Sometimes a conversation sparked by casual curiosity leads to unexpected places.

One day, I found myself wondering: Are there people who accomplished something meaningful despite being extremely poor at human interaction?

That question evolved into a dialogue about the separation of creative and communicative abilities, historical waves, and ultimately my own position. This might be somewhat scattered, but I'd like to organize what I felt through this dialogue.

Geniuses Found and Geniuses Lost

Isaac Newton. Nikola Tesla. Paul Dirac. Emily Dickinson.

What they had in common was their extreme difficulty with social interaction. Newton had almost no friends and remained unmarried until his death. Tesla preferred the company of pigeons to human interaction. Dirac was called "the most taciturn man in physics," speaking only the absolute minimum necessary.

Yet they "succeeded" because they either had advocates who acted on their behalf, or their work had mechanisms to spread on its own. Newton had his mentor Isaac Barrow, who gave up his professorship to the 27-year-old Newton. Tesla had the stage of public demonstrations, and businessman George Westinghouse supported the business side.

But Dickinson was different.

Her poetry was published posthumously. Her sister discovered 1,800 poems in a box, and friends worked tirelessly to publish them before she was finally recognized. She herself died without recognition.

Japan has a similar example: Kenji Miyazawa.

During his lifetime, he published only two books: the poetry collection "Spring and Asura" and the fairy tale collection "The Restaurant of Many Orders." Both were self-published and barely sold. "The Restaurant of Many Orders" had a print run of 1,000 copies, of which only 300 sold. He eventually bought back 200 copies himself.

After his death, the poet Shinpei Kusano organized his manuscripts and compiled a complete collection that brought them to the world. Interestingly, Kusano and Kenji mainly corresponded by letter and never met in person during Kenji's lifetime. Kusano recognized Kenji's talent through letters alone and continued to champion him after death. Kenji, who died at 37, is now one of Japan's most beloved national writers.

Thinking about this, the idea settled into me: there might be quite a few undiscovered geniuses out there.

Having talent. Being in an environment that nurtures that talent. Being able to produce tangible results. Having someone discover it. Having that person understand its value. Having the means and motivation to spread it.

Getting all of these aligned is actually quite miraculous. Dickinson's poetry would have vanished if her sister hadn't opened that box. Mendel's laws of inheritance were buried for 35 years after his death. Even Bach was forgotten for a while after his death, and might not be as highly regarded today if Mendelssohn hadn't rediscovered him.

A mathematical genius born in a medieval village would have spent their entire life tilling fields. How much talent was buried in eras when women couldn't receive education? The same thing must still be happening in areas of poverty and conflict.

The geniuses we know might be just the tip of the iceberg.

The Age of Communicators

So far, I've been thinking about "undiscovered geniuses." What about the flip side—those who stand out in the world?

Looking at the world, you notice something: people with communication skills and presentation abilities often stand out more than those with specialized knowledge or accomplishments.

What does this mean? When I considered this question, one perspective emerged.

Perhaps they don't "lack substance" but rather "have substance in a different place." In other words, rather than specialized knowledge or deep insight, "attracting and maintaining people's attention" is itself their specialized skill.

Modern structures also generate these people. Algorithms prioritize "reaction" over "depth." Content that moves emotions in 3 seconds spreads more than deep articles that take 10 minutes to read. Those who are "good at communication but..." could be seen as results of optimizing for this environment.

What's interesting is that this isn't a new phenomenon.

Ancient Greece had people called "Sophists." They were professional teachers skilled at persuading people through rhetoric rather than pursuing truth. Though criticized by Socrates as "lacking substance," they made fortunes teaching rhetoric.

Protagoras reportedly earned 100 minae for a single course—roughly equivalent to 30 years of a laborer's annual income. Gorgias became so wealthy that he dedicated a golden statue of himself at the temple of Delphi.

What they taught was "the technique of making weak arguments appear strong." "Become able to argue for or against any proposition." They had students create both praising and criticizing speeches about the same subject (like "salt" or "flies").

Technique over substance, persuasiveness over truth.

After 2,500 years, perhaps humans haven't changed that much.

