Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Intelligence in the 21st Century

Today, I was talking with someone on AIM, who, instead of trying to prove what he knew by actually coming off as smart from the getgo, decided to first "play dumb" (for quite some time) and then say, "I wasn't coming off as my true self" and promptly goes into "playing smart" by utilizing confusion and circular thinking.

I finally gave up on trying to understand him. I hope he's actually smart and just doesn't know communication. Somehow I doubt that.

But this post isn't about that, really. It's what I discovered when I thought about all of that.

What good is being smart if you cannot convey it to the average person? Granted, I'm probably smarter than the average American, and I do have test scores that state that I am. But even I know that there are more questions than answers in this world, and I have way more of the questions than the answers. However, I hope that I know some of the answers, and that those questions that I do know the answers to can be conveyed to others in a way that anyone that asks me for the answer can understand my answer.

My AIM contact stated that communication was impossible between us. I seriously doubt that communication is truly impossible between any two people. Instead, it seems to be impossible because a common language (and/or level) cannot be reached because of resistance by one or both parties. Granted, there are barriers that are very difficult to reach over (such as language barriers), but communication is never truly impossible. I'm not going to try to leap over language barriers, but I do hope that I come off as trying to communicate at a level that people can understand. If I'm not clear (or if I sound dumb (because, you know, I never sound dumb (yeah right!)), please tell me, and I'll try to find a way to make it clearer (or sound less dumb.)

In all actuality, in the 21st century, actual intelligence is not as necessary as it used to be. Yes, we all need to know basic information, and intelligence should be valued, but is it really necessary? Especially in the age of the Internet, where answers to almost any question can be found, do we really all need to know it all? (Granted, no one on this earth really does know it all, but many claim to.) What is needed in this new world is to be able to know enough to have a job that you are satisfied with and to get through this world without looking dumb, have the wisdom to get through this world, and have ways to find the answers for anything that you may not know.

This is my hope for you: that you know enough to find a job you love, can get through the world with enough intelligence and wisdom to come off as respectable (and knowing how to spell!), and have the contacts to find answers to anything you may not know.

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