Rain on my hopes.
Rain on my soul.
Rain on everything I know.
It's so ludicrous,
the pursuit of this dream.
We thought we beat it long ago.
From The Classic Crime.
When asked how much money a man needs, Andrew Carnegie replied, "Oh, just a little more."
He also said, though, "The one who dies rich, dies disgraced."
It's very interesting being surrounded by so many extremely intelligent people and not being surrounded by constant ambition to earn loads. I mean, honestly, I can't even think of anyone in my classes who is in IB or earning the grades they are or working so hard because they want to earn a bunch of money.
Which, by the way, is significant because I'm surrounded by a group of the most motivated high schoolers in the district. State. Nation.
Speaking of intelligence: I am finding lately that there are many, many different forms of intelligence. In fact, I'm beginning to think, because I have so much trouble even labeling sorts of intelligence, that each person has not a unique amount of intelligence, necessarily, but a very unique and different intelligence entirely.
Maybe a unique combination of many sorts of intelligence? I don't know.
The best way to explain this is to tell my story, which is awfully personal and not something I really enjoy letting the world see because I am ashamed of it. I think I'll do it anyway though:
I have been accustomed to receiving good grades and being at the top of my class all my life, and so it knocked me off my feet getting to high school and the IB program and finding so many very, very intelligent people. I, however, being the prideful person I am, didn't hesitate to come up with excuses for myself when I was not number one. (My mom says I need to gain the 'courage to be mediocre'.) Eventually, though, I began to chastise and struggled to stop this rationalizing part of myself, so that I could come to terms with the fact that I am not, in fact, smarter than everyone.
It was really a slap in the face, however, when I started getting to know all the people in this program and discovered that even many of the people who aren't ranked above me GPA-wise or PSAT score-wise are much smarter than I am in many ways.
I am beginning to bask in this realization. I love the people that surround me. Some times not as much as others, but for the most part I am really appreciating what a privilege it is to be in the company of so many geniuses.
Maybe the most prevalent form of intelligence is just a natural ability to be good at things.
There's also an ability to appreciate and work through literature. I am lacking in this intelligence.
This is different, I think, from linguistic intelligence. Some people are very good at putting words together and making them sound nice, or working through vocabulary.
Maybe this goes hand in hand with an affinity for foreign language?
There's mathematical/methodical intelligence. Which is useful, generally, in sciences like chemistry and physics.
Not the same, necessarily, as the intelligence that goes along with a curiosity about the world around us, that requires a certain creativity when it comes to an ability for scientific advance.
And then there's the common sense, on-your-feet sort of intelligence. I have a friend with this sort of intelligence who's very good at football.
And humor, playing a crowd is a different sort of intelligence entirely. Maybe even more than one, because of all the different types of humor.
Social intelligence? An ability to manipulate and persuade and understand people.
I know someone who can solve a Rubik's cube behind his back.
And then someone whose ability to recall historical fact and information (and also interpret it) just appalls me.
Intellect, too. There are people who are very interested in truth, in philosophy and being inquisitive and everything that goes along with that. But really, there are different forms of this intelligence, too. Emotional intellects, logical/methodical/rational/mathematical intellects.
I think it is possible and not really ridiculous to make any non-physical talent or skill out to be intelligence, no?
I love looking at all the people closest to me and all the people I spend the most time with and seeing all these different forms of intelligence (and more) shine, every individual blend displayed.
I don't like labeling all these intelligences and stereotyping all these people because each one is so different, but I think it helps me fully appreciate everyone.
We are certainly a motley crew.
Currently reading:
Story, by Steven James
Current music:
So Yesterday, Amber Pacific
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5 comments:
You're so right. I still struggle with feeling like I have to be "the smartest" sometimes... but I think the good thing about IB is we get to settle into niches where we all get to be the best at something. Nobody's going to ask me to help with their math, for example, but I do get asked to edit lots of essays.
I also think a lot of things are more hit-or-miss than we're conditioned to think, like IB scores and scholarships and such.
I don't think I struggle as much with being "the smartest" anymore but I want very much to be the smartest at something, or at least for people to think that I am very smart. My PSAT score hit me very, very hard last year. But I'm getting better. :]
S and I actually both have this thing, I've noticed, where (when we're trying to bring our arrogance down) we rationalize our success into hit-or-miss and everyone else's into actual intelligence.
But it's also very difficult not to let ourselves make it go the other way.
you're reading story! omg! awesome book. (missed that first time around)
i actually respond to this in my note to you. which you will recieve tomorrow. paperclip and all. I'm sure you will find something altruistic to do with the paperclip.
oh you have absolutely no idea how much i can relate to this, you!
I spent 10 minutes during lunch sitting outside with the other IB-ers, and I love how much you learn talking to each person. In 10 minutes, we discussed (in really fast pace): Lent, had a conversation with the French teacher in a mixture of Spanish and French, watched our Rubix cube champ try to beat his record, and so much more.
I'm glad you're getting better about your psat's. I however, am not. and i'm really ashamed that i'm not passed that phase. I'll get standardized test scores back, and go "what is wrong with me?"
This is why I never, for one second, take back my decision to do IB as a mistake. For meeting all these incredible people and coming across bumps that really tested my ability to come to terms with myself and others, it's totally worth it.
And here I end what seems like a propaganda pledge for the IBO.
Fin.
standardized test scores are just that - standardized. there's no way they could make a test that would exhibit amazingly the intelligence of every smart person ever. so some really really smart people don't do as well as they should (though they still do really well), and it doesn't correctly reflect their true intelligence.
:)
yayyy ib. rather, yay ib kids.
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