Accumulating Intelligence--whatever that is....

Intelligence, a term used for a measurement done by standardized tests to allow for a comparison to be made from one person to another, but is this not a subjective thought on the ability to acquire if not apply our knowledge?  How is it that we may take a specific test at any one particular moment with the intentions of recalling information that we currently know or will know?  What about all the variables that affect how this test is taken like sleep, hunger, or age? Am I more of a genius in my younger years because my mind has yet to be programmed by society or is it more intelligent from this experience as an adult?

I understand this is a bit deep thinking, but my minorly competitive side produced this questions as I reviewed the text for one of my college classes wondering what makes Tom, Dick, and Harry more intellectual in comparison to me.

I did a small bit of research, as I am intelligent enough to know where to find information that I may not know yet, and found that the first IQ test (Intelligence Quotient Test) was developed by Alfred Binet, a psychologist who was asked by the French government to produce a way to identify which children needed more assistance in the classroom.  The test was soon evolved in the United States in 1916 by Lewis Terman, a psychologist at Stanford University, who progressed into an actual calculation for IQ, the quotient, taking into consideration mental age and chronological age.  Now keep in mind that this test or tests has been revised multiple times, which still conveys the question 'What makes someone else more intelligent than me?' (Cherry).

My curiosity took me to different lists on the Internet to see who thought who was intelligent and why.  What troubles me about these lists is that with the evolution of the IQ test, what is one IQ score compared to another? Take for instance Michelangelo who is listed to have an IQ score of 177 compared to Terrence Tao's 230 score.  Terrence Tao is 39 years old and Michelangelo is, well deceased, but they did not take the same test so are these scores truly comparable? No, as from one era to another have different tests, which still defeats any resolution to a proper comparison.

To see what initially pops up in a search for  intellectual people or who society deems 'the most intellectual,' I randomly chose some websites for comparison as who society feels inferior towards.  A couple lists I checked with historical names listed Michelangelo, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Isaac Newton, Leonardo da Vinci, but oddly only one listed Albert Einstein.  Now many people know the name Albert Einstein, so it was a bit of a surprise that he was only listed once.  I also pulled up a couple more current lists showing common intellects such as Garry Kasparov, Rick Rosner, Kim ung-Yong, Christopher Hirata, and Marilyn vos Savant.  Another analyzed concept was that Paul Gardner Allen was on one of the list, but his co-founder for Microsoft, Bill Gates, was not listed.  In my opinion, I would consider Bill Gates worthy of the listing as I feel he is a very intellectual man even though it appears a majority vote from society begs to differ.

With all this 'cute' information, I do notice that many of these people had distinct focal points on their education.  It made me think of Olympic athletes who spend hours a day working to perfect one physical talent whereas these others are doing it with their minds, yet which one is more intellectual? Both have specific things they focus on.

I could sit here and dwell on the concept that could take a 'train of thought' into common sense and an inferiority complex, but I do not think I will ever find a substantial concrete answer that will not amount to the fact that IQ is just a measurement and intellect is subjective.  So then why the insecurity?  Big words?  Long  sentences?  A stupid number of measurement for bragging rights?  I may not be a 'genius' or even a prodigy of sort, but I will admit to being an open-minded intellectual towards education with the willingness of progression.  [LoL- Did ya catch all that?] I guess with my own insecurity on intelligence, I can only take it as a compliment when someone feels inferior to me as should another person whom I feel inferior towards.  Whether you consider yourself 'smart' or 'dumb' the knowledge you have may not necessarily be the same as the person next to you with the same experience, but it does mean that you both have the opportunity to learn from one another and obtain more information.  Intellect--the ability and knowledge to find more...




Sources:

13 Most Intelligent People In The History Of The World. (n.d.). Retrieved January 5, 2015, from Financesonline.com: http://financesonline.com/13-most-intelligent-people-in-the-history-of-the-world/

Cherry, D. (n.d.). History of Intelligence Testing: The History and Development of Modern IQ Testing. Retrieved January 4, 2015, from About Education: http://psychology.about.com/od/psychologicaltesting/a/int-history.htm

DNA. (2014, January 21). 10 Most Intelligent Humans To Ever Exist. Retrieved January 4, 2015, from TIP News: Digital News Aggregate: http://topinfopost.com/2014/01/21/10-most-intelligent-humans-to-ever-exist

Said, S. (2013, February 6). The Top 10 Most Intelligent People in the World. Retrieved January 5, 2015, from TheRichest: http://www.therichest.com/business/the-top-10-most-intelligent-people-in-the-world/

Salman, S. (n.d.). Top 10 Most Intelligent People Of The World. Retrieved January 5, 2015, from Wonderslist: http://www.wonderslist.com/10-most-intelligent-people/

The Addiction of Life's Gambles

Four days into the new year and I already found that moment in my life when I am questioning myself: the time, the value, and the cost.  It is said 'do not put all your eggs into one basket' as there are other options that may hinder a specific outcome, not to mention the eggs may crack or you could have a few chicks on your hand.  For my sake, I do not need any chicks at this time.  Not the point though.

