20220116 : informed vs intelligent

From the last 1 year, I have been able to select what I see. Initially it was a lot of entertainment (Netflix, prime,etc) and now a lot more things on YouTube that are interesting/ informative. I guess I have got bored with entertainment and have realised while it is very enjoyable, it is basically a waste of my life.

I don't want to pretend like my mind doesn't need the distraction/ entertainment. I do indulge every now and then, but I have cut it down a lot.

Of course, when I am not watching any of that, I have the news playing. Any news will do. I do so - so the TV creates noise and keeps my company. I don't have to pay attention to it, it just screams uninterrupted. I can do something else...

What I have realised (it is well known, but difficult to appreciate) is that there is no end to knowing anything. I just have to get interested in some topic/ information and it opens up a different rabbit hole. A whole new world I didn't know existed.

And this is just with YouTube and TED, etc. I am sure if I could read, it would unearth more different worlds as well.

For the past year or so, I have become more informed, more knowledgeable, but have I become any more intelligent than before?

I don't think all of it has made an iota of difference to it.

I was reasonably knowledgeable, now I am more knowledgeable. I can compare myself with someone else and say whether I am more or less knowledgeable. But there is no absolute knowledgeable. 

It got me thinking, what is intelligence?

I frankly don't know.

I think perhaps it is how one understands/ assimilates a situation, how one approaches and breaks down a problem, how one structures the approach, how one can make decisions, how one can sort through information and quickly arrive at relevant stuff and quickly discard unwanted stuff, etc.

I will conveniently blame it on age, but I don't think I have improved any of that.

And this is only thought intelligence. I am quite certain, there is a similar world for emotional intelligence and any other form of intelligence I am unaware of...

Recently, I came to know about the topic my daughter had chosen for her school project.

It is an interesting topic.

I immediately thought about how I can help with it (I have a compelling urge to help some way - given I am unable to be in their lives in an other way). I was rubbing my palms together in my head.

I quickly thought up a list of things she could do, there was so much stuff I could send to her for reading and research, etc.

And then somehow my head parted. I (whatever that is) was having an active conversation with my mind. I was aware of the the conversation and I was telling the mind:

"Hang on a minute. That is your intelligence. That is how you think. That is how you would approach it."

" Where is the opportunity for her to approach it? Where is the opportunity for her to make decisions? Where is the opportunity to do her own research? Where is the space to find joy in achieving something? Where is the space to make her mistakes and learn from them?"

And that shut up the mind and cuffed the mind's hands.

I don't know if I am doing the best thing. I don't know if it will yield the desired results. Only time will tell...

So I have decided (I don't know if it is right or wrong. Nor do I have the confidence of being able to stick with it), going forward:

I will not send information voluntarily.

I will try not to help, unless asked for it.

If I can, I will not decide, but will try to give choices and let them decide as far as possible.

This is for children only - with the hope they might improve the intelligence.

Adults are fine. There is very little to try to improve 😂