Proof of Brain: Encouragement to Think for Yourself vs. Thought Shaming

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In my 60-odd years on this planet, I've periodically been asked why I haven't chosen to be a teacher and to teach workshops… typically in the area of self-development, psychology and spirituality.

Not the Right Person...

My reply has typically been — and continues to be — that my teaching and lifestyle doesn't really lend itself well to effective teaching. Specifically, I'm not good at pounding any idea into somebody's head — nor do I have a passion for doing so — I prefer to just ”do what I do” and do it right, in the hope that those who feel inspired will subsequently feel inclined to follow my example.

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In the context of “Thinking for Yourself” I feel pretty much the same way.

In an ideal world, it would be sufficient to simply encourage people to think for themselves by demonstrating and showing the positive outcomes of doing so and that would be enough.

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For the most part, however, I tend to have steered clear have a lot of ostensible ”thinkers” because it felt to me like so many of them invariably were deeply entrenched in a sort of ”thought snobbery” that subtly — or not so subtly — seemed to involve shaming those of a lesser capacity to grasp an assortment of concepts.

Shaming Doesn't Help!

Shaming is seldom a very effective teaching tool! You might teach someone how to become avoidant but that’s not exactly the same as teaching someone how to better themselves.

I remember a friend who was all excited about introducing me to his Mensa group, back when I was living In Texas. So after considerable persuasion, I finally went along to this event — it was sometime in the mid-1990s — and ended up coming away rather disappointed in the whole thing. For my liking, it felt like there were just too many people standing around expressing various degrees of ”smugness” over their ”cleverness” and problem solving skills, while others were busy getting little ”intellectual hard-ons” by sharing how many chess strategies they had memorized.

I'm open to the possibility that this may have been an anomaly, but I'm not so sure. I'm more inclined to remember the words of a former college professor of mine: "An asshole with a big brain is still an asshole."

Yeah, But Can You FUNCTION?

To be honest, I've known a lot of really brilliant people who could create the code to fly the space shuttle, build a particle accelerator and come up with cold fusion in their basements… but wouldn't know how to cook a three course dinner, change an oil filter in their car, or grow an organic vegetable garden. And yes, I do realize there are different kinds of intelligence.

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I suppose I just have issues with what I think of as ”Intellectual Exclusiveness.” it doesn't strike me that it makes the world a better place to create divisiveness between ”smart people” and ”not-so-smart people.” And yet, I have seen it so many times, from when I was in college to when I was working in the IT industry.

And no, I'm not being an apologist for idiocracy I'm just pointing out that most ”us versus them” scenarios tend to find a way to play out negatively rather than positively.

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I'll end this little anecdote (or has it become a rant?) with a quick story from when I spent a few of my teen years at boarding school in the UK.

Slow Children at Play

One of the somewhat unique things they did at my school what's that they “streamed” people according to their scores when a particular entrance exam combined with their ongoing grades. The result was three primary streams — A1 to A5, B1 to B12, and C1 to C5 — with the C5’s basically representing the ”basement” in a manner of speaking.

The C5's were is the domain of one Professor d’Eath (yes, really his name; yes, many people called him “death”). A group of ”lost causes” you might think? Not so much! Dr. d’Eath consistently turned out graduating classes of students who became excellent repair people, started landscaping firms, became journeymen plumbers and electricians and so on and so forth, with the all skills needed to do just that.

The ”secret sauce” was that he excelled at teaching people to most effectively use their particular intellectual capacity to its highest possible purpose. So he would take these kids — his ”brilliant idiots” — and inspire them, and help them excel at what they ”could” do, rather than belabor and belittle them for what they could not hope to do.

And keep in mind that this was not just some intellectual exercise, this is a real world functioning example.

And it is in this example that's some of my own issues with intellectual snobbery and thought shaming has its roots. It’s peachy keeno that you’re smart as all that and a bag of chips, but what are you doing with that big brain? Are you helping the world, or are you just tearing down, without offering a better alternative?

Thanks for reading, and have a great remainder of your week!

What do YOU think? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

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Created at 20210622 23:52 PDT

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First of all, thanks for writing this awesome post.

The second, I like to read what older, smart generations think about this world.

Maybe that's why I feel we are friends with @bobaphet even if we never met. Soul friends I may say. ☺

The third and that's my favorite number, I don't know even why. Teaching is great. The best thing I like about it, is to learn from teaching. That's the best way of learning !

Fourth, thinking for ourselves gave us an opportunity to find the real truth about things and not to just listen to one part or another.

Fifth, shaming for thinking is the worst way of discrimination. We have to understand others and why they think like that and show them the right way in our opinion. If they want to do that, it's ok. If not, let them keep thinking like that. It's their life, and they can do with it what ever they want. We shouldn't waste time and just move to spreading our ideas to others.

