A Month of Gratitude, Day 21 - Feeding the Intellect

Saturday, December 21, 2013
I place enormous value on intellect. I admire the ability to think critically, to analyze external as well as internal events in a way that leads to a defensible conclusion.

And I don't think that intellect and intelligence are the same thing, although I believe intelligence supports intellect. High intelligence doesn't guarantee a stunning intellect, because the ability to think critically doesn't depend entirely on how smart you are. It depends on feeding the mind, learning to think, expanding your knowledge base in a way that broadens your viewpoint and leads to more complex and interesting conclusions.

I'm an aspiring intellectual. I'm interested in a great many topics, and one of the reasons I'm a perpetual student is because I can always find another class that I simply must take in order to "complete" my education. This means, of course, that I'll never, ever be done.

I've been going to college on and off since 1986. Most of my 185 college credits were paid for by my employer in the form of tuition assistance. And I realize how very lucky this makes me in today's reality of mounting student debt.

Today I'm grateful to have the opportunity to feed the Elephant's Child, and to do so as a matter of intellectual curiosity rather than necessity.

1 comments:

mom in northern said...

Rudyard would be proud.