The Unintelligent Pakistani
WE DON’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT INTELLIGENCE
In Pakistan, we don’t give a shit about intelligence. Okay wait; hear me out. When we’re in school, we or our society in general, don’t appreciate intelligence. All they appreciate are the grades and that’s not the same as intelligence. A student cheats and gets good marks on a test and everyone in his house praises him or her like they’re a really good student but the other classmates know better. Apart from the education system is completely derailed, there are numerous examples where your intelligence will be wasted in Pakistan. Can someone give me a breakdown of the group rules?
OUT OF THE FRYING PAN, INTO THE FIRE
Once you get out of school and apply for university, the only people who will have respect in their families are people who got into Medical or Engineering universities with Computer Science being a new contender in the respectable category. If you go for anything below that, you’re a disgrace. If you’re studying Business, it means that you weren’t good enough to get into an engineering university and the same goes for Arts. You have been simply labeled a failure even when you chose that field because you loved it and were passionate about it. And even if you make it big, and most people do, they’ll just call you lucky even when there’s not an ounce of luck involved. It’s all talent and hard work.
After you graduate, you’re into another race; the race of money. If you don’t get a job in a field you were forced to study and completely hated, you’re a failure. The race goes on. If you’re not married by 27, you’re a failure. If you don’t have a car, you’re a failure. If you don’t have a house by 35, you’re a failure. So in conclusion, if you make money, you’re intelligent and successful, if not, you’re a failure.
TYPES OF INTELLIGENCES
According to Merriam-Webster, intelligence is the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations.
Now let’s talk about what intelligence actually is. In 1983 an American developmental psychologist Howard Gardener described 9 types of intelligence:
1. Naturalist
Naturalists can differentiate among different plants and/or animals as well as being sensitive to various features of nature such as clouds, rock compositions, waves, etc. This trait was crucial to our evolutionary past as hunter-gatherers. In the modern-day, it’s critical in roles such as botanist or chef. It is also obvious that commercial companies exploit the naturalist intelligence, which can be propagated in things like cars, sneakers, kinds of makeup, etc.
Examples: Gordon Ramsey, Marco Pierre White, Guy Fiery
2. Musical
Musical intelligence is the capability to identify pitch, rhythm, timbre, and tone. This intelligence enables us to recognize, produce, recreate, and reflect on music, as demonstrated by composers, conductors, musicians, vocalists, and sensitive listeners. If you have this kind of intelligence, you might find yourself often singing or humming to yourself. They are quite aware of sounds that are occasionally missed.
Examples: Mozart, Beethoven, Hans Zimmer
3. Logical-Mathematical
Logical-mathematical intelligence is the power to calculate, quantify, consider propositions and hypotheses, and carry out articulate mathematical operations. It enables us to perceive relationships and connections and to use abstract, symbolism; sequential reasoning skills; and inductive/deductive thinking patterns. Logical intelligence is well developed in mathematicians, scientists, and also detectives. People with lots of logical intelligence are interested in patterns, puzzles, and classification. These kinds of people love mathematics, strategy games, and experiments.
Examples: Alan Turing, Srinivasa Ramanujan, Isaac Newton
4. Existential
Sensitivity and capacity to tackle deep questions about human existence, such as the meaning of life, why we die, and how did we get here. This type of intelligence and Intra-personal intelligence mostly goes hand in hand.
Examples: Dalai Lama, Avicenna, Dante
5. Interpersonal
Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to interact effectively with others. It involves effective verbal and nonverbal communication, the ability to note uniqueness in people, awareness of moods and temperaments of others, and the ability to entertain multiple point-of-views. Teachers, social workers, actors, and politicians all exhibit interpersonal intelligence. People with this kind of intelligence are leaders, are good at communicating, and seem to understand others’ feelings and motives.
Examples: Leonardo DiCaprio, Justin Trudeau, Nelson Mandela
6. Bodily-Kinesthetic
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is the ability to manipulate certain objects according to your body and use a variety of physical skills. This intelligence also involves a sense of timing and the perfection of skills through the mind-body union. Athletes, dancers, surgeons, and craftspeople exhibit well-developed bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.
