Greatness

Greatness (n.) - the property possessed by something or someone of outstanding importance or eminence.

Some men are born great. Some men achieve greatness. But what truly makes a person great? Many would say diligence, perseverance, and dedication. And you know what? They’d be right. However, there are a few folks who attend the school of thought that greatness is reserved for the intelligent. This isn’t necessarily true.

A feat of greatness doesn’t have to be a monumental accomplishment. When we think of greatness in today’s society, what do we think of? An athlete breaking a record and being elected to the Hall of Fame, an actor or director winning an Academy Award, a scientist winning the Nobel Prize. That’s all well and good, but the distinguishing factor here is the prize that comes with greatness. I find it terribly amusing that we as a society only recognize a feat worthy of a prize as great. There are so many accomplishments that are (or at least should be) considered great that go unnoticed. For example, a single mother working two jobs to support her two kids because her husband died still finds a way to put food on the table and get her son to baseball practice. This may seem like an ordinary occurrence to some, but when you really think about it, how often does this happen this day and age?

As I said before, there are people in the world who believe greatness is only achieved by the intelligent. This doesn’t have to be true. An automobile mechanic doesn’t have to be terribly smart (nothing against them or their profession, for it is an honorable and very lucrative profession). He or she may not be very intelligent, but he/she could know everything there is to know about cars. Then one day, he or she finds a way to finagle a car to run on water, thereby revolutionizing the way we, as consumers, drive from point A to point B, and saving us all copious amounts of money. Now, this doesn’t make him/her smart because for all we know, cars may be the ONLY thing he/she knows about, but this revolutionary accomplishment would be considered great. And what’s worse is they might not even see this as prize-worthy. I do recall a person (whose name I cannot remember, and you’ll see why in a second) who engineered a car that runs on vegetable oil. No prize for him. If they tossed him a medal, I’d probably know that poor soul’s name.

In short, it was Mother Theresa who said, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” In some ways, she is right. All the accomplishments we see (or don’t see) each day that are considered great can be boiled down into very small tasks, completed with great determination, perseverance and dedication. I truly believe greatness is inside each and every one of us, just in a different capacity from person to person. Hell, even Frosted Flakes are great according to Tony the Tiger. If a cereal can achieve greatness, there’s hope for every last one of us.

~ That is all

Intelligence

Intelligence (n.) – the capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc.

My twelfth grade English teacher used to tell me that intelligence is not the accumulation of knowledge, but the application of knowledge. In today’s society, intelligence is slowly shrinking into a minuscule, evasive occurrence.

I’ve always considered myself to be an intelligent man. Many people are either unaware of their intelligence, and therefore don’t know how to use it, or are aware of their intelligence and use it incorrectly. There’s a saying I’ve heard that states that there’s a very thin line between genius and insanity. Most of the countries most famous serial killers and people we consider to be “psycho” are actually really intelligent. This just shows a misapplication of their knowledge.

A common occurrence nowadays is the “stupid question”. Another saying states that the only stupid question is the question that goes unasked. I disagree. A year back, a very close friend of mine and I had a conversation about what constitutes stupidity. Yes, we all ask stupid questions. But, what this friend and I have concluded that while a stupid question cannot be changed once asked, but the person who asks it is not stupid if they consistently catch their miscalculation. Like if you ask what color the blue sky is, and then catch yourself and say, “Wow, that was a stupid question. Scratch that.” then you’re safe. While the question remains stupid, you’ve saved yourself, for now.

Many people have problems with their own intelligence as how it relates to other people. Most people simply want to date a person on their exact level of intelligence because it would just be easier and less of a headache. They wouldn’t want to date someone less intelligent because they wouldn’t be able to hold an engaging conversation with them and would have to change their vocabulary and such, and they wouldn’t want to date someone who is more intelligent than them because they’d feel inferior and stupid and they’d always think that the person in question would be talking down to them. But, while being with someone less intelligent could be frustrating, being with someone more intelligent should (emphasis on should) be rewarding. I always felt it was a priceless practice to surround yourself with people who are on a higher rung on the intellectual ladder because it allows me to learn in a more valuable way than in a classroom. I’ve always enjoyed learning, but it hasn’t been enjoyable in a school setting because they tell you what to learn and how to learn it and when to learn it. That’s not how true learning is achieved and how intelligence is acquired/applied. To truly learn, it has to be spontaneous and not environment controlled. The best lessons in life are the ones you can’t read in a book, can’t teach in a classroom, and cannot schedule on a syllabus or a lesson plan. It’s how you apply these lessons that defines intelligence.

~ That is all.