Gee. Even I am oblivious,
by John Jasper Alday
Imagine sitting in one of your classes, listening attentively, verbatim, to what one of your classmates is saying, and feeling utterly perplexed? You might conclude that he is naturally smart; however, the truth is, there is no such thing. You might wonder, how so?
Intelligence is not a quality that is exclusive to a certain population. Anyone is capable of accurately explicating the legislative process, of perusing what seems to be the extraterrestrial language Shakespeare invented, of doing complex calculus problem sets without despising Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz for inventing them, or of determining the precise location of an object in free fall following x amount of time.
The first step to become an intelligent human being is to come to a realization that you are capable. Why? Simply because, if you are lacking self-confidence, becoming intelligent may seem unattainable. Believe that you are capable of knowing – and you will certainly succeed – whatever your desires may be.
Self-confidence is not only the key to becoming intelligent. Along with it, you also have to be determined. You have to be thirsty for knowledge. The good thing is, satiating this thirst does not require cost whatsoever unlike your morning coffee. Knowledge is free, it is accessible in every comprehensible way. It can be acquired by simply opting for an intellectually stimulating conversation with the person you sit with on your bus ride to school in lieu of being on your phone the entire trip, or checking out books from the library that piques your interest. Quench your thirst.
Now that you have gained self-confidence and determination, you must also gain what is the most important: motivation. You can be the most confident and most determined person alive and accomplish none of your goals if you do not exert effort to learn. To become intelligent, you need to be inclined to produce actions in order to procure knowledge. What is your motivation behind desiring to be smart? Whatever it is, use it as a reason to motivate yourself and refrain from stopping until you accomplish what you desire.
To be smart means you are investing in the betterment of yourself. While certainly the process can be strenuous and exhaustive, what you gain from it is, as said by Nelson Mandela, “the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”