Intelligence, and its narrowly defined spectrum

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about intelligence? Einstein, his theory of relativity, maybe a person who won a Nobel prize in literature?
People's views on intelligence are very narrow. When asked who the smartest person who ever lived would be, most people would say Albert Einstein, or something along those lines. Newton, Euclid or whoever. The people I mentioned helped humanity and progressed civilisation in an unprecedented way, yes. But..that's a very narrow sense of identifying intelligence to me. There seems to be the convention of : Intelligence is always related to academia, people who always read books and wear glasses. Sure, that's ONE aspect of intelligence. What about other aspects of it? Like dancing. Or being funny. A musician . Why do most people use the word "intelligent" when books are involved?
The people that are most associated with being smart, scientists and numberphiles are one of the many aspects of the human intellect.

When a girl who was being fidgety at school and couldn't keep still for a moment was sent to the principle's office, he could have sent her to the school psychiatrist and have her labeled "a typical case of ADD" or , having an educated guess, could tell her mother to enroll her to a dance school, because she was born a dancer.
How many geniuses have we never seen at work because of wrong circumstances? That little girl who would have probably be told to "calm down" is now probably on Broadway, making millions of people happy with her natural gift. A physical intelligence, but one nonetheless.
The human definition of genius is so narrow that it's no wonder so few actually qualify for it, even if the word is thrown about so often these days. Like a plant that requires a very specific altitude and climate to fully grow, the human mind is also very susceptible to the era and climate it was born and brought up in.
The most famous people who have been called a genius have been called so because they were geniuses in a very specific way , in a very specific system. It is therefore very hard to meet those criteria when they are so finely tuned .
After all, you have to be IN the system, to be called that by someone. But to me the smartest person alive is probably someone in a remote place in a country like Moldova , who has never felt the urge to fit in any sort of label of intelligence that was very narrowly defined by others.
I think that true genius is undefinable by a title. It takes very specific talents to be a unanimously called genius in a world of very specific needs. True genius does not adhere to rules .
True genius adheres more to the idea of Punk than any other ideology out there.
The idea of being outside of the system.
Yes, Einstein changed the world, and Mozart and all those people did . But they didn't mean to. They just happened to be born in a specific socioeconomic environment and finely tuned by predetermined factors to become who they would eventually become.
The fact that they were so influential was due to them being in a system while also changing it in terms of going further than anyone ever before them did.
To me human intelligence has so many more ways of expressing itself other than academia. Just like the word artist can be used to describe a comedian, intelligence should be broadened and used in a multutude of other fields. It can come in many forms, as many as the human talents available in the palette.


It can come in the form of socially accepted criteria, and be universally identified as such, but it can also flourish without the need to be acknowledged by anyone. A flower in a basement flourishes just like a flower in front of the most widely visited baroque garden in Europe. It doesn't care, it doesn't need to be acknowledged by anyone. But it blooms all the same.

Determinism rambling

I don't believe in the same things  I used to believe in ten years ago. I won't necessarily have the same opinions a year or two from now. These thoughts felt much smoother while I was lying in bed thinking wether or not I should get up and start writing this entry on my laptop.

People's opinions have flaws in them. But it's their current opinion. Seeing the flaws in someone else makes me realize we all have flaws in our perception of the world around us.

But having an opinion is something we have to do wether we like it or not. They say sky's the limit, and technically it is, but the reality of it is quite different.

 For example, there is nothing stoping me right now from downloading the complete works of Descartes and downing them in one go. I won't ever do that though, because I don't want to. There is nothing stopping anyone from giving their heart and soul for the next decade by studying trout fishing or fabric processing automation in the 1800s industrial evolution era Britain. But they won't do that . Most of them won't. 

 

The best way I can prove my point is to paint the following picture with words :

You are a train that's going through life riding pre-determined railroad tracks. You didn't choose your parents, your education, your inclinations , the country and economy you were born in. The era , your genes and sex. You had no say in your appearance or what your favorite food is. All of those things were predetermined for you. This may sound a bit dark but the truth is, knowing that is liberating. 

 

Knowing your own limits , more of what you want in life is quite soothing. Why did I start writing this blog entry? I don't know. I know that I did start writing it though.

All I'm trying to say is that even though you play a small part in a big world, the possibilities of which aren't quite endless, it's not a depressing thought at all. 

 

You work with what you have, and all what you have is your mind . You are the conscious witness of your life. How people think they have free will is astounding. You didn't create the thoughts in your mind, you merely expressed them. But your knowing that you have no say in what creates your thoughts is liberating. You know that the thoughts are going to rise and fall in your mind, well let them do just that. You can watch from a third person view as the ebb and flow of the mind is unfolding.

