INTELLIGENCE

Intelligence is one’s ability or quality to understand and face a problem quite efficiently and differently, with limited resources, from those of the contemporary times in a given context or set of conditions. Unfortunately, now, many are taking intelligence as one’s ability to exploit the helplessness or innocence of others and benefit from that situation in the short or long run. Intelligence is never a synonym for deception, hypocrisy or opportunism but creativity, dynamism and vision. Genes may play a little role in making one intelligent but in very rarest of the rare cases. Acquisition and retention of intelligence mostly depends on how much one is engaged in that pursuit in different ways. One with multiple challenges in one’s personal or professional life is more likely to be intelligent because one has to find out solutions on one’s own or through optimum utilization of resources at one’s disposal, to lead one’s life or profession efficiently and successfully. One with unlimited resources to lead life comfortably and happily is seldom pressed to think beyond the box and thus make oneself intelligent. Intelligent ones can bring a dramatic change in their lives or those of others, applying their intelligence, optimally, as and when required.

How can we increase our intelligence?

1. We should make a conscious effort to improve our knowledge and skills continuously reading a variety of books, watching television, listening to radio, browsing Internet, talking with intelligent and creative ones regularly, and doing many such things, which directly or indirectly make us think deeply and constructively about many people and things around us. Thinking and analysing is very important to make ourselves intelligent. We should ask questions ourselves frequently to get answers to them. Our approach towards many things around us must be with questions about them like what, why, where, when and how? Those that accept status quo are unlikely to make great efforts to think differently and work innovatively towards solving an existing problem efficiently. Intelligence often demands comparative analysis. They should always struggle to understand everything from a broader perspective. 

2. We can improve our intelligence when we undergo different feelings and experiences in a variety of situations and contexts in our lives or professions. Experiences can teach us a lot more than our teachers and personality development speakers. When we are in a comfort zone, we listen to the inspiring words of many distinguished personalities or even from those in our families and societies but seldom practice them because there is no challenge in our lives. We need intelligence to face problems efficiently but not to spend the existing resources, earned by others, after a lot of struggle. A security guard at an ATM centre is less likely to improve his intelligence than a clerk in a busy private bank. When there is no pressure from many directions and when one need not take different responsibilities, one is not required to become intelligent, expect for his self-satisfaction. Millions of contract workers in this world don’t do wonders in different factories and companies but follow just what their supervisors have said them to do. On the other hand, many government and private employees remain active and intelligent to take decisions fast and implement them when it is highly required. Situation often makes us intelligent.

3. Study of hypotheses, case studies and multiple examples also often make us intelligent. When we know why one became successful or happy in the short or long run, we can plan our life or business accordingly. When we don’t gain knowledge through available ways and means, we cannot deliver well in many contexts. Intelligence is like a seed. God puts it in us but we should struggle regularly to improve it and make it into a healthy and strong tree. One without intelligence looks like a buffoon to others. Intelligent ones impress others uniquely and get their things done smartly. Foolish ones don’t know how to lead their lives. They remain complacent and careless about their lives, professions or others.

4. Creative works of art like stories, paintings, dance, songs, music, sculpture, photographs, feature films, documentaries, news and dramas can also make us intelligent. We become insightful and sharp after observing extraordinary things in the works of others. Creative ones have to impress others regularly doing this or that. They need to think, plan and execute different things systematically to educate and entertain others substantially. We wonder about the abilities of creative masters like Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, Jagadguru Adi Shankara, Swami Vivekananda, Ilayaraja, Satyajit Ray, Mahatma Gandhi, Einstein and the like. They did what millions of others could not do in their times with limited resources. They did not do it for themselves but for those with pain and loss. Intelligence must be a medium to reach our noble goals ideally, applying our patience and innovation tremendously. Establishing and sustaining an environment and culture of prosperity, peace and order must be our goals. We don’t need intelligence to hurt or cheat others but to solace and comfort one, who went through a series of difficulties and pains in one’s life. Meticulous observation, perfect planning, amazing vision, selfless cooperation and excellent coordination help us gain and utilize our intelligence for our noble goals and achievements. Creativity means being different in our thoughts and acts from the millions of others around us and thus reach a position where we can influence and bring them all into our expected path of ideals and achievements.

