Intelligence
I can, on almost any topic, interject enough jargon and random yet related facts, studies and trivia to convince most anyone that I’m intelligent.
The irony is that such a thing does not make me intelligent. I could (and would) argue that it actually makes me dumb.
Intelligence lies in the ability to synthesis new information. It is part creativity and part ingenuity. If facts were puzzle pieces, intelligence would be the act of stringing together other puzzle pieces to create new ones.
The insightful minds of our time, such as Nikolai Tesla and Einstein, have shown us that intelligence doesn’t have to meet the stereotype of an intelligent person. Neither of these two were well dressed, charismatic, or well adapted. They were both however utterly insanely intelligent, and made massive leaps for mankind, to such an extent that the implications of what they did are still being explored.
It’s easy in our lives to dismiss people through a system of stereotypes. It’s also easy to sum up education and intelligence in an Aristotlian view of study, instead of a creative venture into the unknown. Our education system is no longer concerned with learning, instead it is only concerned with cramming facts in the heads of young people. At some level, yes, facts are important, but this facet is over stressed in our modern schools and universities.
Learn to learn and the World is yours. Stagnate and become engulfed in meaningless facts and trivia, and die stupid. Think, be creative, be unique, or die.