Knowing the thoughts are pre-determined by factors that are not up to you allows you to choose more wisely from the multiple threads of thought that arise in your mind at any given moment.

In Japanese, there is an expression that means "To notice". (Ki ga tsuku) Translated literally, it means to attach your mind to something. (気が付く)

Multiple thoughts come and go , but which are the ones you want to attach your mind to ? Most people spend their whole lives thinking without realizing that they are thinking. It's not the thoughts themselves that are bad, but thinking without noticing that we are doing so.

Knowing beforehand that the thoughts are going to come anyway makes you better at evaluating and choosing which of them you want to expend your energy to.

Thus , you are more free in realizing that you're not free.

Determinism may be true, but realizing it can be a life-changing experience, transcending what is usually considered to be “free will”.

For Sam Harris.

Hideki Taniuchi

Hideki Taniuchi's music is amazing.
The chords at 2:26 "Kaiji Ost- Wish" and the bass onwards is out of this world. His music is etched onto my brain , wether I like it or not. After the DEATH NOTE ost , that was it. It still is one of my all time favorite soundtracks and musical compositions in general. Favorite Hideki Taniuchi track is "Kodoku (Solitude)" although in 2007 it was "Suiri (Inference)". Returning to my musical taste origins in 2013 I came across his band Shocking Lemon that I had overlooked before. While I think the DEATH NOTE ost is his best work; great moments exist in tracks like "Star Star" and did I mention his basslines?
The crying guitar sounds of "Kodoku" are reminiscent of post rock and the volume reminds me of shoegaze. The way he spaces out sounds is really great. Although he was arrested for a drug issue in '12 (It's ridiculous that people still go to jail in 2013 for substances they use on themselves while hurting no one) ,I hope he is well wherever he is now, and that he keeps making music after a speedy recovery. Best wishes !

Fictional diary entry of 2007

I booked the first flight to Hong Kong, Kowloon was my target city |the second to last weekend of March 2007,

I said to myself; Try to live, to make some memories. In the future, all you're going to have left is memories, videos, pictures, text.

Make the effort, I said to myself. So I did, and I arrived at Kowloon by taking a taxi from the Hong Kong downtown area. The first weeks went by quite smoothly, a little boring at first when I was getting used to the feel of being in a new town. It sort of blended the capitalism of the West and the raw feeling of living in China, with whatever that brings to mind to my slightly more familiarized but utterly Western mind . The food, everything was pretty satisfactory, would you believe they had 7-11 stores in Hong Kong? It is kind of a staple there as well. Beats me, a foreigner that didn't even have that in his own country.

All joking aside though, the diary is not about me getting to know the special Asian flavors or anything detrimental like that. The thing is that I managed to convince Klaudia Rusek to hop on the plane the following week, joining me here at my shabby place. (I keep saying HK)

At first she was shy . We booked nearby rooms and she came to mine , I went to hers etc for about a week. Then as I got to know the area a little better, I used to take long walks after the sun had set, with my camera and take pictures of the deserted metropolis. She stayed at home smoking weed. (dOOKIE)

I love the roads when noone is around. I like seeing places that were once bustling with life, empty. I also love nature, old buildings and the juxtaposition of the two, especially when old vehicles have "returned" to nature . When a place that was to become a new block was scrapped instead,and only vines and old machines can be seen; that's wonderful.

I have this amalgam of pictures in my mind; Pictures of Asia, pictures of the sea-scape images of me walking along roads with my camera listening to Rei Harakami's music. Abandoned junkyards. Vehicles used for construction, now dumped into a field with two cans of beer and coke next to a carton of some Japanese company; left to the rain and the wind.

I have always harboured a desire to venture into Asia. Although never really thought about actively seeking out the means to do so until later on .

I didn't necessarily want it to be Japan that got my foot on for the first time. Japan, particularly its language being the first "real" experience I've had directly with Asia even if I don't particularly like their POP culture to be honest (Anime etc bores me with minor exceptions)

But the thought of just the different sights that the Asian continent held for me was something I kind of inherently had with me for years, subconsciously.

I think it may have a lot to do with the fact that it's just a whole lot different to what I've been experiencing for the better part of my life. Even a big escape plan if you will, a sort of childish behaviour on my part, a desire to leave everything behind and start anew. Whatever.

Places like Kowloon's outer areas fascinate me. I just love the flats there,

I love the narrow streets, just like Macau but at a lower scale.

The broad squares, the monuments that no Westerner has ever set eyes on; The places outside of the mainstream Western tourism. Picking a place on google earth and becoming infatuated with it. Venturing into an unknown country with really just your backpack and the album "wasuremono" a fitting title for a place in the world, forgotten by many.

This ain't art by the way.