5. We do not become much intelligent doing such things, which anyone can do after a little practice but by doing such things, which millions of others of our contemporary times cannot do even after years of practice in that direction. Mundane things like watching cricket, chatting with our foolish friends, watching quite ordinary films and reading shallow books don’t help us become intelligent much. We have to watch such films, which millions did not like to watch for some reasons. We should read the stories of those with biggest failures. We should spend with such people, who make us think deeply about many things, asking us different questions about our lives and activities. Enthusiasm, enquiry, experimentation and visualization often help us become intelligent but not laziness, neutrality, imitation and dependence on others. Self-respect, self-analysis and self-reformation push us towards being intelligent because you would realize that you are responsible for your destiny and so you have to build up your life following standards and values of the highest order. If you remain as a parasite, you cannot become intelligent.

6. Exploration of new places also largely enables us to become intelligent. We should see different places often, if possible, to understand this world better. There is much difference between watching a documentary on wild beasts on a television channel and going into that forest and living among them as a photographer or researcher. Those that talk a lot learn very little than those that do a lot. Physical environment is a great teacher to all of us. You would live, in a forest, all alone, for a week, day and night, to feel and experience how it would be. There are dangers all around. There is nobody to help you. You would die if you don’t understand the phenomena and conditions around fast and restructure your ways and plans of living accordingly, promptly. When there is immediate threat, you would plan fast to save yourself. When you know that you would die after 50 years, you would take it easy. Risk factors and risk analysis make us intelligent. Extraordinary development and success seldom happen without risks of similar magnitude in our lives or professions. Taking risks proactively to achieve something great often makes you very intelligent because you must be very cautious and visionary to escape from the effects of those risks. It is a ‘do or die’ situation. You would certainly think effectively in such context because you would die if you remain lazy and indifferent. Manmade disasters, natural calamities, suicides, atrocities, genocides, deaths, tragedies, pains and loss make us more intelligent, as individuals or societies, than comforts, luxuries, comedies, natural beauty, collective celebrations and holidays. God often subjects us to many difficulties and pains just to make us intelligent and prepared for following threats.

To reset your mindset, which is with illusions about intelligence, I present some hypotheses below. 

1. A student passed with the highest percentage of marks in a school. He has intelligent parents to guide him, excellent teachers to mentor and favourable environment all around to remain as a good student always. Swimming in the direction of flow is something millions can do. Swimming against the flow is praiseworthy. So, we cannot take this student as an intelligent one but a disciplined one.

2. Alok and Vidur started two business ventures in 2000 with equal capital and resources. By 2005, both of them earned profits close to five crore rupees. Observers praised them stating that both were equally intelligent because they could make profits fast. By 2015, Vidur closed his business completely and went home with exactly the same capital, which he invested in 2000. Alok kept going on with more and more profits. A voluntary organization sent Anvesh to enquire into these two cases of business and prepare a very brief report about it within a month. He wrote the following, “Vidur closed his business not to cheat anybody because the circumstances turned so by 2015 that he could not make any profit if he did not get into ways of cheating everywhere. Alok is making profits because he decided that cheating is part of business in any part of the world now. Vidur followed the standards and values, which he set for himself in 2000, even in 2015. Alok kept changing his standards and values according to the pressures and circumstances around him, as he is moving forward towards his business goals”. In this scenario, Vidur is more intelligent than Alok because he knew when to get out of the race decently. Achieving our individual or collective goals through ideal means is intelligence. Making profits or remaining happy at our level, exploiting others or a given situation to our favour, is not intelligence but cheating. 80% of the businesses, being run in various parts of the world now, belong to the second category. They are making profits selling harmful products and are offering immoral, illegal and fraudulent services to innocent or helpless ones. An idealist withdraws from the race to save others in time. An opportunist continues in the race to cheat others mercilessly and present it as his business success. Intelligence, without virtue, is a sin.  

