The world is filled with people who talk before thinking or act without thought of consequence. There are people who honestly, truly believe they are better than others. They accept all praise as if it were their due, commanding it with their actions. They boast of how intelligent they are. They take every chance they get to inform the rest of us lowly people how much better than us they are. They condemn the "dummies" for their lack of perceived intelligence and find humor and joy in cutting others down; belittling people, making them feel they are not worth much. I have been told time and again, not always in words, but in actions and behavior of others, that I am stupid... or dumb. My writing (YES, I am a writer, regardless of the genre in which I write. My friend, R.B. O'Brien wrote a great blog post about the topic of writing, what makes a writer, and the stereotypes erotica authors deal with. You can read it HERE) doesn't always contain large words. I may use the word foe instead of antagonist when describing a character. I say friendly in place of amicable. I say someone is persistent rather than saying they are assiduous. I think you get the picture. Or should I say: I believe you have a precise understanding of the point I am attempting to impress upon you? I do not always read novels. I never completed college (I attended real estate school and became a licensed realtor at the age of twenty). So I do not have a Ph. D. I haven't traveled the world. I have only been to a few countries. Does all that make me ignorant? My I.Q. was tested when I was younger and I was labeled a "genius". I graduated high school early. I was in the Honors Society and was a student ambassador when I was a sophomore in high school. I made the Spelling Bee finals in elementary. I have a love of learning and seek to educate myself in something new every day. Do those things make me intelligent? Let's go based on a brief definition: Intelligent: having or showing intelligence, especially of a high level. Well then, there you go! According to that, I am intelligent. But hold on. Let's look at the other word: Ignorant: lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated. Then it adds this for the word ignorant: lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about something in particular. So, according to part of that "definition", I am ignorant, in a way. And in all honesty, we are all a little bit ignorant because we all lack knowledge of something. Right? So, am I ignorant? Yes. But I am also intelligent. And guess what? You are both, too! So you can come off whatever high horse, or pedestal you may have put yourself on if you go around calling people ignorant, or stupid while showcasing an air of superiority... because you ain't all that. And STOP putting yourself down, thinking too little of yourself, not giving yourself enough credit for what you do know... because you may just be a lot smarter than you knew. Using large words doesn't make you any more intelligent than another person just because it shows you may possibly have the use of a thesaurus... and using simple, easy-to-understand phrases doesn't make you ignorant. It all boils down to knowledge. And in that case, we are all intelligent in many areas just as we are ignorant in others. Be careful who you label, and when. You may just show your intelligence... or ignorance.
2 Comments
4/26/2019 10:12:29 am
You are smart, you are intelligent, you are a well-rounded person. Plus you have something as important as IQ, or maybe even more, you are emotionally intelligent (EQ), and that is wonderful. Don't ever let anyone put you down. You are a wonderful human being. x
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R.B. O'Brien
4/26/2019 01:59:17 pm
Awww. Thanks for mentioning my blog too. I remember this. And you nailed it. You, my friend, are so FAR from dumb OR ignorant. And I'm blessed to have met you. Great post!
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Ashlee Shades
Ashlee loves sharing a piece of her mind - and her heart - in her blog posts. She hopes you enjoy the musing. Archives
February 2020
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