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perspective

Boringly Smart

Being smart and being boring are not the same thing. In fact, quite the opposite. What does amaze me is just how strong the lie/myth/legend/stereotype is. And what worries me is how this myth roots itself into the minds of our youth because the consequences are huge. Add to that, the greater public fostering (even encouraging) this image and you end up with a society continuously making not-so-smart life choices.

Being smart means you engage your own thinking in a sustainable way. Not just your own thinking to satisfy the whims and needs of now- but also to satisfy the more basic needs later on. There’s a measure of self-control there (which is a product of both personality, character and perhaps even environment), but if your thinking is on cue, you’ve won half the battle.

Making a not-so-smart choice means you lose a lot of energy down the line engaging with peripheral damage as a result of that choice. It’s those side-skirmishes which drain your soul and stop you from being and accomplishing all your hopes and dreams. They bleed your time, energy and money. The potential of you making another not-so-smart-choice grows since your senses are wounded and pretty soon, you end up in a lifetime spiral of chaos and “stuff” with “no time or money” and a suitcase of regrets.

Let’s look at the smart, “boring” people. We’ve all heard the phrase “be nice to geeks, one day he/she will be your boss”. Those geeks, the smart people, who’ve made smart choices (which, by the way means you need to sacrifice popularity, image, status-quo, maybe even a hot boy/girl friend along the way) live pretty under-the-radar boring lives. They travel to exotic locations, always starting charity drives, good health plans, lead a fulfilled lifestyle, are always busy yet never “mad-busy”, live in a decent neck of the woods, drive a Volvo :p and never seem to be clouded in drama. I think that’s where the boring part fits in?

Yes, there are exceptions to everything and this is not applicable to every smart (or even not-so-smart decision maker) out there- and don’t confuse smart and rich and poor or not-so-smart. If you are, it’s probably because of the feedback, experience and associations you have (which in a cruel and sad way echo exactly what I stated in the beginning). It’s just, if you’re thinking to yourself that smart is a tad boring (or otherwise but similarly described), think twice, think it through.

The thing about a choice is this: you don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

Caveat: That could also imply that what looks like a smart decision today, is not so smart down the line, but if you’re thinking smart you’ll accommodate that change in plan when and if it does happen.