In the last four years I have been retraining myself to trust at least myself since I have a bit of trouble trusting others, which is apparently noticeable not only through this blog.  I do wear my heart on my sleeve as it is an honest portrayal of who I am, I ask the question that others do not because the question and potential deathly answer will mutilate my brain if not complete, and I follow my instinct on my life to a degree.

However, we all have our weaknesses that we gamble with in life hoping to be the exception when we are the rule or our life in some form or another is the rule.  At times, I like to believe that people change or believe that there is something more to a person who has been given a specific stigma of a label.  Therefore, I trust myself in an attempt to test the odds to prove everyone wrong.  What I am learning is that if one person says it is true, test it, but if more than one person says it is true, you might want to question your attempts before gambling anything at all when you are just going to lose.

This weekend I allowed myself to gamble a bit after I have been told NUMEROUS times not to put forth the time and effort.  Let's just say that lack of reciprocation sucks since you do not get what you put in leaving a bit of weight on the one-sided adventure to put into debate of whether or not all if not certain ties need to be broken no matter the pain.  I guess the positive side-effect is that it would be on my own personal terms and there would be no distractions to my ultimate goal.  So then why does this feel so bad?  Why is it that I regret my actual feeling of regret?  Because had things turned out differently I would not have this confused mix of emotion. Ugh!

Gambling is a part of life.  You win some, you lose some, you win big, you lose big, but of course then you get that smart @** in the background telling you, 'it is not the destination, but the journey.'  So instead of walking on sand I am stubbing my toes on rocks, considering I am a bit of a klutz.  This reminds me of my favorite poem 'Footprints in the Sand.'  I have always liked this poem, beyond the religious element with the idea that there is someone there no matter what when I have always been the type that the only person you can depend upon is yourself.  I do not know if it is always the best theory even though through success and failure I have no one to blame except myself.

So why do we keep gambling in life literally and figuratively? Hope.  That is it.  That is key.  That, dare I say, is the only thing that drives us. [Expect the worst, but pray for the best]  I chuckle as I finish this entry with the thought "Jeez, maybe I should keep praying?"

The Desire of a Wish

This week many changes occurred as I now set into action my plan to move away from place that has never really felt like my own home.  Although, I feel this was a step in life that I needed to take, so now that I have conquered it is time to move on and progress, which can be scary to many people.  I have recently come across the idea that the wants, needs, desires, obsession, or even passions that people have can be difficult to obtain as there is a fear that sets in with the potential of paralyzing a person with the realization that taking this risk and betting on the life you want may leave you with nothing.  It is basically like gambling only I feel that losing your life is more of a risk than losing money.

I was watching the 2006 movie The Devil Wears Prada that stars Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep with a character portrayal of Anna Wintour, because I felt I needed an empowerment movie.  As many of you may know, Andy Sachs desires to be a journalist in New York, so to find a path to that dream she applies for and gets a job at Runway, a fashion magazine that is head by Miranda Priestly.  The path to Runway seems unlikely for a young girl uninterested in fashion until, with a bit of guidance form Nigel, played by Stanley Tucci (who I find adorably appealing in this movie with his witty repartee) learns about the fashion business.  Through his quick tutorial she is introduced the ideas of respecting yourself enough in your professional appears, which reflects upon others how serious you are about your job to earn their respect.  Then that moment in the movie hits the realization of how far a person must go to sacrifice one's self to obtain the ultimate desire, Nigel's infamous quote, "Let me know when your whole life goes up in smoke.  Means its' time for a promotion."  There you have it folks, a brief epiphany of what it takes.  Keep in mind this is focusing strictly on the desire because with that journey comes many additions like relationship, families, kids, etc., but there are still those sacrifices we make with these people along for the ride.  A momentary thought here of a couple friends of mine who recently parted ways...sometimes your life path is meant to cross until you reach that one fork in the road where you part ways for something better for the both of you.

This may sound a bit trite as I just referred to movie-land, but Disney had the right idea and I am beginning to wonder how many people forget the idea of working hard for something versus having it handed to you.  How many of you can sing all if not part of "When You Wish Upon A Star"?  Don't lie to me either because I know you know at least the tune with how many times it plays.  Even in the ideal thinking of a child, Walt Disney instilled that what we want will eventually come to us no matter who we are and if we are passionate enough to do anything to obtain the dream.

Recently I had to make a friend of mine realize this concept.  Around the holidays, specifically Christmas, many people would like the cute cookie cutter family picturesque warm family get-together, but not all families have that option.  I am one of those lucky ones where, when I was younger, my relatives would find a mutual spot to meet up so we could eat, play games, and socialize.  Being a bit older now and that there are more adults to be spread out, it is hard for us to have that mutual time together, but because of the closeness of my family I would not doubt that we all think back to those days for our own personal reasons.  They all hold a magical place in my heart, which I try to make sure they know through Christmas cards that have become my way of 'touching base.'  Well, after they all read this they will really know. [Love you all!!]  The sad part of this is that my friend does not have this, but desires it and in my fairy tale sort of thinking I believe my friend will get the close Christmas that is desired because my friend deserves it. 

