You’re so intelligent, why don’t you make something of yourself?
How many of us have heard this question? From parents, friends, teachers and others? The pain of being an underachiever strikes a lot of people. Often, they think they are stupid or dumb, or that they can’t do math, that they suck at social situations, etc… But what is the meaning of “intelligence?”
The truth is that intelligence is a general term and that there are many ways to be intelligent. Here are some key aspects of intelligence, as I see them:
1. Information-processing ability.
Things like speed of processing (how fast your brain works), the volume of information that you can process, the power of your memory and other such skills fit in here. The classic example of a person who is intelligent in this way if the test-passer. This person can pass any university exam quite easily and with minimal effort. I know this, I did it myself.
And yet, how many great information-processors fail to get what they want out of life? They’re proficient at one aspect of intelligence, but they are often lacking in others.
2. Understanding abstract ideas.
Being able to grasp concepts and intellectual constructs. Being able to understand high level software engineering theories, philosophical abstractions, etc…
Right away, it’s obvious that you can be a good information-processor and the same time you can suck at understanding abstractions.
For example, you might be great at history, because you easily remember everything you read, but have no clue when it comes to quantum mechanics equations, which are completely abstract.
3. Shrewdness.
I’ve seen people who have no real quality skills whatsoever get to the top of the heap. Some of them (ahem) even become heads of state. To me, being shrewd is a bit like regressing to the animal stage. It’s a survival tactic. After reading the book Our Inner Ape, by Frans de Waal, I know that chimps can also be shrewd. Again and again, it has been shown that a shrewd chimp can become the “alpha male” and rule the chimp society. Generally, he accomplishes this through social alliances and cunning.
As people, I think we should strive to be effective, but with integrity. Shrewdness often includes dubious tactics like manipulation, lying, deceiving, threats, etc… Things which to me are a disgrace and place people squarely in the animal category.
Nevertheless, shrewdness is a type of intelligence.
4. Perception.
Some people suck at all of the above, and yet they have another advantage. They can perceive things that other people can’t. Mozart did a lot of stupid things, he wasted most of his money, there were a lot of things he was not good at. But he had a special ability to perceive sounds. Others perceive colors. And so on.
So, if you can’t do math and your memory sucks it doesn’t follow that your life must suck, or that your career will suck or that you won’t get women or men. People who are good at perceiving colors, for example, can become designers. They can design clothes, furniture or anything else for that matter. As a matter of fact, perceivers can often do things that people who have analytical intelligence could never do. We all have to look at our strenghts. Ever seen an El Greco painting? I doubt Thomas Edison could do that.
5. Practical hands-on intelligence.
Being able to put things together, understanding how they work. Putting together computer parts to make a laptop, using kits to build your own generators, building a log cabin from scratch, wiring houses with alternating current, etc… These involve practical intelligence. Some people are very good at fixing things, without having to think about the underlying theories. For these people, theories can actually get in the way.
6. Social intelligence.
This involves having good skills in dealing with other people and is tied to the emotions. Being effective at working in groups. Knowing what makes people tick. Being able to lead them. Etc… I can’t underestimate the importance of having social skills. When I was younger, I sucked at social skills. I know that no matter how intelligent you are, if you live in a society, your intelligence can go to waste if you don’t know how to deal with the society that you live in.
7. Seeing the truth beneath the surface.
There are people out there who can pass math tests like crazy, but can’t see the truth in front of their eyes, even when it’s five inches in front of them. They can’t see the truth about society, they can’t see the truth about their country, their football team, their spouse, their friends, nothing! Most importantly, they can’t see the truth about themselves. In order to be truly intelligent, we have to be able to challenge beliefs and see the truth for what it is, even when it hurts us to do so. This can also be called having insight.
Insight is related to intuition. Sometimes we feel an intuition that something is true and we turn out to be right. Having this intuition and trusting your own intuition is very important when your goal is to have a happy life.
Often, we know what is good for us by feeling congruent with being someone or doing something, and not by thinking and analyzing what we think ought to be good for us.
My concusion: We each have to look inside ourselves and find our own strengths and weaknesses. Know your weaknesses and improve upon them. Know your strengths and use them to your advantage. Be yourself, but strive become your best self.
Integration is the key to intelligence. The best way to succeed in life is to integrate all the aspects of intelligence I mentioned above in the best way that we can for ourselves. Being one-sided is not enough, because, even if a specific type of intelligence allows you to achieve something great in one aspect of life, it probably won’t lead to happiness. History is full of examples of people like that.
Don’t take my word for it. Think about it.