It is Safer to be Dumb as a Rock than Smarter than One

Another "Big Think" digital article on Facebook caught my eye yesterday morning. I am slowly becoming a fan, an addict, and gasp; even a follower of the "Big Think" world.

I blame all the bad news out there bombarding me from every direction 24/7 for my new found interest in shit I haven't considered in such quantities since back in military school. Rather than take the bait of a media determined to make me feel bad, feel fear, or feel angry, I am looking for internet pleasures elsewhere that don't prefix with the warning, "X-rated".

Yesterday's "Big Think" article was about really intelligent people suffering a higher incidence of mental and emotional problems in a world overrun by average intellects. It points up the rocky road many of the genius level minds have navigating and dealing with the madness of mediocrity that rules our planet. 

With high intelligence comes great risk. Though the article does not say it, I conveniently inferred, assumed, jumped to the conclusion that:

"It is Safer to be Dumb as a Rock than Smarter than One" 

What I like about "Big Think" articles are their "everyman" treatments of ideas and concepts much more complicated than many of us can understand.  The articles hit the high notes of topics a schlub like me might be able to get my mind around. And though I may not understand all of them completely, they do offer me a shot at looking inside of someone else's box for a moment or two. The articles often humble me and point out that for all I think I know, there is so much out there to know, I will run out of time to learn even a small infinitesimal amount of it. 

Instead of making me feel small and insignificant, all the knowledge that I cannot know makes me all warm and fuzzy. No matter what I think, where I go, or what door I might open, there will always be something new for me to find, experience, or deal with as long as I am looking for it. The New does not always slap us in the face. We often have to seek it out.

So being one of the "average intelligent", I appreciate what "Big Think" is doing. They are on a quest to renew interest in subjects many of us hated in school. They are trying to bring ideas and notions back into our lives many of us have not considered since childhood. For me, "Big Think" is bringing some wonder back into my life.  Check them out. Good stuff.

Keep it 'tween the ditches ...............................

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Music today is provided by IZ, a Hawaiian artist who died before his time. It's a medley of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" and "Wonderful World" . No matter how often I hear this tune, the hairs on my neck rush to stand at attention. 

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** The image at the top, "The Scream" is a rare black and white print found at the British Museum. The article is three years old but interesting nonetheless.