Sunday, March 25, 2012

Intelligence, Smarts, Confidence and Arrogance

Not to sound arrogant, but I have been told by many people that I am intelligent and/or smart, and I've had several people who told me I was intelligent and/or smart that I am arrogant about it; a few of those people have said I'm a "show off". Though I occasionally agree with being intelligent and sometimes agree I'm smart, I never intend to be arrogant or a show off regarding what intelligence or smarts I may have. I am a reader, and as such I have come across information on a variety of subjects giving me what others view as intelligence/smarts.

I know a little about a lot. I know a lot about a little. I do not know a lot about a lot nor do I by any means possess all there is to know about anything; there are many subjects I know absolutely nothing about. That being said, there are times in conversation with people when subjects will come up that I have some basic information on and I will join in the conversation. When I am wrong or when I do not know something, I am not hesitant to admit to that fact.

Having some knowledge on a variety of topics, or possessing information on a myriad of issues should be considered a good thing, not viewed as arrogance or an attempt to portray oneself as better than anyone. I think the more one can know about a variety of subjects makes that person more well-rounded and interesting. I would rather converse with someone who has a little knowledge in a great many different areas than to converse with someone who only knows a lot of information on a limited number of topics. And I enjoy learning new information from others, not only on the topics I know something about but also on topics where I have little to no knowledge.

Learning is one of my greatest desires.