More on intelligence

 The fact is, when you're young, you have a different brain. It's peaks, like any other person's brain, between 25 and 35. But in really smart people, it's glaringly obvious. Creativity and ingenuity are best made evident in the mind of these young people.

The interesting thing about being intelligent is that it has its finger print, just like other aspects of individuals. Blonde hair, freckled faces, bowed legs are like musical aptitude, mathematical genius, and literary output. A person who can outrun everyone may seem to only have it in the legs, but it's in the head and the heart, too. 

I was looking at athletes and thinking of how they manage to make good romantic pairs. Better than any other vein of human endeavor. That was amazing because in many ways competition kills romance, but not for REAL champions.

Back to intelligence, I was trying to make a good excuse for why I was smart. Let's just say I was told I'm not smart and I had defend myself because smart has to do with such and such traits. 

I am not for competing so much as self defense.

If we realized in my last blog that knowledge is only a first degree of intelligence, than some of these other analogies might be intriguing. 

The fact that I am Uber slow is always going to make me insecure about my intelligence. I'm also unable to use large words and I am what I have often called "mathematically retarded."

Today, for instance, I spent several minutes trying to guesstimate how much the individual price is for a 10 for 5 sale. 

That's several minutes to long.

The fact that I was unable to conclude that the answer is 2 for a very long time does not indicate intelligence. Which is obvious. If I am unable to make simple computations but able to easily write and conclude readable and somewhat stimulating material I am not "retarded".

Something else is happening.

Again I was made to investigate the rate by which others learn. Some learn everything, fast. That's a pretty hard one, especially since I am truly not stupid. But here goes nothing. Beginning with rate at which people learn. In a similar way to the inability to make simple computations, and also, sometimes I have to read a sentence many times to get it, I've found that the amount of time it takes me to do stuff varies from moment to moment, by interest, and by confidence and even by the way I store the information. So that when I read something really, really slow I have found that the result is better understanding because all the ideas and connections I make while reading are at work both unconsciously and consciously. I venture to say being conscious makes aha's come quicker.

In example, if you learn an entire passage, perhaps a poem or a short monologue, you may be able to repeat it without explaining it very well. 

Another interesting example of learning things quickly and well is a mouse in a maze. Some would say that the smartest mouse masters the maze quickest. But wouldn't we really think a mouse who learned to get over the walls the true champion? (Intent and purpose)

Or wouldn't, say, a person who had a limited knowledge of something, but was able to make great use of it, impress everyone? Like a chef competition and you only have a few ingredients. That's why it's like that. 

But most of all, whether you can reach the highest height in computing in your mind, and you know every detail of a book, or even if you have mastered a subject completely and are at the head of the whole field, is it not the one whose understanding is most perfect, who makes a discovery based on the spark of genius, and not the dull, rote but often persuasive competence of high intelligence, the one whose abilities are based on seeing things as crystal clear and not as critically correct that are the victors? I think so. 

And it may not come across clearly, because that rare element is as sought after and as rare as achievement itself, but it sure is nice being that person.