Examples: Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt
7. Linguistic
Linguistic intelligence is the ability to think in words and to use language to express and appreciate complex meanings in simpler terms. Linguistic intelligence allows us to understand the order and meaning of words and to apply meta-linguistic skills to reflect on languages at a deeper level. Linguistic intelligence is the most widely shared human competence and is evident in poets, novelists, journalists, and effective public speakers. People with this kind of intelligence love writing, reading, and telling stories.
Examples: J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Rupi Kaur
8. Intra-personal
Intra-personal intelligence is the capacity to understand the self and one’s thoughts and feelings and to use such knowledge in planning one’s life. Intra-personal intelligence involves not only an appreciation of the self but also an acceptance of the human condition. It is evident in psychologists, spiritual leaders, and philosophers. These types of people may be shy. They are very aware of their feelings and are self-motivated.
Examples: Friedrich Nietzsche, Confucius, Aristotle
9. Spatial
Spatial intelligence is the ability to think in multiple dimensions. Core strengths include mental imagery, spatial reasoning, image manipulation, graphic and artistic skills, and powerful imagination. Pilots, sculptors, painters, and architects all exhibit spatial intelligence. People with this kind of intelligence may be fascinated with mazes or jigsaws, or spend free time drawing or daydreaming.
Examples: Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, Michelangelo
INTELLIGENCE ALONE DOESN’T GUARANTEE SUCCESS
Even though there are lots of pros of naturally possessing a big amount of a certain type of intelligence, it does not automatically mean that you’ll succeed at whatever you do, even if it’s something that you’re passionate about. Unfortunately, you may not always find the right mentors, you might not be on the right path or you may simply be not giving it enough effort. In the practical world, intelligence will be highlighted when you put in your hard work; with intelligence alone, you might pass up certain levels of proficiency but at some point, the mental workload catches up to you and you’ll need to put in more hours in it. So in the end, you should know that if you’re intelligent, you’re blessed but don’t waste that potential by missing the opportunities that you get.
INTELLIGENCE-INDEPENDENT SKILLS
Intelligent people will have an upper hand but it doesn’t mean you can’t do it. You must understand that if you put in enough time and effort, you can learn anything. Sometimes people give up too early but if you’re passionate about it, you’ll do it no doubt. And also, keep in mind that our brain isn’t a static organ, it’s dynamic. It changes when we learn new things over time. So maybe your brain might be more rigid than another person but that doesn’t mean you should stop. Below is a list of many things that you can learn if you put in enough consistency, the best thing is that you don’t even need a degree for this.
For example, if you start learning Photography, you will start improving your Spatial Intelligence and then the sky is the limit. As for Languages, that will increase your Linguistic Intelligence. Real Estate Investing will use the Logical-Mathematical part of your brain and thus you’ll get a boost in that department. The bottom line is that intelligence isn’t talent and it can be cultivated whereas talent is inborn. If you try hard enough, you’ll do whatever you want.
1. Photography
2. Videography
3. Languages
4. Fashion Design
5. Architecture
6. Interior Design
7. Machine Maintenance
8. Creative Writing
9. Real Estate Investing
10. Graphic Design
FIND YOURSELF!
It’s obvious that some people will have a greater quantity of a certain type of intelligence as compared to others but what if they have more than one? And what if they go through their entire life trying to be a doctor but deep down, they were meant to be an amazing architect, sadly, they’ll never know; or worse, they’ll find out when they’re older and regret till the end of their days. Stop caring for what people think for a second and think about yourself. Making the wrong choice will result in a life of what-ifs and maybes.
What’s the lesson here? Keep exploring. Try out new things. I won’t put a label on any age level but the sooner you realize who you truly are, the better. There’s nothing wrong with switching careers or starting a side-hustle later on either. If you’ve never been close to music, try it out sometime. Maybe if you’re afraid of numbers try tackling it from another angle. Meet older people from different professions, chat with friends from different departments if you’re in the university; be diverse and then you’ll realize if you’re on the right path or a completely wrong one and rectify while the time is right.
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Bibliography
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intelligence
Howard Gardner’s official website contains links to scientific papers.
Armstrong, Thomas. Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, 3rd ed. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2009.
