“The Grass is always Green on the other side.” It is human tendency to make comparisons and follow others. Knowingly or unknowingly this comparison lands us in a situation where we develop a sense of inferiority complex and that ultimately instigates jealousy in us. And if we introspect, this is actually the reason behind the negative energy within us. If we spend enough time analyzing our own thoughts and actions, how much time will be left with us to find fault with others?
To the layman, being smart may first relate to someone ‘well dressed’ and second to ‘social interaction’. Both are necessary but not sufficient for a fruitful life. Assume any situation where you come across someone who is well dressed but have a narrow bent of mind; someone who seems to steal the show but is very aggressive when it comes to personal relations.
It is not only important to ‘look good’, but what is more important is to ‘feel good’. While looking good gives us the desired confidence; feeling good gives us the desire to live our life with a purpose.
The Oxford English dictionary defines smartness as: to be good at learning, understanding and thinking in a logical way.
Let us consider these three aspects:
Learning: This refers to gaining knowledge and skill. We are not referring here to professional knowledge and skill development. Everyone is literate enough to learn to earn for himself. Even if someone is not highly educated does not mean he is not capable to live his life. And even if someone is highly educated does not mean he knows best how to live his life. The purpose of education is not to assist us to learn how to earn, rather it is to assist us to learn how to live.
We can learn in two different ways: First, from books and second from our own experience.
Books are literary works of people and their thoughts. Everyone is free to express thoughts and feelings in black and white. The conclusion we draw, however depends upon how we interpret things. There is a familiar saying: practice makes a man perfect. Learning from own experience therefore is the best way of learning. A wise decision would be to learn from others’ experience. This saves time, money and effort. For example, if you see a man fall into a pit you will definitely not follow him. But, experiences others face are based on the situation and environment they have lived in. So, how about learning from our own experience? Learning here means to lift us up when we fall, all set to face the hard realities all over again. So, when life is hard on you, never say:why me? Just say: try me! 🙂
What follows learning? It is to understand what we have learnt.
Understanding: This refers to knowing and realizing how and why things happen. This plays a crucial part because different people perceive the same situation differently. Understanding a situation assists us in our future endeavours and prevent us from committing the same mistakes a second time. It will help us to avoid an unfavourable situation or atleast direct us to act differently. But the question that arises here is: How to work on our potential to understand? This ability is acquired from our perception. Perception speaks about thinking in a particular way. A person will understand the things the way he allows his mind to work, in other words the way he thinks.
Thinking: This is the last and the most important of the three aspects of smartness. There is a very common saying that “A man becomes what he thinks”. Therefore thinking act as an institution for learning and understanding. Everything is in the mind and how we shape our mind. If we think logical we will act logical. Therefore to become smart and intelligent it is important to think logical, in other words think reasonable and sensible. This aspect reminds us of a large number of issues facing different nations in general and to human behaviour and human relations in particular. We would leave this matter for the reader to analyse and decide if he/she is smart!
The root of smartness therefore is in our mind. Our life is a learning process. It is fine to feel the way we want to feel. There is no harm in doing something we like to do. And it is absolutely alright to doubt what we have been taught to believe. What matters is we must not interfere in the lives of others. No one hurts us, no one is responsible for the life we are living. Everyone is busy assembling parts of their scattered life. Therefore, care for yourself. God is kind enough to take care of the rest. Live and let live!! 🙂
We just have to make-up our mind.
© 2014 Ahmad and Ahmad
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