"Genius is the activity which repairs the decays of things, whether wholly or partly of a material and finite kind." -Emerson, from The Poet

I think Tolkien would have agreed, although, the philologist may have called this 'magic', and not simple genius.

Well, do we live in the world of decay (i.e. one that has seen its glory days), or are we really making progress in terms of overall human happiness?  Or does the question even matter?

Well, either way, time to be magical, or genius...