Re: Jumping in

jason varsoke (jjv@caesun.msd.ray.com)
Fri, 29 Oct 1999 11:16:16 -0400 (EDT) 

On Thu, 28 Oct 1999, rev. bob pigeon wrote:

> >Sometimes I feel like the things I have learned over time make it harder
> >for me to connect to people I used to be very close to.  Not because they
> >are any less intelligent, but because we have such different frames of
> >reference.  What I try to remember is that I have also made connections
> >based my new experiences.  For me, it also helps to find ways to connect to
> >the old people and places on an emotional level.  Even if we can't relate
> >on a rational level because of differing world views, we've all experienced
> >pain and happiness, frustration and satisfaction.  But sometimes it still
> >just sucks.
> 
> I think part of intelligence is being able to interact with people.  there's
> more to intellectuality than books.

Rev Bob's response reminds me of a perinial argument I had with an old
friend.  Because we were young and not so jaded we'd ask each other what
we'd wish for.  Mine was always to be unquestionably brilliant.  She
always argued that you could reach an intelligence level that would make
you so smart that other people would become intollerable.  You'd have a
hard time communicating with them, and so on.  Maybe she's right.
   I've always thought that her projection was based on people who learned
social disfuction, or had intelligence but no insight.  You see, in my
projection, the smarter you become, the more you'll pursue wisdom.  In
that pursuit is the understanding of human suffering -- the human
condition.  I think that being ultra-smart would allow you to anticipate
people's actions (as they more often than not, follow patterns of
response) but with that anticipation, you'd also understand how they got
to that end.
   For example, I've been studying people a long time.  I've noticed lots
of trends and may people are simple and predictable.  But I find that i
can hardly get upset with someone who constantly fails me, or stabs me in
the back because 1) I should have seen it comming, or 2) I can see why
they would do it (usually fear).
   Therefore, my point is, that if you excel in intelligence you should
apply it to studying your fellow humans.  See what makes them tick.
Figure out what they want to talk about, what they want to hear.  I
started out with janitors.  I've always had an uncanny affinity for
janitors.  These salt of the earth people are often simple and wonderful,
sad and tranquil.
   The point is to listen.  You can function in any group of people if you
really possess the intellectual capacity to figure out any problem.
People are just another problem, with lots of variables.  They are one of
the hardest things to figure out.
   One of the most brillant men of our century is Richard Feinman.  He was
once at a meeting of the minds, discussing something extremely complex,
possibly the Atombomb.  At the break the secretary came up to him and
said, "You aren't a physicist, are you."  Curious, he asked why she
thought that and she responded, "Well, when all these PhD's speak I can't
understand a word they are saying, I can't follow them at all.  I just
record what they're saying.  But when you say something, it's very easy to
understand.  I know exactly what you're talking about.  You must not have
a PhD."  The point is that Feinman was so brilliant (oh, and he was) he
not only could understand Theoretical Physics, but convey them to the
masses in a way they could understand.  He didn't hide behind the
intellectual barricade.  He wrote _QED_ (on my 20/20 list) which is about
Quantium Electro Dynamics.   It was on the NYTimes best seller list for
over six months.  He brings everything down from the white tower, and
pulls the old man's beard.  He calls Vector Addition "Adding Arrows"
because that's exactly what it is.
   If you have a problem relating to your peers then you should examine
your expectations.  Are you expecting them to value Sartre over the Spice
Girls?  Do you dispise them for their pedestrian nature?  Half the people
in the world are of below average intelligence.  You need to deal with
them.
   And remember, just because you're brilliant, doesn't mean you have to
show it off all the time.

-j

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Jason Varsoke                                jvarsoke@bigfoot.com
Ich will nicht ein Amerikaner, der nur eine Sprache kennt sterben