Now that I have made this entry overly sentimental, I am obligated to believe even stronger than I have in the past that my fairy tale does exist with all the fine details including a blue rose.  I believe that there is a moment in everyone's life where they thirst for more or believe they deserve better because THEY DO even though it does come with a cost of sacrificing something else.  I may not be the most encouraging person some days, but that does not excuse the fact that no matter how much I try to give up on things or even people, I cannot seem to give up hope.....hope for a miracle, hope for something better, or even hope for something as simple as a better tomorrow.  Maybe that is where our sacrifices become too great, when we lose that hope and maybe our risks become to big of an expense instead of an investment.  My strategic advice? Grab a few friends and family whom you can grab some input and make it your own, only then goal obtained and the path truly yours.

2015 New Year Tolerance

The new year has started and I feel as though I am letting people down since I am not jumping off the ceiling happy-go-lucky over the increase of a number.  I will admit that I am a numbers person when I keep track of things or record things like money, pounds lost, inches of muscle, credit score, and funds for bills, but I have never felt the stereotypical ditzy blonde feeling of a new year.  This does not mean that I do not make a few common resolutions as I am in support of improving one's self; however, that happens about once a month for me instead of every year. (Actually it happens about once a week now that I think about it).

So this past New Year's Eve, I went out with a great friend who I knew understood that 2014 was not the easiest of years, for either of us, but that did not take away from our positive attitudes that life gets better and it did not change that we are both purely awesome people to whom it would be a privilege to meet.  I was not able to break in the new year with this friend, as I went home a bit early to nurture a major headache. I actually started the new year in the most appropriate place, in the restroom.  I know, minor TMI moment, but if you think about it, metaphorically perfect in that since 2014 sucked for me, it is positive that I trash it/flush it and move on.  I'm so sorry, but I laugh every time I think of that moment because who does that unless they are bowing to the porcelain god from over drinking of alcoholic beverages. That was not my reasoning at all.

My first day of the year was spent lounging around relaxing to collect all my thoughts realizing that my biggest survival kit was all the new people I had met this past year.  Signifies a very 'out with the old, in with the new' type of moment of reflection.  I have not seen many of these people lately, due to a goal I have set for this year.  My one and only goal: move away from where I currently live.  For the last month, I have worked two part time jobs, one full time job, and gone to school with a small ability to go to the gym every now and then.  It is a huge sacrifice of time, but I feel sacrifice makes everything worth the trouble.  However, there are those people in my life who are concerned for my sacrifice that loosing that much time will exhaust me without time for my personal battery to reset and that I might sever some connections with certain people.

I laugh at these two concerns because one: I have always had more than one task/job since I was 14 years old, so I am accustom to being busy and if something/someone is valuable to me I make the time.  Two: I do not leave good friends, valued friends, those people who you know your life would change for the worse if they were gone.  I will say I am glad social media exists for this reason as I am able to see what is new in other's lives or obtain inspiration through the small things in life they do without them realizing they made an impact on my life.  Then I reflect back and realize how hard of a task this is for me.

In 2014 I joined the YMCA to basically disappear in a crowd the same way people do on a New York city street, but somehow I ended up standing out.  Part of me wanted to run after this realization while something held me back and it was not until I received an email today that I realized that all the bumps, bruises, and scarring in my life do not necessary mean that you are healed properly enough to function.  I know that sounds very harsh, but I am referring to connections.  I did a favor for a friend to review a written piece of work for him only to get the most business like formatted 'thank you' email.  I chuckled a bit because this friend has complained how businesses send out rejection letters that are impersonal and here the friend sends me, his actual friend a similarly formatted email.  My response acknowledged how ' [the email] reflects the cookie cutter impersonal type business type letter that distinctly annihilates any connection.'  I know....a bit harsh, but true.  It made me understand how there are people in my life who I am scared to lose as well, so my response is to run and sever any ties or connections with the thought that 'well, if this is the last time I see you then it won't hurt as much because we left on my terms, my choice.'  Silly thought, huh? [Silly ol' bear].

With the idea of improving and it only being the second day of 2015, I want to improve upon my patience for myself and tolerate the steps I take to improve my mental traps that keep me from depending on only myself when I should be able to trust another.  I understand that people are not in your life forever, but I do believe they should be there until you are both ready to let go, but maybe I need to stop mutilating connections where I would need to suppress pain and learn to embrace a bit of pain.  Maybe 2015 is a year for me to redeem all my scarring.

For the rest of you out there reading this, I hope for a happy new year, one of pain and sorrow to appreciate those joyous moments in our lives.  I pray for growth in any aspect of your lives, but with the gift of something/someone to keep you grounded. Finally, I pray for more reading enjoyment from this blog that makes you smirk out the side of your mouth whispering in your head, "I.V, you dork"  Happy New Year!!