Authors: John Strauchs
“Excellent. What can I say about Mr. Siemels?” He pondered the question for a
while. She stayed silent, waiting for him to speak again. He drummed his fingers on his
desk. His old wooden chair creaked. His left foot kept bouncing.
“What can I say about Mr. Siemels? I didn’t know him nearly as well as some of
the other faculty members but I was heavily involved with his testing when he first came
to us. You probably know that he came to MIT at the age of six and earned a bachelors of
science in physics by the age of nine. That should tell you a great deal about this young
man. No one has ever accomplished that before or since.
Not even the Great Newton,
figuratively speaking of course. But perhaps I should start with my theory about who Mr.
Siemels is.
I don’t share this with many, Jennifer, so please keep it just between us.
There are respected colleagues who think my theory is ludicrous. Do you remember my
thesis about non-linear human evolution?” asked Father O’Connor.
“Yes, I do.
Your theory is that human evolution was not even and gradual but
rather that it involved infrequent periodic spikes in human development spread over very
long periods of time and that there was little development between the spikes. Is that correct?” asked Jenny.
“Correct, but let’s elaborate. These spikes did not occur periodically, that is to say
they were not uniformly distributed.
Nothing in the universe is random, but from the
perspective of our observation, the occurrence of these spikes appears to be random. The
spikes may be separated by tens of thousands of years, perhaps by a million years or so at
times. Are you following me? We are going back at least 7 million years.”
“Yes, I’m following you,” said Jenny.
“My theory doesn’t go contrary to Darwinian natural selection.
It is compatible
with the Selfish Gene theories propounded by Richard Dawkins. As you know Dawkins
is a staunch aetheist…that notwithstanind…his concepts are extremely enlightening.
Most primatologists tend to see human development as largely gradual and uniform when
looking back at the entire gamut of time back to the dawn of man. But then, how does
one explain the obvious gaps in the fossil record?
Certainly, to these scholars, fluctuations occurred and at times human development was more rapid than at other times. But
they do not agree with me that human development…if we were to diagram it on a
curve…was generally a horizontal flat line for eons…to use a hyperbole to dramatize my
argument.
And then, suddenly, there is a monumental peak in the line.
Examining how
quickly certain technology has appeared bears me out I believe.
And, how did this happen? Why hasn’t technology been gradual? The development of technology by mankind,
it is virtually an asymptotic curve. What is the explanation?”
“I do recall that lecture. What does this have to do with Jared?” asked Jenny.
“Patience, my dear.
Patience.
The simple answer is that Jared in one of these
peaks…one of these spikes. He is a rare mutation in human development.”
Jenny was shocked.
“How different is he, Father?”
“He is as different as you are to your cousin, the chimpanzee. That might be just
a trifle exaggerated, but you get my point, don’t you? I can’t begin to speculate when the
last Jared was born of this world.
Indeed, it could have been a hundred thousand years
ago, perhaps much, much longer. There no doubt have been many spikes…let’s call them
spikes to simply our discussion…but I suspect that the majority didn’t survive. The majority of mutations are likely harmful to the host. Of those mutations that are beneficial,
many of those individuals may have been killed or otherwise harmed by the society they
lived in because they were so different.
In the same vein, some individuals may have
unique traits and abilities that prove to be harmful over time or interfere with the individual’s ability to procreate. I am unable to say whether Mr. Siemels has any of these kinds
of challenges—but it is possible that he does.”
This was too much for Jenny to cope with. She was visibly alarmed.
Father O’Connor saw that.
“You will also recall that almost all mutations in the animal kingdom fail.
Ones
that are positive and constructive and survive and procreate are exceedingly rare.”
“So you’re telling me that Jared is another Einstein.”
“No, not at all. That is not what I am saying.
As much as I admire Dr. Einstein,
he wasn’t a spike in the human development curve.
Einstein was beyond genius, but
Jared is so far beyond Einstein that I can’t think of a way of expressing a proper comparison.”
“Could you be wrong about this?” asked Jenny.
“My dear.
Of course I could be wrong.
This is merely a theory---an unpopular
one at that.”
“This is like being told your boy friend is really superman. I feel like Lois Lane,”
she said.
