When we think of genius we think Maimonides. Or Newton. Or Einstein. Of inventors and philosophers, change-agents and trail-blazers, of minds with access to whole galaxies of insight that ordinary folks can’t tap into. We think of lonely intellects who had to wait for the rest of the world to catch up to them.
But the rules are changing. Never before have so many people had access to so much information. Never before have so many people been able to connect to each other with the click of a mouse, and never before has worldwide collaboration been an everyday phenomenon. It’s a fertile time to find (and fund) the genius and her idea—the indicators are suddenly all around us, all of the time.
Genius is still precious, however, and when we do identify it, it needs nurturing and a wise hand. Too much or too little support can have equally disastrous results. On the one hand, it’s easier than ever to hear innovative ideas and get them implemented, but this can lead to a disorienting excess of projects and scattershot results. On the other hand, it can be very difficult to take the necessary risk. New ideas require vision, attention and commitment over the long term to thrive, and sometimes even when they have these things, they still fail.
So how do we, as Jewish philanthropists, find the right balance? One way is to realize that genius doesn’t, any longer, have to do its work alone. Today’s methods mean we have smart, collaborative, new ways to work together to meet our goals, and today’s networks mean we have safety and creativity in numbers.
Looking for genius? The 2009 Jewish Funders Network International Conference will help guide you along the way.
