Blessed madness
The personal characteristics that allow the individual to be distinguished in their society
I had not yet seen this perspective of the Fosbury Flop that Hieronymus Bosch painted:
Because the Fosbury Flop —what gives this project its name— was never just a jump.
The protagonist is someone whose peculiar behavioural traits clash with those of the majority. A way of being that prevents him from blending in with the people around him. When his authenticity exposes many to their own embarrassments, he is socially reduced, stoned. That’s why, often, only mediocrity is socially plausible. There are always experts convinced they possess knowledge, ready to “fix” that authenticity —which they themselves call “madness”. This is the story of Dick Fosbury and of many others, like Lubbert Das, another one who suffered the consequences of being an authentic obstacle standing against the advance of homogeneity.