3. A sinner came to a saint and said the following, “I have committed many mistakes, blunders, sins and crimes during the last 30 years and made millions of dollars abroad. I did it all for the sake of my family. I have to atone for it. What should I do?” The saint replied, “Sell every piece of your property to others for reasonable and justifiable rates. Give all that money to a handful of great idealists in different parts of the world. Request them to use that money to bring comforts and happiness in the lives of millions of helpless creatures in this world. That mission should continue for another 500 years to come. You should select such masters of wisdom and vision, not just idealism. Goodness without intelligence is useless. Once you do it, cut one of your legs on your own and live depending on alms. You should shun all your family members and well-wishers in this journey of atonement. Then you would understand what human life is and how you should have led it when you were provided with many facilities by kind God”. If somebody advises you in such a way, which does not hurt you much, he is cheating and misguiding you. Real advice is that which transforms your attitude, character and lifestyle forever. So, choose those, who advise you with intelligence but not sympathy for you. Intelligence is like God. It treats all alike. It has no favouritism.

4. A handsome guy went to a marriage bureau and asked her, “I want a very beautiful and sensitive girl to marry. I wait for any length of time. I am practical. I don’t follow superstitions. I pay you 10 lakh rupees if you get such a girl for me”. She replied, “Such girls rarely approach us. There is no surety that you get one even if you wait for 10 years. You cannot live happily with any beauty if you impose restrictions. You cannot buy many things with money. You came to a wrong place”. Intelligent answers surprise us.

Without tests and challenges, you cannot become and remain intelligent. Put yourself in these contexts.

1. You told your close friend many times that you were a very intelligent boy. You stated that your IQ is higher than many intellectuals in this world. He was thoroughly disgusted about your overconfidence, ego and false prestige. He arranged a kidnap for you with a small investment beyond your knowledge. They left you in a deep forest, about 500 kilometres off your place, a midnight, when you were unconscious. When you woke up the following morning, there was a notebook about you with a few words in it, scribbled by your intelligent friend, “You are naked now. You have no money, clothes, food or medium of communication. You can reach a human habitation if you run for about 10 kilometres. They don’t understand your language. You should return to your place somehow, applying your intelligence”.  This is an opportunity to estimate the power of your intelligence. Talking a lot and doing something when everything is favourable to you is not intelligence. Facing tragedies all alone and proving your talent is intelligence. Anybody can discuss tragedies. Avoiding tragedies in the lives of others is intelligence.

2. You are a very beautiful, educated, rich and modern girl. You believed that tens of handsome boys were waiting eagerly to love and marry you. It did not happen for 10 years when you were a student. When you were 24, you realized that something went wrong. When you asked one of your friends about this irony, she simply said, “Many boys don’t approach girls like you. Your arresting beauty, money, education and modernity scare them like anything”. Then you spread news in your familiar circle of relatives, friends and well-wishers that you would wish to marry soon. You wanted love marriage only. Enthusiastic guys could try. Nobody approached you for two long years. You asked one of your close friends why it would have happened so. She said, “One of your secret admirers spread a rumour casually that you are a lesbian with strong feminist ideologies and activities. Which boy approaches you when they know that you belong to that category of body and mind?” Now it is time for you to prove that you are not a lesbian and that you madly love humanity, not just female victims around you. How do you attract great boys in this context, erasing your image of that order, on your own, without consulting your parents, experts or anybody else? Intelligence is the sum of your thoughts, which produce positive results.

3. You believe that you have written a great book. It is likely to impress and reform many readers, if published. No publisher is interested to publish it, free of cost. If you publish it on your own, because you have a lot of money, others may presume that it is a worthless work and so you are promoting it on your own. You and your work get bad image this way. You should get it published by a noted publisher like Penguin without recommendations, lobbying, bribery or references of any order. How do you do it?

4. One of your friends met with an accident in a town 200 kilometres off your place. You knew about it. The only way to reach there is by train. You must be there by 8:00 pm that night. You don’t have a cellphone or even one rupee on you. If you reach that town, you can borrow any amount of money from a rich friend of you there. Only you can save the life of your friend, paying the money there for that emergency surgery. They don’t do it ideally. So, you got into that train hurriedly. A squad team member caught you without ticket. He is so strict and virtuous that he does not allow God also to travel without a ticket. He asks them just to get off in the coming station if no money to pay the fine. He does not like arguments or submissive surrender. He has no pity for a beggar or respect for any VIP. He goes by rules. He is a perfectionist. How do you travel in this train and reach that town, without requesting or threatening him, directly or indirectly? You should not cheat a righteous government employee.

Intelligence is not criticizing others regularly but living in such a way that nobody can blame you for anything. 

It is not asking questions others randomly but finding answers to many you have in yourself for long.