“Not an unapt corollary. Metaphorically speaking, Mr. Siemels is indeed superman.”
“Why would someone like that ever be interested in me?
I’m not superwoman,
Father,” said Jenny.
“That was rhetorical, was it not? It is an important concern. Try to imagine owning a goldfish and hoping to form a close relationship with your pet. The goldfish has no
inate ability to understand you in any manner, let alone communicate with you.”
“Am I Jared’s goldfish?”
“I don’t know my dear.
Perhaps my example is too harsh.
There is certainly a
vast difference between you and a goldfish, not the least of which is that you can communicate with Mr. Siemels. I frankly don’t know what kind of relationship he is capable
of maintaining. It is
terra incognita
.”|
“How many people like Jared have there been?” asked Jenny.
“The reason I’m not taken seriously, my dear, is because there has never been
another Jared in recorded history. The last Jared most likely occurred during prehistory.
Of course, I can’t be entirely certain of that.
I theorize that most…let’s call them Jareds
to make it easier to discuss…most Jareds didn’t survive. As I already said, being different, especially in primitive, possibly, Neolithic cultures, was dangerous.
Some Jareds
were probably killed by those around them.
Some bird species will peck malformed
young to death.
Other Jareds may have never had offspring because they rejected all
mates or in turn were rejected by potential mates.
Some may have committed suicide,
sensing that they had no place in their world. Yet, enough did survive and have progeny
to have advanced humankind to where we are today,” he said.
Jenny took a tissue out of her purse and wiped her eyes. She was crying silently.
This all confirmed so many things that she had been told about Jared in the past few days
or suspected herself.
It took no prodding to get Dr. Smolenskiy to advise her to stay
away from Jared.
He wouldn’t elaborate, but he said the Jared was a monster, or words
to that effect.
“Above all else, Jennifer, Mr. Siemels is an extremely lonely man. His loneliness
is beyond profound. Try to imagine what it would be like to be so extraordinary in a
world of ordinary people.
But if he were to find someone he could be close to, I can’t
think of anyone better suited to understanding him than you Jennifer. And above all, my
dear, he is not insane or dangerous. Not at all! Put those thoughts out of your mind.”
“That was nice to hear
,” thought Jenny. “
But was it true
?”
“Everyone has warts, Jennifer, including Mr. Siemels. I don’t wish to raise indelicate subjects, but there are special aspects of his personality that you need to be aware
of and prepared for.”
“
Now the bad stuff
,” thought Jenny.
“Virtually all…no, let me correct that…all men of genius tend to have either no
libido or extreme libido.”
“You mean sex drive,” said Jenny.
“Yes, that is what I am talking about.
If you haven’t already noticed from your
recent…ahhh…tryst…his sexual needs tend to be extreme and possibly unconventional at
times because he comes to ennui so easily.
I am confident that there is no physical danger to you in this, but there may be moral challenges.
That may be the wrong word.
Mores is a better description of these challenges.
I believe you once told me that you
grew up Lutheran.
Mr. Siemels has extremely complex personalities—and I say personalities in the plural with deliberate intent.
Albert Einstein, as homely a man as you
could find, had an expansive interest in women.
According to his own letters, Einstein
had six mistresses, and possibly others he never admitted to.”
“How kinky is Jared, Father?”
“Kinky…indeed…I suppose that is appropriate.
To be honest, Jennifer, I don’t
know. These insights are from psychological testing when he was much younger. I have
no notion of how his prurient interests have developed.”
“I’m just a little embarrassed talking about this, Father.”
“It’s important that we discuss this Jennifer. This is an adult conversation.
I am
glad you came to me. Ultimately you have to decide if you should pursue a personal relationship with Mr. Siemels.
I want no harm to come to you. Perhaps this relationship is
not your cup of tea, my dear.”
“I feel so ridiculous coming to you about a relationship with someone that I just
met. I’m like a high school girl with a crush,” she said.
“Nonsense,” said Father O’Connor.
“Is there anything else I should know about?” asked Jenny.
“There is one more thing. Persons at genius levels not only bore easily, but they
have an unquenchable need to play. Ordinary people can’t imagine how important it is to
these rare individuals to find release and escape.