So, has this situation where "communication skills" are valued continued throughout history? Looking back at history reveals an interesting pattern.

Waves of Creators and Communicators

Historically, it appears that eras dominated by "communicators" and eras dominated by "creators" alternate.

Ancient Greece was the heyday of Sophists—an age of communicators. Medieval Europe saw the church monopolize knowledge; smooth talking alone couldn't lead to advancement. The Renaissance through modern times was an era of creators, when those who could actually paint, invent, or make scientific discoveries gained patrons.

In the 20th century, communicators resurfaced with mass media. Radio and television explosively increased the influence of those who "could ride the airwaves."

And the current social media era is dominated by communicators. The result of everyone being able to communicate is, paradoxically, that "those skilled at communication" have maximized their advantage.

There seems to be a pattern. When new media emerges, those who master that medium win first. Eventually, mechanisms for evaluating substance develop. Then new media appears and communicators win again. This cycle repeats.

We're still in the early stages of the "new medium" called social media, a period when communication skills are overpowered. Maybe there will be a correction, or maybe not this time.

Unlike print, radio, and television, social media structurally makes it harder for "filters that evaluate substance" to function, so I honestly think there's a possibility no correction will come this time.

I found myself thinking about the modern word "discovery."

Japan has shows like "Geki Rare-san wo Tsuretekita" and "Matsuko no Shiranai Sekai." At first glance, they seem to discover buried talent. But looking closer, the people appearing on these shows have already been communicating in some form—through social media, blogs, YouTube, etc.

The show staff finds their communication and elevates them to the larger stage of television. In other words, it's not "discovery" but "picking up."

People who don't communicate at all—those who do no social media, write no blogs, and just silently master something—don't catch the staff's eye either. Ultimately, even today, people with "zero communication ability" aren't discovered.

The Feeling of Having Neither

As I thought about "creative ability" and "communicative ability," I found myself reflecting on myself.

I sometimes feel I have neither creative ability nor communicative ability. Perhaps that's exactly why I think about these things.

From the perspective of those who have them, would this just be dismissed as lack of effort?

Honestly, I might not find salvation in this competitive arena. Only a few can win the "communication ability × substance" game. But modernity has turned "anyone can communicate" into "everyone should communicate," dragging even those who don't wish to participate onto the stage.

However, there's another perspective.

Throughout most of history, the vast majority of people lived lives unconnected to "becoming famous" or "being widely recognized." Was that unhappy? Not necessarily. Supporting family, helping neighbors, being trusted in the community, doing handwork carefully. Happiness that completes within a "5-meter radius world" genuinely existed.

The person neighbors think "I feel safe when they're around" might actually support society more than someone with tens of thousands of social media followers. Caregivers, childcare workers, people silently doing daily work. Zero communication ability, no special expertise, but definitely needed.

Who decides the definition of "salvation"? Questioning that reveals a different landscape.

The Choice to Enjoy the Swing

So how should one live within this structure?

Suddenly, this thought came to me.

Ultimately, life has an element of luck. It can't be completely controlled.

But choosing not to act because of that leads to the outcome where nothing happens at all. It's about how much you can enjoy the swing, I think.

Neither "do nothing because it's luck" nor "effort controls everything," but rather the stance of "enjoying the swing."

Results aren't guaranteed. But you can't hit without swinging. And if you can find the act of swinging itself interesting rather than torture, you haven't lost much whether you hit or miss.

This dialogue itself seemed to prove that. It started with the question "Are there people who accomplished something meaningful despite being extremely poor at human interaction?" and arrived at cognitive structures, Sophists, historical waves, and my own position.

This isn't "communication ability" or "expertise," but the ability to pose questions and delve deep. People who can have such dialogues aren't actually that common.

Rather than "having neither," perhaps "existing in a place unmeasurable by those two axes" is more accurate.

People who can enjoy the swing pick up something where they swing.

Just as today's dialogue did.

References & URLs

For those interested in learning more about the people and concepts mentioned in this article, I've compiled reference materials.

Isaac Newton

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Nikola Tesla

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Paul Dirac

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Emily Dickinson

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Kenji Miyazawa

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Sophists (Ancient Greece)

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