Are you what the world deems intelligent? If you are, congratulations. If not, I am so proud of you for admitting you don't have a flaw so many people claim to have.

No. I am serious. I think intelligence has become a flaw in this society. It has become something we all value so much of, and compete to gain it when available. We all want to of genius standard, as in an IQ of 140 or more, but what does that prove? Sure you may be able to valued by societal standards, but with intelligence comes a great responsibility, a responsibility that so many people fail to gain; the acknowledgement that intelligence does not make you better than anyone else, and you should never talk down to someone because of it.

Charlie Chaplin's Great Dictator speech says it perfectly when he says " Our cleverness has made us cynical, our knowledge hard and unkind." I believe so many people forget to become kind when it comes to intelligence. Many claim to know a lot, only to turn their backs on those who may not understand the world as sharply as they. But there is a fine line between intelligence and wisdom. While you can know so much from books, and facts about how the world works, and we cannot be kind to others, then our power is lost.

Intelligence is subjective anyways, and according to Howard Gardner, there are 8 different types of intelligence, and if this is true, then we have a lot to learn about what each person can teach us about their intelligence. If it is one thing I believe in, it is kindness and acceptance of one another. Something that seems to all be forgotten when we try to compare what we know to others.

While no individual is at fault for this mindset, indeed, it is this mindset that has made the western culture so strong, there are things that could be changed. In our school system, we are all compared to our abilities to take tests and are all put in the same standard deviations, when in reality, to compare one mind to another is about as easy as comparing an apple to an orange.

What this world so desperately needs is not more highly intellectual individuals, but rather people who are kind and compassionate, people who dare to love all those around them, and those who dare to believe in human kindness, no matter how sticky it becomes.

I challenge everyone to read this to become a bit kinder, a bit more compassionate, and a bit more understanding to those around them, no matter their capabilities, as everyone has something to offer and we can all gain from that offer. This is the way to heal some of the hurt in this world, and while your intelligence can be so valued, nothing is as valued as a human's heart filled with compassion.