They have to take the top off of the
pressure cooker now and then. Some resort to drugging themselves. And let me quickly
add that I am confident that Mr. Siemels abstains. But to continue my thread, how many
brilliant men and women can you recall that were addicted to narcotics or alcohol, especially the creative ones?
Just bear in mind Poe, Fitzgerald, Dylan Thomas, Hemmingway, and Joyce. That listing has hundreds of names, if not thousands. Now don’t misunderstand my drift, Jennifer.
Again…I believe that Mr. Siemels is far too self-aware and
disciplined to get into drugs and drinking.
But his testing clearly demonstrated that he
has an inordinate drive to play. That may sound inane, but as difficult as it may be to imagine that playfulness could ever become intolerable, it can.
You must armor yourself
my dear. Combined with an intense libido, this facet of his personality could be the most
difficult to accept,” he said.
“You know, it is interesting you say that.
His house is full of games and toys,”
said Jenny.
Then she remembered the photograph of Einstein Jared had—the photo of
Einstein sticking his tongue out. It all made sense now.
“Really?
I expect that he goes through them quickly. I can’t conceive of a game
that wouldn’t instantly bore him,” he said.
“I think he buys them constantly, especially computer games. Of course he has
written programs for his own games. I am sure he prefers them.”
She thought about
bringing up Ginger, but she couldn’t invade Jared’s privacy any more than she already
has. Ginger was no doubt Jared’s sex toy.
“I would love to see them.”
“He’s pretty secretive about them.”
“Not surprising,” said Father O’Connor.
“But if he bores so quickly, why do games continue to interest him? I don’t get
it.”
“Jennifer, we’re not just talking about games. I am telling you this so you understand how important play is to Mr. Siemels; he can even be childlike at times. Have you
ever seen the photograph of Dr. Einstein where he is sticking his tongue out at the photographer?”
“Yes, it’s quite famous. In fact, Jared has a large blowup of the photo framed and
mounted above his work desk,” said Jenny.
She was relieved that he brought it up. She
didn’t have to betray Jared any more than she already has.
“My Goodness! Fascinating!
As I said, this underlines that he is totally selfaware. I don’t want you to misunderstand what I am about to say. He is not mentally ill
as we would understand it but at the same time it is also self-evident that he is out of the
norm as compared, let’s say, to you or I.
His uniqueness makes him so.
We have assumed for quite some time that he entirely comprehends his psychological makeup.
People with mental illness generally have no concept of self or of their abnormalities.
Mr. Siemels does.”
Despite how he couched it, this was a disturbing insight into Jared’s personality.
“
Was Jared crazy?
” thought Jenny.
“This might explain his really weird behavior during the boating picnic. He pushed her off the boat for no reason. Was Jared just
being playful?”
There was another very long pause and more finger drumming.
“Let’s summarize, shall we?
It is difficult to find the right words.
How shall I
say this? To be completely honest, we don’t really know how intelligent he is. He would
never cooperate when anyone tried to test his intelligence quotient. The pressure for testing was incessant. Perhaps that is why the poor boy resisted so much. We have some test
results from Russia when he was a small boy, but they are unreliable because we only
have the results, not the test instruments. His scores are perfect. That is not possible. We
do know that he has eidetic imagery skills, that is to say he has a photographic memory.
That’s incorrect. He has full analytic and comprehensive grasps of everything he has ever
learned. It is much more than photographic memory. We have seen him learn languages
in weeks, if not days.
He can comprehend an entire page of complex text by merely
glancing at it. There is no end to his abilities. He is our genetic link to the man of tomorrow.”
He held his thought for a full minute.
Jenny just sat on the edge of her chair,
waiting. His foot bounced for a while again.
“As an anthropologist, my interest in Mr. Siemels was acute from the beginning.
Some of the most remarkable tests of his abilities were the Ganzfeld experiments. That is
not quite right. The point is that the Ganzfeld tests had absolutely no effect on him.
None!"
"What are the Ganzfeld experiments?" she asked.
"Sensory deprivation. It just didn't do anything,” he said.