be one of those things parents often say without thinking—hopefully—that get stuck inside a child’s mind and never quite come loose. The word “genius” does, of course, seem to have a quite literal meaning, but the truth is that there is no hard-and-fast definition of the term. Genius exists purely and solely within the metaphorical level, but its implication—especially relative to its not being considered an appropriate description—can have literally lifelong consequences.
Grit
The title of the book is also the subject. And the subject is metaphor. What is grit? That is the question which is continually being asked and answered. The answer, by the way, is never within the literal:
“Like every aspect of your psychological character, grit is more plastic than you might think.”
Really? Really?
Wine people, right? Antonio Galloni is a wine person. A wine critic, of all things. And his mission in life—no joke—is “to help people understand their own palates.” Because, of course, god forbid any person understands his or her own palate better than a complete stranger. And what is Galloni’s point for this mission? Well, apparently, when this magic of a stranger telling someone what they are actually tasting happens:
“it’s like a lightbulb goes off, and he wants `to make a million lightbulbs go off.’”
Mark Spitz
Mark Spitz won seven gold medals in swimming at the 1972 Summer Olympics. He was insanely unbeatable. Today, of course, the very same times that earned Spitz those medals would not even qualify him to qualify for qualifying for the Olympics. And yet, there is remains something truly special about the man:
“One swimmer turned to Dan and said, pointing to Spitz, `My god. He’s a fish.’”
True Grit
What is the truth about grit? It is all in the lasting power. Lots of people have grit, but not all of them have grit to spare. The lesson to be learned is not so much what grit is, but how much of it you have and how long it will hold out:
“The highly accomplished were paragons of perseverance.”
