Have you come across people who are well-educated and have good career experiences, but they are unable to empathize and relate to the thoughts and feelings of others? Have you seen people with poor problem-solving skills or using methods that make problems worse? These types of behaviors reflect how a person's intelligence is functioning.
What Is Intelligence? Here, I will share eleven simple and sensible ways to describe intelligence from my very own spiritual perspective.
1.) Intelligence is our ability to study and comprehend problems and situations beyond the surface level. It describes our incisive ability to observe, analyze and resolve challenges.
2.) Intelligence is the ability to respond instead of react.
3.) Intelligence is thinking, acting, and communicating in a clear and conscious manner.
4.) Intelligence is about being sensitive to the emotions of others. For example, emotional intelligence.
5.) Intelligence is about being rooted in the present moment. For example, being mentally and emotionally clear when working on any task in the here and now.
6.) Creativity is the product of intelligence.
7.) Intelligence is the ability to break down and simplify complexity.
8.) Intelligence “is the ability to apply and re-create the knowledge gained to best practices.”
9.) Intelligence is the skills and talents we naturally possess.
10.) Intelligence is the wisdom to evaluate without judgments.
11.) Intelligence is using both bad and good life experiences to grow wise.
Intelligence is an innate quality in all of us. Intelligence is what grows from the inside of us. Knowledge is knowing and receiving from outside.
How Do We Grow Intelligence?
Intelligence grows from:
a) Doing meditations
b) Building a good sense of self-awareness
c) Learning and growing out of challenging experiences
d) Cultivating healthy habits or lifestyles
e) Application of knowledge
Doing Meditations
The ultimate purpose of meditation is to bring us to the present moment. The more present we are, the more intelligent we become. One way is to practice being mindful or conscious in our day-to-day activities.
Growing Self-Awareness
The more we know about ourselves, the easier it gets to deal with the challenges from outside.
It is good to remain aware of how and why one's thoughts, emotions, actions, and ego function in a certain way.
Take up Challenges
Build courage to take on healthy challenges. Challenges grow our experiences and grow our intelligence. Tough times make us intelligent. Experiences without challenges are like growing old without wisdom.
Cultivate Healthy Habits
Cultivate healthy habits. Eat healthy foods, exercise and have sufficient rest. Stay away from any activity that depletes your energy levels, makes you exhausted and weakens your mental, emotional and physical functioning. Proper preservation of our energies enhances intelligence. It is good to practice moderation when indulging in any form of activity.
What is Knowledge?
Knowledge is borrowed ideas. They are not innate. It is like…I read a book, I did a test, I passed the test and now I possess the knowledge. Knowledge means learning. Learning is good but after learning, one should know how to apply what was learned. Intelligence grows in the process of applying knowledge.
How does Knowledge Integrate with Intelligence?
What we study and learn gets absorbed into our subconscious. To put it in a cosmic/spiritual way, “this knowledge gets embedded in our soul.”
As said earlier, intelligence helps us to re-create or apply this knowledge to best practices.
To put it simply, if I am a trained therapist but I do not use my intelligence, I will end up making my clients feel worse.
Likewise, I may be academically and professionally doing great, but I would function poorly when it comes to human relationships, communications, and solving daily challenges if I lacked intelligence.
Final Thoughts
All of us have intelligence. Let’s create harmony between our knowledge and intelligence to contribute positively and make the world a better place.
Intelligence is also the initiative to make your life and the lives of others better and more peaceful.
Let’s work on the flowering of our intelligence.
Thank you for reading my insights.
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