I am truly amazed at the level of stupidity among the most "intelligent" people. Ordinary people are in a state of self-doubt because they are not sure of themselves. The "intelligent" people are quite certain of what they do. That's why there is no looking back. No re-examination. They have thousands of logic to justify their stupidity. It is difficult to convince them through arguments. Their logic and conviction are their winning formula to win the race.
Different people use different modes of transport to reach their destination. Somebody walks slowly, somebody runs, somebody rides a bicycle, somebody rides a bike, somebody has a car, somebody has a sports car, somebody travels by train, somebody by flight. They may take different times to reach the destination depending on the speed of the mode of transport. If we set a wrong destination, the faster the mode of transport, the farther we will be from our real destination. That's precisely the problem with "intelligence".
Since childhood, we have set the wrong destination under peer pressure. To be rich and powerful, without ever contemplating what it is like to be rich and what it is like to be powerful. Parents pass on their mental stories about money and power to their kids. Poor kids, who have not seen the world, believe their parents and peers and work hard to fulfil their dreams. In the process, their logical mind gets sharpened. The mind learns the art of telling lies convincingly, and to prove our point of view. Most examinations are about putting across what we have memorized in a beautiful language. That's what an intelligent mind does all the time. It describes what it has learnt from society in convincing words. Hitler could convince the whole of Germany to go for genocide. "Intelligent" people learn the art of manipulation. Manipulating the emotions of those not so "intelligent" in a way that suits their purpose.
"Intelligent" people do not spare their relationships either. Relationships are just tools to perpetuate their purpose. They know how to manipulate emotions. They would offer on the platter what the other person wants and surreptitiously get him to do what they want. These manipulations are quite common in the relationships of these "intelligent" people. That's why when somebody sees through the pretension, it's difficult to tolerate such people even for a minute.
"Shallow understanding of life" coupled with "intelligence" is the most dangerous thing in this world. It's like somebody trapped in a dark well and having created a beautiful story in his mind that living in the dark well is the greatest purpose of life, and then using all his "intelligence" to defend his position. Some sane person may tell him once or twice. Who has the time and energy to take an adamant person out of the dark well? No one in this world can wake up a person who pretends to sleep. Then come disasters and crises which shake such people a bit, but their intelligence supplies them again with thousands of logical reasons not to come out of the well. The "intelligence" that could have been the greatest facilitator in living mindfully becomes the greatest barrier. Dropping the "winning formula" of "intelligence" is not easy. That's why course-correction for the "intelligent" people is more difficult.
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