ARE you one of those who has been invited to join the Mensa Club or someone who is afraid to sit for a Mensa test? Being classified as a person with a below average IQ can be quite daunting.
This world is slightly obsessed by the word "intelligent". Most of us seem to think or believe that if a person is known to have an IQ of 140 and above, he can do a lot of things that the ordinary people can't.
An ex-US president is reported to have an IQ of about 160. That would put him in the brilliant category. Unfortunately, his presidential dossier doesn't put him in very good light. It is another example of high IQ doesn't equal success.
Parents are wont to think that their child or children are among the smartest of the lot. They can be heard or seen telling relatives and neighbours: "My son just scored nine distinctions in nine subjects in a recent major exam." This litany of successes is a way of keeping score on how some clever genes have maintained their run in the family tree.
If you are one of those who may be intimidated by the so-called clever people, please be reminded that in this life, in your time and mine, intelligence is measured differently and is seen spread generously over seven basic categories.
LINGUISTIC: Notice how some people are just naturally good at learning languages? Well, this is one form of intelligence that renders things equal in life. A man may not hold a PhD in nuclear physics but if he can converse quite eloquently in Spanish as he can in Mandarin, his personal value as an employee goes up three notches.
Personally, I would like to master about five languages - Mandarin, French, Spanish, German and Japanese - besides English, of course. And I am sure I can do it too. The only problem is the opportunity and time. These are actually lame excuses but I am trying to get around the target I have set for myself without looking or sounding like an idiot.
If you have children, it would do them a world of good to encourage them to master (read and write) at least three major languages. Most Chinese families in Malaysia have set themselves this target and a lot of them are achieving the desired results.
MATHEMATICAL-LOGICAL: There are just some people in this world who are naturally good at maths. It's really quite irritating to those (me, for example) who simply can't figure out the simplest of maths equations, and challenging problems like "if X was travelling at 90kph and Y at 60kph from the opposite direction, both started at 3pm, what time would they meet?"
I have been unable to solve this since high school. Today, I am still stumped. Since I am no rocket scientist in the making, I quickly decided to embark on a "safer" profession.
Those who are naturally endowed with grey matter that can tackle mathematical issues quite easily, theirs is the kingdom of science and engineering." But fret not you who are not invited to be part of this camp of logic, there are indeed other intelligences which may be fit you to a Tee.
BODY-KINESTHETIC: Individuals who fit quite nicely into this category usually end up as dancers, basketballers, footballers, carpenters or tailors. All these jobs involve body co-ordinations.
People with body movement efficiency are natural born athletes. From statistics, we know that really famous athletes earn tonnes of money, much to the chagrin of scientists and mathematicians.
If you are not well endowed in the grey matter department, your body may be your biggest selling point. Isn't that good? The idea here is to find out as early as possible whether you have a natural inclination towards sports. If you do, develop it to the ninth and cash in on it in the later years. For example, look at Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Carl Lewis, Maria Sharapova, Steffi Graf, etc.
SPATIAL: This word means you can "see" designs in your mind's eye. Have you ever come across motor mechanics who can diagnose your car's woes by simply listening to the engine sound?
People who have this special ability will score high in spatial intelligence. If they don't end up as excellent mechanics, they can become architects, or transform their day-dreaming into lucrative ventures.
Spatial intelligence allows a person to touch something and form three-dimensional images in their heads. It is not something awesome or even scary. It is just one of those things that most of us don't have.
Those who have it are often considered to have special gifts. They may even end up as above-average plumbers and electricians. These professions are top money-spinners in countries like Australia and England.
Next time, you child plays with the lego set, watch how fast he does it or whether he can manage the pieces easily. If he makes it look easy, he may have more spatial intelligence than you.
MUSICAL: Sitting among the high-falutin audience of bow-ties and evening gowns, one tends to show appreciation and to a large degree envy, of talented musicians who weave impossibly good music from violins, pianos, trumpets, trombones, etc.
There are many mortals among the masses who can play good music on various kinds of musical instruments. Being good at making music is a much coveted skill or intelligence among the intelligentsia. Musically accomplished individuals are always admired by members of the upper crust.
Since most of us are vain and greedy for attention, we often try our best to sound polished on some silly musical instrument of no particular importances. From drums, to bongos, the young and old have displayed their half-baked skills to mildly annoyed crowds the world over.
I have often been asked to play "drums", meaning my little bloated belly. Since I have a great sense of humour, I have not punched the daylights out of anybody yet. I also like to believe that having a sense of humour is another sign of intelligence but I have been unable to locate that category if intelligence on the Internet.
By and large, musical talents are good.
INTERPERSONAL: There are some among us who have a way of communicating with others that make us look like a newly discovered race of people fresh out of an uncharted territory. These public relations extraordinaires have an innate skill at communicating with the most stubborn or introvert characters.
The moment they open their mouths, they put the other party at ease. I am not sure if they are born with such a skill but it always seems to be so. We have met these people at school, in the office or in church. Somehow they are on good terms with everybody, even our enemies like them.
These are the humans who excel at interpersonal relations. We all hope we can learn something from these special people. It is our wish. It is a skill that we can cultivate.
Interpersonal communication is a skill that can be developed by just anybody. It is one type of intelligence that will make us all into better human beings. It is really not that difficult.
INTRAPERSONAL: Individuals in this category are normally are self-propelled. They are very much in touch with their own feelings very well. They can end up being great artists or famous artistes. It is the art of self-expression that they excel in.
So that could mean that they may just end up in Hollywood or Bollywood, depending on which side of the ocean they are in. Or, they may become great painters, or dancers.
This is one of the seven intelligences that have been found and categorised. Most of us may have, at most, one or two out of the seven. Very, very few have all seven. But life is fair, even if you have one,and you maximise your potential on that singular intelligence, you can become quite successful, and maybe even famous.
An intelligent man once reminded me on the subject of Mensa: "Those people who score high on Mensa tests can just be people who are good at doing Mensa tests. So don't fret. They could very well suffer the same kind of problems you do, or worse, they don't have answers to their own problems, and they know it, and they are supposed to be the clever ones. Can you imagine how frustrating it must be for them?"
In conclusion, we can only say that intelligence is a game that some humans play to befuddle other members of their own species. In the end, it does not mean much. Being brilliant can mean high marks on tests but every else being equal, they would eventually end up in the grave just like the rest of us.
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