And finally. I think that we are all children. Older ones, I would say. Maybe those things that weren't allowed by our parents, society and governments, push us to not allow others to be themselves. It's kind of doing to others the things we can't do to parents, society and governments. Like finding the weakest to show them how to live.

I'm 36 by the way. I don't know if my ideas are older or I just have that much experience in life and with people. ☺

Thanks a lot for the inspiration.

Keep sharing your experience, please. ☺

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Appreciate the thoughtful comment @clixmoney, and shanks for sharing your perspective and experience.

Teaching definitely is a good way to learn, as well... the interaction between student and teacher is a great opportunity for learning in both directions.


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Mensa is pretty well known for being a club for people with a superiority complex, so that probably wasn't a one-off incident.

I read somewhere that people with really high IQs need just as much support as people with really low IQs because the world is generally built for the middle, and I feel that. It's the functional question - as you say in your example, you might be able to do this genius thing but not take care of yourself. How many great artists of all kinds were like that throughout history? Composing great works but drinking themselves to death or committing suicide or needing others to care for them.

And IQ as a measure of intelligence is super flawed anyway - it's pretty well rigged to show people who have had certain upbringings as "smart" and everyone else as "not." It's not as much a measure of raw intelligence and problem solving as everyone thinks it is. And even if it worked as touted, it doesn't account for holistic intelligence like, the farmer who can't do algebra but he knows really well what the weather patterns mean and the texture of the soil and what that thing happening with his crops is about and what the animals are doing and so on. It doesn't account for emotional intelligence, either.

Basically, everyone has strengths and weaknesses, imo, and it's folly to try and say one is better than the other.

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Given what we know know about multiple intelligences and different learning styles, it is definitely folly to use IQ as a measurement of anything much more than the capacity to solve mostly abstract puzzles. But you typically can't bake a loaf of bread with that, or fix your bicycle tire.

I typically like to use a metric along the lines of "are you thinking and growing?" to determine where someone is in their life path and direction... if you are not open to learning and growing, then it can become a bit of problem, and I sense a lot of the world's ills being a result of what I might describe as "willful ignorance;" the process of people actually taking pride in their lack of wisdom. Which is — IMHO — part of what I think of as "thought shaming."


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This posts resonates with me a lot because i have been in situations where i was the least smartest person in the room and it felt intimidating. Even within circles here on the hive blockchain, there are people who are haughty and condescending and i avoid such crowds (even though i can behave in a similar fashion sometimes).

Creating the right atmosphere for learning and conversation is important to our individual and collective growth. Most times we silence people and miss out of the opportunity to bring about real change.


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For me, the best kind of teaching — and learning — tends to be a dialogue in which both (or more) parties come away with better overall wisdom and information than they had before. Both the teacher and the student(s) are wiser.

Being arrogant about "what you know" and biased against those who don't know is pretty much a closing of the door that leads to strife and unrest... I try to avoid that!


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Beautiful photos as always. Truth is you can give advice, and the person can take it or leave it...

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Hi Chelsea, nice to "see you," and thanks for the kind words!

I have reached a point of not giving much "advice" at all... I just share possible scenarios and their likely outcomes, and then let people figure it out on their own... or not.


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Every manmade disaster begins when one man thinks for another. However benevolent they begin, the ultimate outcome is tyranny... Each person is chargeable with the essential task to make his or her thought processes as refined as possible. Every person must declare what important distinctions will allow him or her to live a vivid and reflection filled life.


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Every manmade disaster begins when one man thinks for another.

Yes, very much so. I truly distaste it. When you think for another it's because you think low of your fellow men.

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It can definitely become a problem, especially when you come across a person who feels they just have to impose their way of seeing the world and doing things on everyone around them. In a sense, it works a bit like "stealing" another's authentic experience.


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It’s peachy keeno that you’re smart as all that and a bag of chips, but what are you doing with that big brain? Are you helping the world, or are you just tearing down, without offering a better alternative?

There we have something to think, thanks for sharing this post. I learned a lot.


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An asshole with a big brain is still an asshole I love this quote... Shaming doesn't help I remember my secondary school days, there is this particular subject biology which I find difficult to understand , even though I have a friend that knew it but I was just too shy to tell him and the pride in me... Not until I failed the test we were given in class 😥... After the test I made up my mind.. to meet my friend to help me in the subject, he thought me and I study hard too... After we did the exam I scored the highest mark in biology .. I was really surprise .. how come how did I do it.. had e mean I was shy to ask him to teach me ... I would have repeat the class....shameful dosen't help... Let's I forget .. I hope you watch the match today @denmarkguy you guys really played well lol


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Particularly when we are young we tend to be afraid to share with anyone that we "don't know" something, but there is no shame in not knowing as long as you are willing to teach yourself and go forward.

Yes, it is one of my favorite sayings, and it has stuck in my memory ever since.


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