It's just a projection of a feeling I have that makes Asia so alluring to me Sorta like falling for a city. I booked the highest room available and ordered a champagne. As I opened the window I heard the fanfare of the city, at 17:00 sharp. Reminding people to stop working. 

Klaudia had knocked on my door and the last rays of the sun reflected on the venetian blinds overlooking Victoria Peaks, and the cascading Metropolis with its post 80s architecture called for a mood that required smooth jazz.

Putting "Day's End' started what was going to be a very fun evening for both of us.

"Knock Knock!"

17:01

God, I love the morning breeze. Let's go to the national park today, I thought to myself. 

18/1

Sin swam in the sea near Zanarkand. 
Perhaps the waking dream eased its suffering. 

Your father touched Sin and became real that night,
 Foundering in the seas of Spira. 
 How sad now he is caught in the tragic spiral.

 He is Sin.
 He is lost.

Swing out sister - Now you're not here

Swing Out Sister - Now You're Not Here από pezhammer

Listen to my story. This may be our last chance.

Final Fantasy X, including its direct sequel, X-2, was the last diamond of the Sakauchi era Final Fantasy series. Back when I was a kid, and Squaresoft produced great games. I admit that me being 23 now, has a lot to do with how I evaluate  today's games. I am not as easily impressed as I was in 2003 when I first played FFX. Would the game have the same effect on me today? Probably not, but that's partly what makes it so sweet to reminisce. All the games have a special place in my heart, until X-2. After that, Hironobu Sakaguchi left the company due to reasons unexplained to the public.
I wish SquareSoft still made good games like that. Now their titles are too action oriented and too frothy story-wise. The music is not as memorable either .I remember waking up in the mornings to play FFX. Oh boy, that fight with Seymour on the snowy mountain of Gagazet. It was so hard to beat him that I remember, even his robotic voice, to this day . What a badass he was. Wakka, the dependable, albeit naive character of the group. Always hoping for the best, and keeping in line with the teachings of Yevon. His faith is tested in the game, and in the end, what he sees changes his whole perspective of it. Funny, easy-going, a brotherly figure for Tidus, and a serious and trust-worthy guardian at heart. Yuna, a quiet but powerful summoner. Respectfully going on a pilgrimage towards her doom, following her father's footsteps in a suicidal ceremony that will grant the people of Spira two or three years of Peace. Rikku, the cousin of Yuna, secretly an Al-Bhed , the comic relief of the group. Nicely making fun of  people to their faces, and being the carefree and full of energy thief-guardian of the lot. She acts as a little daughter to Lulu, the most mature of the group. Hardly the small-talk type, her remarks are always spot on, and her wisdom is always a great aid to the hot-tempered youth of the fellowship. I suppose she is like a mother to Yuna,when something goes wrong, Yuna always finds comfort in her arms. That leaves us Kimahri and Auron. Kimahri hardly ever talks, and thus he doesn't have many lines in the game. But his acts speak more that most people's words. He was with Yuna from years back. In a way, maybe his own tribe 's turbulations made him who he is. Kimahri's love and protection of Yuna sometimes makes him seem intimidating to others. But Yuna always found solace knowing that he was around. And she loved his little broken horn. It's what made him special.
Auron. When the game starts, the character Auron appears , non-chalantly re-defining the word cool ,to my 16 year old eyes . As I raised my jaw from the floor, the sequence begins when Tidus is brought back to reality from the dream of Sin by a whilrwind of anti-gravity. Somehow Tidus is transferred to another dimension through his "old man" 's intervention. But how did Jecht first materialize from the Fayth in the first place? How did he break free  from the dream of the Fayth ? He must have swam a long way from home , in "Dream Zanarkand" . The game cleverly leaves us hanging in questions such as this one.

Anyway, what I know now is that both things have happened. I grew older, and the games are really bad now. Final Fantasy is not the game that I loved to play. I still remember my wild excitement when I saw the little paragraph in a videogames magazine (yes I used to buy them, I was a hardcore gamer back then) that announced a sequel to FFX. I found solace in these games. Final Fantasy was a portal outside of this world for me, and every different installment of the Sakaguchi era games had a different charm to it . It's not a coincidence that Final Fantasy was successful and made its name in the 90's. The world was more open to dreamers back then, people were more open to sentimental and romantic ideas. But then again, I might just have grown old.
I don't want to hear any comments on how great Lighting's return must be in the new FFXIII. I don't want to listen to what casual fans have to say about the games. I am one of the niche market that grew up with it, that dreamed with it , and fell in love with its charm . I want  , however, to think that somewhere these kids (then) still look back to these utopias now, and reminisce them from time to time. I want to believe that these young dreamers are still the same today, somewhere in their heart, and the dream did not end just because they are now adults. Let's hope I am not the only one .