I must confess that for as long as I can remember, I've felt felt a tinge of loneliness; ok, more than a tinge. It isn't because I don't have tons of friends--I mean, I don't, but I don't need tons. The few I've got are all I need because I've never been the type of person who judges herself on popularity (Thank Buddha, or else I'd have been morbidly depressed by now!) No, the truth is that I've almost always felt lonely for one reason: the sinking feeling that there are precious few people who view the world and those in it the way I do. For some reason, this matters a great deal to me. And this is the reason that I sometimes feel like I'm miles away even while surrounded by humans.
Often, when I'm feeling alone, I like to keep moving. Specifically, I like to go for walks. Don't ask me why. So this is the state of affairs that brought me to Center City Philly the other night. As I roamed Queen Village after dark, I found myself replaying some of the interactions with various people I'd had up to that point in the day. When my mind settled on one of the day's conversations--I don't remember which--I distinctly recall feeling a rising tide of frustration. And while I'm sketchy on the details of the conversation which sparked these thoughts, I know precisely what frustrated me that evening, because it's something that consistently frustrates me to no end: the realization that most people seem to have no handle on what it means to be "intelligent." Not that I feel that I have a monopoly on the definition. It's just that I feel that people throw the word around like it's a hacky sack, with little to no thought about how their use of the term speaks volumes about what they value in terms of mental capacity. This is in now way meant to say that I only talk to stupid people or that I am surrounded by them--that is not what I am talking about. There just seems to be a disconnect in what I deem "intelligent" and the rest of the world does.
So, you guessed it. I'd like you to weigh in on the subject. What does it mean to be "intelligent"? Who's the smartest person you've ever known? What is it that makes them so intelligent in your view? Be specific, cite examples and do your best to arrive at a definition. But DON'T consult a dictionary. If you absolutely can't resist the temptation to chew on someone else's thoughts on the subject, I'd like you to google quotations on intelligence and tell me if you come across one that sums up your views on the topic--or one that doesn't if playing devil's advocate is your thing. Share the quote with us and connect it with your response. Don't rush your thinking. Let it marinate...(450 words/60pts)
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AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! bunje, this one's hard. ima need some serious meditation.
ReplyDeleteIntelligent is a very strong word. You can use it in many ways. I see intelligent in two ways. As a person that’s been playing sports for my whole life I can tell if people are intelligent on or off the field. Some people and I don’t call it intelligent. I like to call it smarts. You might hear people say that a person has street smarts, I look at intelligent like that. I know some people that are book smart and don’t know what to say if someone came up to them with a gun, and I know some people that are street smart. That is how I define intelligent. The smartest person I know in my definition would have to be my mother and father. I get my street smarts my father. I learned from him by going up to sporting events in Philly and him looking for tickets and how he would have people start at one price and work them down to nothing. My mother because of how she could put up with people and how she could change their words up when getting in arguments. She would just use everything they said and use it agents them. I have learned a lot from the both of them and I hope I keep learning from them because I know I’m missing a lot. Intelligent is to understand something or someone. It’s how u take things and think about them that make people intelligent.
ReplyDeletefour fifty? REAALLY. ugh.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteIntelligence is the most misconstrued word in the English dictionary because, people think intelligence is how ‘smart’ you sound when speaking to someone, well to be quite honest, I don’t believe intelligence is how smart, you sound look, or actually even are, intelligence to be is wisdom- like knowledge accumulated throughout someone’s life used for good, and evil, to have streets, book and whatever else smarts. I think intelligence is accepting life however it comes to you without spending too much time dwelling on it and being to teach others what you know. To me the most intelligent person in my life, is Erikk J. Cruz, my boyfriend on and off for the past four years, he has taught me so much in the past couple years of my life, like how to take a transit bus, how to gain correct people skills, how to be able to accept things- like this one time I was going through a real bad time with my family and calmed me down and made me see that no matter what I do, I can’t change the things that are going on, to you- it may not seem like much, but it opened my eyes on so many things, like when he cheated on me, I wished and begged for months that it didn’t happen and I threw it in his face every single chance I could until I remembered that one day on my own recognizance that I can’t change what happened, I either had to move on with him or move on without him, even though, he does the most stupidest things in the world he is the most intelligent person in my life, and It’s not sad and no I don’t need to get out more, even if I met everyone in the world I would still think that he was number one genius in my life, there was this one time I can recall that he was hustlin’ he didn’t fool me, but he played the shit outta one guy he owed someone money and he was counting it out loud while continuing a conversation with the guy he’d go, “ one, two, three, four, - how old is your daughter now? Seven oh man, that’s how many brothers and sisters I have, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, and your son is? Nineteen really? In a couple more months my girl will be eighteen. Nineteen, twenty.” and so forth all the way up to sixty, he ended up paying the guy like twenty five bucks, it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen , he really is very smart, in every meaning of my definition.
