The realities of perceived intelligence and mental health
There are so many discussions around hyper-awareness and intelligence and how it impacts your perception of life. I hate the idea of intelligence truly, but I believe that when you no longer see the world through its innocence, naivety, selfishness and desire you see it for what it truly is: a culmination of singular highs and lows collectively impacting each other and creating the world we live in. It causes you to detach from what you can and can’t control, and identify what truly matters to you and what matters in general.
So, how do you exist and thrive and live in a world where nothing truly matters? I guess it stems from the idea of purpose, whether you're religious or not. I often as a child heard so many adults speak about leaving jobs that didn’t give them that same homeness as doing something you believe you were put on this earth to do. Like why leave a million-dollar company? Or give up the freedom of being able to do nothing at all, because truly in life everything does fade except the feelings inside of you. In one of my earlier blog posts, I spoke about the idea that I often feel as though I can recollect how I felt so vividly but I often can’t recollect the exact event revolving around it, and perhaps this reference’s that feeling. One of my favourite things to do is have long debates with my boyfriend and this is where I heard him say ‘The smartest people are the saddest ones’.
And do I agree, to an extent as I have grown and become more aware of the world and my knowledge of life itself has grown it has made me see the world as bleaker. I believe that’s also down to the transition between the farcical mess of education and the actual working world. Life becomes like a cycle of working for money, chasing things that we think will make us happy and when we have it, it never seems to feel the same or we just aren't content. Next, to change I feel the real thing that causes sadness is being insatiable. People who are considered smart are often considered ambitious. It's that drive to want more for yourself and even the world we live in I think that causes true sadness in people. The word sad to me depicts an almost look of defeat in someone. They have truly given up, life is purely just living, for some like me religion allows for relief in having faith in what you believe. For others, there’s not much to it than the life they were essentially born into with parents who unknowingly moulded their entire existence.
I think intelligence to me is simply being retrospective to reflect on your actions, that being in education, physically and mentally completely drives the ability to think. Perhaps reflecting upon the world is what makes it so sad to those who do, essentially making intelligence the reason why we give up fighting back at life. How we triumph is by not letting the insignificant things in life drive us but by living in our purpose and what makes us and others happy, even for a moment.
I think this quote sums it up perfectly
“Without a purpose, life is motion without meaning, activity without direction and events without reason. Without a purpose, life is trivial, petty, and pointless.” Rick Warren
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