Intelligent Observations of Intelligence.

I like to think of myself as an intelligent person.  Not exceptionally intelligent, for I think to call myself such would be to step into the realm of haughtiness and pride, and that is a realm completely void of any intelligence whatsoever.  Neither would I venture to say genius, for I consider geniuses to be the least likely to call themselves such.  If one is a true genius, would one not be intelligent enough to realize what true genius is, and therefore be far from the notion of their own status falling into such a category?

Nay, I am perfectly content to think of myself as intelligent.  For this infers that--according to the general population--I am level-headed, I am not stupid, and I observe and/or think before I act or speak.  The dictionary defines intelligent as, "someone or something that is bright, informed or shows sound judgment".  I like to think that most of these are qualities which I, as a human being, possess.

Not just myself, mind you.  I like to assume that the greater majority of human beings I interact with on a day to day basis are, more or less, intelligent.  And so for the reader who is assuming that I have set out to write an article which sets my intellect far above that of my peers or fellow man, please know that those are not at all my intentions.

On the contrary, I believe it to be a quality of an intelligent person to rarely--if ever--set out on such a mission, and certainly never intend to do so myself.  As an intelligent person, I like to think of myself as one of many, and abhor the thought of living a life where I constantly look down upon the majority of the people I interact with.

And so I reiterate, dear reader: I do not consider myself to be exceptionally intelligent, genius, or anything of the like.  Simply your average, every day, intelligent being.

So the reader will then understand why I find myself quite conflicted when I hear many of my, "intelligent" friends asking questions like, "Obama or Romney?" when it is a public fact that between the two of them, the candidates have spent an average of six billion dollars on nothing more than their election campaigns.