BAMMM! i did it. =]
Well first of all I have to say that I don't believe that a person could be classify as "intelligent" by the numbers of books they read or the grades they have in classes, I don't believe in that because you can read 100 books and still don't learn a thing. Books are a waste of time if you don't get the message the author wants to transmit to you. Grades are only numbers and of course I would love to have a 100 in all my classes but I don't, some other people have really good grades but I have never seen them do a homework or studying and they still get good grades, I guess sometimes it depends on the teacher you have. As an example, my cousin never does anything but she has other teachers and a very good luck because I see that she gets good grades. I don't consider myself as an intelligent person, don't get me wrong, I'm not dumb neither, I think I am in the middle. Is just that I am very responsible and that's why I get good grades but that doesn't mean that I am intelligent as many people say. I have right now a 97 in math, but I hate math, it frustrates me, my mom says that I am smart but every time she says that I get mad, because I am not, Is just that I do all my homework and I pay attention, but sure thing is that math is not my thing and I still get good grades in that area. I remember when I was taking the HSPA, the math part was a nightmare, I think I failed. So yeah Ms. Bunje as you say numbers are just numbers !, I have to agree on that. Intelligence is when you can use the experiences you have had in life, how well you can manage a situation, know how to give an advice to someone that needs it, don't make fool decisions that can cause bad consequences, take advantage of the opportunities life gives you. Someone can know all the history of America, be perfect with math problems, know the background of famous people and spell every word perfectly, and they will still need more, sometimes that's not enough for the "real world". The most intelligent person I know is my dad, he didn't have the best education because he was poor when he was little, but he learned everything by himself and got a job on a cruiser traveled around the globe, his English is real good but not because he read books day and night, it was because he liked to interact with other people and he wasn't afraid. He knows how to fix things in the house, so he doesn't have to call an experienced worker, he can do it by himself, and I don't know how, he always finds a way and he gives me advices full of wisdom. For this and other reasons he is the intelligent person I chose.
ReplyDeleteMy defintion of intelligence is someone that balance activties and work . Someone that does everything they need to do plus some more work. Somebody that show other people the way to the right path instead of the wrong one. But that to late for me ive been on the wrong path way to long.Intellgence is hard to expalin because there many different ways to explain it. Like some people say it is people that can do book work i can't go by that because its werid. I choice people that can balance shit and there familys, freinds. That why i can't just choice one person the people i choice are Erik Nelson and Rob Gouldely. Each for differnt reasons I chose Erik because one is a reason I don't like but because he's school smart. Another reason i chose Erik is because he balances book work, sports, freinds and family. I chose Rob because he knows how to get out of trouble, another i chose Rob is because he's pretty good with the ladies. Rob my not be smart when it comes to book work but he likes me aslong as we get are demployees we don't care what people think of us. Well this may not be 450 words but this all i could think of.
ReplyDeleteintelligence is a definition that cant be defined in my opinion. its hard to say why though. maybe because there are so many stupid people in this world, yes there are but still some are very bright, or seem to be. the most intelligent person i know is my uncle.
ReplyDeletehe dosent give a flying f bout anything stupid, he focuses on his projects and always gets them done way before hand so he has so much extra time just to relax. See i think relaxing is very intelligent, you save energy, you can be suhhhhhhhweet, and my uncle makes big bucks for nothing at all.
Not saying it is all money because that is UN-INTELLIGENT.
i feel as if the stupidest people are considered the smartest people just because they know how to calculate equations lightning fast.
See in my book, Intelligence is just knowing what to do at the right times and make the best desicions.
The definition of intelligent is having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree. I do not totally agree with this definition. In my mind being intelligent means to be skilled at any one or more things. What I mean by this is that you can be skilled in many ways, not just school work. Many people including myself are not very good at school. That shouldn’t be measured in the amount of intelligence somebody has. People are intelligent in all different ways. That’s why many people don’t go to college and still become very successful in life. Its because they are intelligent in a different way other than in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteThe smartest person I know is my mom. My mom is the smartest person I know because she has an answer for everything. She also tells me stories about how she graduated a year early because she had enough credits. She went to college when she was supposed to be a senior in high school! I just think that takes an unbelievable amount of intelligence.
"It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value." -Arthur C Clarke. This basically means that if you act dumb and immature all the time, then you most likely won't get anywhere in life. A person with a positive attitude that values life, and knows how things and consequences are in this world are the type of people I like, and is going to have a good life, I think. See the thing is, I don't like a lot of people because there are a handful of people that are dumb and annoying at school. And other times I would feel like I was alone too because I didn't act the way they did or wasn't around the people they were around. It's really stupid, but that's how people at sunny Oakcrest are. To be honest, I really don't know who's the most intelligent person because that's an opinion, and could be anybody. I just know that it's not me. Mostly all my friends now are in Honors & AP classes. Sometimes it's not about the classes you take. I'm in mostly general classes. I have a lot of friends in general as well. It's just the way certain people act and view life. See my friends with honors classes, we have fun and do a lot of stuff outside of school. And my friends in general classes, we may like some of the same things. And also that I'm really lazy when it comes to school. lol. But anyway, whenever I'm feeling bored or lonely, I just go on Facebook and talk to my friends, or I text them and we go out and chill. Simple as that. I don't need dumb people in my life that mostly just look down on everything. So to wrap this up, just know your level of intelligence and know the type of people You like to be around. Don't let others tell you otherwise, because the only person that knows who you are is you.
