I’m just too mellow nowadays. For me: work, soccer, music, and crappy business trips sum it all up … so many flaming emails asking why I don’t write as frequently as before! In fact, I am writing a long story … but you need to bear with me for another week or so. Here are some random notes inspired by observing people … they have been swirling around my head for a while.

Intelligence:
If you ask ten people what intelligence actually is, you will get twelve different answers. The most common answers map to one being: smart, brainy, strategic, sharp, clever, gifted, or having the ability to read the consequent moves. Maybe right, maybe wrong, I don’t know: for me intelligence is hardly any of the above. I don’t believe anyone is born with the gift of intelligence. It is not something that was given to you by the mother nature. Sure enough, you could be clever, witty, sharp, and quick with words and all that – but those traits don’t make you intelligent. In my view, intelligence entails a deep element of learning, as well as, the ability to apply learned knowledge in different circumstances. Intelligence is a multi faceted attribute that injects itself in the way of thinking, communicating, and strategizing. It’s indeed challenging to point out who is intelligent, but sadly, it’s easy to identify who is not. Anyone who continuously talks and rarely listens is barely intelligent.

Ego:
Ego is about an overblown sense of superiority that hides one’s desperate need for validation by others. Ego and insecurity are two sides of the same coin. Human beings are competitive in nature. In that context, notions of self-esteem and self-worth become significant for some. Self-esteem is an inbound perception which is a function of many variables such as environment, culture, and upbringing. Self-worth is an outbound belief when one needs to know oneself well-enough to place value on his/her own uniqueness. Egoistic individuals who have a puffed up sense of self and try to portray it thru ostentatious notions, know very little about themselves. Poor them!

Curiosity:
Everything-handed-on-a-silver-platter type of people have the least amount of curiosity! By definition, curiosity is a voluntary thirst and desire for exploring knowledge. Curiosity subsists proactive measures that are set off by enthusiasm and motivation. If everything is provided for you, generally speaking – you’ll have the least amount of desire to go out and explore ways to obtain them yourself. Curiosity is a very attractive characteristic that is hardly seen in people with high sense of entitlement.