94 - On Intelligence

Intelligence has less to do with inherent abilities as it does work.

If I have learned anything in my education, it is that being smart is not necessarily a gift from heaven. Don't get me wrong, I know that some people are blessed with the ability to learn easier than other people. Some people are definitely prone to genius ideas. But do you ever wonder why it seems like those people are always busy? Why those people put all of their efforts into their chosen field?

I have.

Those people work. Hard.

I have been fortunate enough to be placed in an environment that encourages education and work. I have also been blessed with a natural ability to learn, and a love for it. But it makes me so mad when people tell me how easy it must be to be "smart".

"Oh, Kolbie, it's easier for you to go to class because you're smart."
"Oh, Kolbie, it's easier for you to write your essays on time because you're smart."
"Oh, Kolbie, it's easier for you to take that many credits because you're smart."

Let me just clear something up.

I'm not mad because I want my work to be recognized. I'm mad because those people use the word "smart" as an excuse to be lazy. I'm even more mad at our education system, because I firmly believe that there are many, MANY, more people in the world that have the potential for genius. They have the potential, but because of the standards placed before them, they will never know it. They are raised to believe that being simply average is something to strive for.

I'm not saying that being average is a bad thing, but too many kids are raised thinking that all they will ever be is average. They grow up with people telling them that they can't be smart, or athletic, or talented. Maybe they have negligent parents, or maybe they have negligent teachers. Either way, more and more children are dropping out of high school. More and more children are succumbing to depression. More and more children are thinking that they're not good enough to be successful, so they stop caring.

Everyone is good enough to be successful. Everyone deserves the chance to be above-average.

Intelligence has less to do with inherent abilities as it does work. If you want to be above-average, you need to work. The only way to overcome the Nelson-Mandela-named fear of being great is to be great, and to realize that being great is working hard. The best part is that once you've had a solid foundation in working hard, you can actually work hard doing at something you love.

And you want to know something funny? It actually makes you happy.

To all those people who think my life is easy because I'm smart, I'm here to tell you that my life is far from easy. Everyone is given obstacles in their life. Instead of choosing the easiest ways to go, though, I choose to work hard and be triumphant.

Don't mistake my being happy for my life being easy.

Intelligence has less to do with inherent ability as it does work. Yes, I've said it three times. But I just you want you to remember that the most, and perhaps you'll tell someone you know who really needs to hear it.

-ka

89 - The Beauty of a Second

When I went to a movie the other day, during the Megaplex pre-show (which is normally kind of dumb), there was an ad for something actually really cool.

Recently, the 100th birthday of the chronograph came and went, and in celebration of that, there was a contest. You see, we may not think that it's a big deal to be able to tell time down to the tenth of a second or even less. But to the people living 1912, it was a huge deal - a breakthrough in science that would change the world forever.

To commemorate this huge achievement, there was a film contest. Applicants were to capture beauty in one second, and all of the seconds were put on a website. Then, people could take the individual seconds and create playlists out of them. There were two winners: the winner for the best second and the winner for the best playlist. Unfortunately, I couldn't upload the best playlist on here. But I could upload this playlist, and I still think it's pretty cool. Watch it - it's only a minute long.



If you want to explore the website a bit and maybe find some more playlists, go to montblanconesecond.com.

Like most artsy things do, this got me to thinking about beauty in my own life - and how long a second can actually be.

In one second, a person can be born. Or, a person can die. In one second, you can hear the beginnings of a song that brings back a rush of memories long forgotten. In one second, your life can be changed.

It's important to see the beauty in everything, because it all could go away in one second.

This world really is marvelous; it is a wonder to behold. Sometimes beautiful things aren't happy, and sometimes they are. The important thing to remember about beauty is that it isn't perfect. It just is.

Things at which I marvel and wonder:
my nephew's laugh
a cloudless, starry sky
a snowy night
softly spoken words
the magic of literature
a kiss
intricate melodies
the love between people
the waves of the ocean
the beginning of a new day
a warm hand to hold
the passion one person, namely me, can feel

I think at passion is what I marvel the most. I can get so swept up in my feelings that I can't control myself. I'm taken into a whirlwind of inspiration and excitement; it's overwhelming at times. If I've learned anything about having passions for ideas, it's that oftentimes passion and love go hand in hand.  If I could record anything, it would be the look on someone's face when they think of something, or someone, they love.

I've seen it before, by accident, and I can't think of anything more beautiful than that.

-ka