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ReplyDeleteI believe that many people have different perspectives on what the word “intelligent,” means. Well, at least I know I do. So I have been thinking about this for quite a bit now and it appears that “intelligent,” has quite a few meanings behind it. My initial reaction when I hear the word intelligent is automatically smart. But my definition would be “the ability to answer any question being asked.” I believe that that is my main definition of the word intelligent. Like I said there are many other meanings but I just want to stick with one for right now. There are many intelligent people in my family. But I would have to say that my father, on my list, is most intelligent. He has taught me everything I needed to know and what I need to know. He has taught me so many things like always choosing the right decisions. You know, all good stuff.
ReplyDeleteIntelligence is always something that everyone questions. What is true intelligence? People say that intelligence is based upon what you know. Yes that is true but you may know all the knowledge that we know now and still not be intelligent. How is that so? Some people believe intelligence is determined by knowing about applicable things such as what to do when you need a new house or when to go to the bank and get a loan. Some things we will never know. Others see intelligence as knowing how to cope with things that happen every day, so e examples are: how to be happy at the worst time off your life, how to enjoy the worst day of your life, and learning to help people through problems and help them see a joy about life that normally isn't there.
ReplyDeleteI believe intelligence is based upon real life knowledge. How to live with everyday struggles, how to communicate with people properly, how to associate with people in a healthy manner, to me these things are what shows you have intelligence.
When people say that they are smart and they can't communicate properly I can't see how they are. It's like asking someone to give a speech without giving them any training at all. A person must learn before he can teach, he must memorize before he can quote, and he must meditate before he can determine a meaning. All of these can show knowledge, but knowledge is still left up to a person’s own opinion.
I believe there are two definitions of what it means to be Intelligent. First is ability to, reason, communicate, and think which then increases knowledge and learning. Using The ability to learn but more importantly taking the time and exerting the effort to learn. I also believe everyone is intelligent in there own way because you don’t just have to have book smarts to be intelligent which bring me to my second definition which is having the ability to react cleverly and quickly in any situation you come by, meaning if you happen to get lost in a city by yourself with no phone around a bunch of people you don’t know you would have the ability to find a way home anyway possible. And the most intelligent person I Know would have to be my older cousin because he could make anything out of nothing and not only was he intelligent outside of school but inside also which is why I think he's a very intelligent person.
ReplyDeleteok well I'm doing this from my iPhone so I'm not going to know how many words it is but I'll do my best to have 450 words.Ok well from looking at what everyone else said I agree with what everyone said but it's not what I think intelligence is.intelligence to me means something different for every person because every person is different in their own way.For example,my dad is intelligent street wise but when it comes down to books or school he's definitely not one of those kids who does nothing but read books and only is interested in school and nothing else,where my sister who's only 14 is book smart but not street smart,for example,she passes all her classes and gets all A's and B's but when it comes to being street smart forget about it.She is a blonde so that might have something to do with it but i mean she just asks dumb questions like "Oh dad could your car get stuck in an inch of snow?",I mean obviously anything is possible but getting stuck in two inches of snow?I doubt it..But anyway if I were to pick someone I've known my whole life who was the most intelligent it would most definitely be my grandmom cause she is truely the smartest person with everything including relationships,life,growing up and other things that I can't think about at 11:30 at night but you should get what I'm trying to say here.I mean she was a fraud investigator for the Philadelphia federal credit union and she worked there for 15 years and she learned alot over the years to make her how smart she is today.See as you can see everyone has their own deffintion of intelligence so I really do think that there isn't a true deffintion of intelligence because everyone has a different view on it from their experience of life.Well I hope this is atleast 450 words because I can't think of anything else to say at 11:40 at night.
ReplyDeleteIntelligence, my definition of intelligence isn’t if you have the best grade in school yeah school is important but it is not the only thing that makes you intelligent being intelligent is based on how you act in the real world outside of school how you observe all the things that go on around you. I think the smartest person I know is my brother he knows how to do everything and make something out of nothing. That is what I believe is intelligent how you can provide for your self and learn from your mistakes. My brother has been like a role model for me even though he makes mistakes he deals with them and does what he has to, to carry on. He has taught me almost everything I know. Also its how you see people like somebody that could be a straight A student wouldn’t know what to do if they where left on ther own or if they met a new person they might tell them the wrong things and end up getting robbed or something along that line. But if your intelligent most of the time you can see from the start how that person is and if they are trust worthy and if their not. Intelligence is about boundaries how far you should go for something. Like you cant always go on for ever with your hopes on one thing you have to know when to cut your losses. Intelligence is basically not setting your self up in bad positions. In life you are set up in lot of bad positions but it is how you handle them that makes you smart.
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