First to mention: I do not like people to assume that I am smart because I go to school! I still think of myself as a student, not yet a scholar! I'm smart in some ways, amongst others, but academic wise- ahhhhh, not so much! The reason I don't like it when people do this is because they have already put me on a pedestal where I don't belong with only high expectations of what is to come of me. This gives me way too much pressure. I know I may disappoint folks if I do not live up to their intellectual expectations they had for me when they initially met me. I love it when people do not know me as of my background as a student, so when I inquire about knowledge I want to know, there are no presumptions that I should know it already. I am given a clean slate to have an open mind, receive all ideas, and learn diligently. This is my hopes for being an aspiring scholar!
Second: With social media being more of a performance stage for people, I notice that a lot of people (including myself) broadcast what they are doing in their everyday lives. I like to post what I eat, what my daily ventures consist of, or who I miss (usually family or friends). There is that bunch who posts up pictures of their computer (usually with a document up), their notebook, and/or a coffee to display that they are studious and intelligent. I'm not gonna lie, this was me! But I noticed that those who posted these pictures were actually not very studious- that all of this was for show. The smartest people I know never post up pictures of their studies, even though this is what they ate and breathed everyday. Excuse me as this may seem confusing, but as I noticed more about social network media and my associations with people, I noticed that those who were most successful as scholars and intellects, were extremely humble! Humility is so great in displaying wisdom! That showcasing your innovative ideas only speaks through your work, not your instagram or facebook posts. I've witnessed these people walk across graduation stages with honor roll sashes and implement programs that benefits minority communities! This was the way intellect was showcased- through examples. Ever since I noticed this, I stopped posting pictures/statuses about me studying and instead starting showing the fruit of my studies- which I don't really have much of! LOL! But this is a work in progress. I have kept this bottled in so long that writing it out makes so much sense to me :)
Third: Kind of relating to the first mention, just because one attends school does not mean they are smart. Just as one who does not attend school is stupid or incapable of being smart. I cannot stand this assumption or social stigma we have to people who do not attend school. Although my whole family has gone through the process of higher education, I would be the first to declare they are not so bright! (Please don't repeat that to my siblings! :P ahaha) But I want to reiterate this point by providing some examples. The idea of academia is a Western ideal! The power of our Pacific Islander ancestors have been passed down through generations by the practice of oral traditions! Our ancestors did not attend an institution that declared whether they were capable of carrying on these cultural practices and what was needed to live a fulfilling life. People who have created the most monumental structures of history did not go to school or attend a university. The janitor who cleans up bathrooms within a community college is by no means less capable than the students who go there. They work because they know that is the ends they will need to have means of providing. I know people who have dropped out of high school, but have raised a big family of 7 children and have a home to accommodate them.
What does it mean to be smart? Does it mean to go to school? Does it mean you have the capacity of common sense? I don't think it's any. Smart is more of an expectation more than a characteristic. I don't know if that makes sense. We have people who are extremely musically talented, but cannot write a 5 page paper to save their life. There are others who have such innovative ideas, but cannot navigate a blueprint. There are more who can build a home, but are illiterate and cannot read. Are these people really incapable of being "smart"? Or specialize in one area of life more than another. My most famous and recent example is when people cannot speak your native language fluently and they are in your land, they are already given the stupid card. They are treated as social handicaps because they cannot speak the native language. A funny example happened to me in Switzerland. The store clerks automatically thought I was slow because I couldn't communicate that I needed a shopping bag. I was speaking English to a French man and with no common grounds, he left frustrated that I did not understand what he was saying. He even lifted his hand and waved me away! How dare he!? HAHA..all laughs though!
This passage may seem like a bunch of rubbish. Maybe it is! Maybe it's not! ;)
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