The Entitlement of Love and Genius: Demanding Normality from the Extraordinary

We often burden those who inspire or love us with the unfair expectation of being 'normal,' diminishing their brilliance and the very qualities that draw us to them. This expectation stems from a desire for comfort and control, a need to fit expansive love and genius into a confined space where we can understand and manage them. We tell musicians who articulate our deepest feelings to consistently produce, athletes who defy physical limits to remain humble, and loved ones who awaken us to new dimensions to exist solely for us. This entitlement diminishes the very essence of what makes them extraordinary. True love and genius are expansive, existing beyond our expectations and understanding. They bring both exhilaration and terror, inspiring dread as much as hope. Ignoring the costs that come with love and genius, we demand they conform to our comfort, attempting to confine them within our limited understanding. This demand, while human and relatable, is fundamentally unfair. We blur the lines between love and comfort, failing to recognize that true love, like genius, challenges and transcends our expectations. By demanding normality, we risk stifling the very qualities that enrich our lives, revealing a tragic flaw in our understanding of love and admiration. The essence of love and genius lies in their boundless nature, their capacity to exceed our grasp and challenge our perceptions. To truly appreciate them, we must relinquish our need for control and embrace the discomfort that comes with the extraordinary.