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Randy D
Discussion » Questions » Life and Society » Being intelligent vs. being smart - what is better to master your life? Or are those two the same??

Being intelligent vs. being smart - what is better to master your life? Or are those two the same??

From experiencing family members I think I know what the answer is - but your opinion might be totally different , and I am looking forward to those!

Posted - September 15, 2018

Responses


  • 4624
    I am loving your great questions and all your contributions - they provoke lots of interesting discussions.
    I also love your open-minded approach to exploring people and ideas.
      September 21, 2018 6:54 PM MDT
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  • Thank you !!!
      September 22, 2018 7:30 AM MDT
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  • 1
    On further consideration of this question, I am given to question whether or not we can separate smart from intellect to include communal experience, instinct and wisdom. As was stated before (on this page), smart is a "sponge term", which absorbs all characteristics attributed to the generic word and thereby becomes them all at the same time. Therefore, we can presume that all living things have a legitimate right to be called smart (even if it does not entirely resemble our own).
    Let's take another look at intellect. Again, all living things have an intelligence of their own which is not entirely the same or otherwise closely comparable to our own. Every experience that we have ever had in life expands our intellect. We remember what we need to know or otherwise desire to learn. Every scrap of information we have ever gathered throughout our lives helps us to make decisions that guide us through the choices we must make. Our ability to make decisions helps us to analyze almost every given situation and carefully craft a strategic solution to solve puzzles and problems, thereby benefiting ourselves and those we care about.
    In this very conversation, I was reminded that "street smart" is similarly dependent upon what we learn and where it was learned from. Communal knowledge is a bit different than academic knowledge, being information and experiences that we've learned about the places we live or work. We learn about the people, the places and the events which take place within our communities. We become "street wise" regarding what it takes to live, thrive and survive in the community. We are not any less smart or intelligent for our lack of education, but we are smart just the same. I bet there are more than a few geniuses among the "street rats" of every community.
    Contrary to the communal experience of street smart people, my understanding of common sense is considerably less specific than going into a community and making the local contractors compete for the job. Such a business practice requires that we understand the community with who we hope to build a relationship, which in turn generally requires some kind of an education. I believe common sense is bonded much more closely to instinct. Fire is hot. Ice is cold. Water is wet. These are instinctive experiences we all know from our earliest childhood. Well, most of us anyway. These are the most common senses we have (as an adult). No matter where we go, everyone knows you don't mess with danger if you don't know what you're doing. A poet would never get up on the steel beams of a sky scraper and walk around like a contractor. To me, that's common sense.
    No matter how we measure or describe intelligence, it always comes back to wisdom. To me, wisdom is the ability to analyze our problems and decide the best course of action based on our own personal past experiences. Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the hardest to see. We occasionally need someone else to tell us something we already know. Wisdom isn't anything particularly special. We all have it. Not all of us use it. It's a part of the mind which combines all other forms of intellect together so that we can decide what is best for our own peace of mind.
    I don't know about anyone else's peace of mind, but mine is getting clearer every year.
      September 22, 2018 7:24 PM MDT
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      September 22, 2018 8:57 PM MDT
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