I wonder how much I actually have my own thoughts. I know I have put knowledge into my brain, and then I utilize that knowledge on occasion. I think about the way I manifest thoughts. Where did I get them? I know most of them must not be original. Even the illustration above is just a graffiti over an already established photo. That's where I think real intelligence comes into play. I'm not patting myself on the back for a funny image; this is how we can weigh intelligence. I don't think it's just on how somebody can answer questions on a test. This may also be sour grapes, because I was a dreadful student.
My good friend once said, "Intelligence nowadays is how you can regurgitate a podcast." He means to say that intelligence is not about memorization. Intelligence is how we utilize the information. This same friend is a mason, and the skills alone he has acquired are not the sole limit to his intelligence. He has had to figure out how to grow his business, make connections and balance his other passions. I believe the life journey is an endeavor we can't take a class for. We need to call upon a wealth of accumulated information in order to achieve. Sure people can help guide us, but nobody can tell us what the best decision is. There's no way to know. We could use graphs, computer models and think tanks to plan our lives. That still wouldn't be able to account for all of the subjectivity and causal variables. It seems like so many people are trying to jump into the guru business online now. Hell, I even do it too. You're reading my damn blog where I discuss all sorts of things, and it always veers into, "I KNOW BEST."
This trend of all of us being makeshift gurus seems like a very recent phenomenon. There's money in it! That's probably why. I could hock a product or sell a book (BTW buy my book you cheapskates. There's a shop tab on my blog.) There was a trend we've grown up with though. It's called criticism. Critics have shaped the course of art throughout the ages. These folks don't seem to have any real talents. Otherwise they may have been creating rather than spewing their own nonsense. I know some of it has been worthwhile. Robert Hughes and Roger Ebert were both entertaining and important. I'm not an elitist though... well, not completely anyway. I do care about my friends opinions. I care about the common man's views. I care about how someone interprets my own art. Sometimes though, I just don't want to hear.
I want to interrupt the thing for myself. That's utilizing my own intelligence. I want to use my brainpower to break down the recent film or art piece. I don't want to be told what I need to do and when to do it. I'm sure you don't either. This is now heading towards a Libertarian tirade against the all powerful state. I'm not revising this blog entry so I need to get this back on the rails and fast; GOOGLE watches everything you do... they know you read Tasty Danish. They know you're a supporter of free speech and against the MAN! Okay, going back to this notion of creativity, we need to be creative. We need to be left alone with the thoughts (original or not) in our heads to exercise intelligence. Yes, sometimes that means reading other people's opinions. I do that often. I also reject things like the food pyramid, the education system, socialism and multiple genders. Yes, folks you heard it here first; I'm a free born man in the U.S.A. I believe in freedom. I believe in the utmost of freedom especially in my own skull to explore ideas no matter where it leads me. So, this is the part where I tell you what to do, because I'm a makeshift guru. Exercise your mind. Think for yourself, and have your own opinions. Don't let the state tell you what to think especially when it goes against what Madison, Hamilton and John Jay wanted... I hope you had as much fun reading my unstructured rant about creativity as I had writing it... go get some pushups in, do mediation, be the best version of yourself, and support me, because I'm a guru!