V - the story of: Doh!
Saturday, May 31, 2008

« Doh! »

in·tel·li·gence (n-tl-jns)n.1.
a. The capacity to acquire and apply knowledge.
b. The faculty of thought and reason.
c. Superior powers of mind.

Intelligence.

By what measure or standardized test do you measure "intelligence"? IQ tests? Linguistic tasks? Arithmetic and algebraic complexities? Scientific mysteries?

Early studies in this field of investigation sought to establish the connection between brain size and "intelligence". The correlation was negative, after all the standardized tests and the measurement of cranial sizes...

For some time, some philosophers held onto the notion that vocal expression told everything. It reflected the depth of knowledge, understanding, the ability to counter problems...Intelligence used to be measured by people's ability to talk.

Nowadays, I see that society has imposed this mindset, or thinking, that intelligence is heavily dependent on and reflective of academia...or, more specifically, grades. By achieving good grades, you are a very "intelligent" person. If you have a Yorkshire accent, where ya tork lahk this, then peepul will think you're stoopid! Value has been placed on how good you are at smashing exams and if you can't do it, then you are tossed into the streets, forced to pick up something else, incongruous and uncomfortable to your individuality. Basic manners and benevolent social interactions, once taken for granted by culture and society, such as unconditional love, sacrifice, respect, honour, trust, care, kindness...negotiable, as long as you can be used in a certain way. 9am-5pm, deadlines, criteria, functions, adaptability, productiveness...What does this society's definition of intelligence allow me to afford? What does it mean if I can't get straight A*'s? What does it mean if I love the musical genres "Rap" and "Hip Hop"? Does it mean I am not as intelligent as someone who studies Medicine at Oxford University? Does it mean that I am not as useful and therefore, should be kept at the peripheral of society's eye? Does that narrow down my choices and force me into conformation?

I admire my Dad. He has an amazing eye for bargains and can cook many dishes, some even from just simple observation and careful application from previous experimentation with cooking. He also has an awesome memory, where he will be able to pull out a few facts about someone, when he needs to identify a particular person. There is an autistic child in our bible class, who can play the piano so well, despite his inability to speak coherently and link his sentences in a comprehensive way. I have a friend who has such amazing body coordination and can body pop to music, looking like a robot programmed to do so. Haha...Footballers may not score very highly on an IQ test, or a language test, but can you kick a football from the same distance as Steven Gerrard and potentially break someone's neck? Can you control a football flying at you at 50mph and halt its trajectory to your feet?

Can you nail like a carpenter and ensure the cut of wood is so clean and precise, measured exactly so it fits alongside other pieces?

Can you look at a building and tell how long it has left from inspecting its infrastructure and the stability of the supporting beams?

Can you hold a piece of art and apply the shadow, to define contours, or completely alter the mood of the piece, with just two strokes of a paint brush?

Can you lead an orchestra into the climax of the symphony, or redirect a band?

Can you clean a house with the touch of a mother, ensuring no stain is left undisturbed and the location of each item in a room is optimal for comfort, recollection and future reference?

Can you sow together clothing and piece together the a combination of items, knowing the effects the patterns would bring and how subtle or prominent it would produce?

Can you look upon the person who broke your heart and forgive them, knowing full well of their act of deliberate harm, yet choose to overcome that?

Can you brave the crowd and stand up and declare your faith, when you know that people will laugh at you?

Can you love without taking back?

My point is this: intelligence is manifested in several ways...and you should never feel that you are less worthy or useful than another person, because of your current skills. Every skill, or even innate attributes, lead to you being just as complete and amazing a person as the girl who got 5 A's at A levels...

"Intelligence". My definition: A constraint on what we could be.

V

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