Would You Define Your Intelligence a Gift or a Privilege?

This is something I consider to be a good topic here because it opens to a discussion that everyone can share their opinions to. In your opinion, is intelligence a gift or a privilege?

When we talk about intelligence, the first thing that comes to our minds is how a person performs academically in school. However, intelligence is not only limited to cognitive capacities. There's more than that. There are multiple intelligences to consider so it is not right to describe a person as dumb just because he can't do Math but instead, he excels in Arts or Music.

But the question here is, is intelligence a gift or a privilege?

Fo me, it can be both true. It can be a gift, and it can also be a privilege.

It is a gift because:

It is given to you naturally.

This means to say, you are naturally born with it. It is a gift from God, or the universe (if you don't believe in God) that makes you special above all the normal people.

It is something that you did not choose because it is given to you and so that gives you the edge over the others. You can outperform other people without working hard or taking time to study a certain thing.

It's like a superpower that you have and that you can take advantage of it wherever or whatever situation you may be in.

It runs through the blood.

I'm sure most of you have known a certain family who shares the same profession. It could be your classmate taking up medicine because they are a family of doctors. It could be your friend who took up education because they are a family of teachers. Or, it could be your enemy who takes up engineering because they are a family of engineers.

The thing here is that genetic makeup has a great influence on the development of your cognitive ability. Chances are higher when your parents share the same field of intelligence.

However, that doesn't happen all the time. There are instances where a family member wants to take up architecture because he just wants to instead of taking up medicine. He wants to take up a different course because that's what he wants. And that's normal.

However, intelligence becomes a privilege if you are the only one who does have that privilege while others do not have. What does that mean?

It is a privilege when it's something that you wish everyone has it and not just you. It comes with an advantage to everyone which gives them limited opportunities to everything. It could be getting into a good school, getting hired to a prestigious company, or even getting the chance to choose your life partner.

One factor that would make intelligence a privilege is when the child is not fully nurtured growing up. The moment the baby was conceived inside the womb of his/her mom, and yet the parents cannot take full responsibility for the child's growth like going on a regular check-up for prenatal, because they don't have easy access for it financially wise. That could mean so much to the brain development of the child.

It's safe for me to say that my intelligence is a privilege because I was supported by my parents. They nurtured me with the right nutrients in my body. They sent me to a school which gave me access to proper learning. They sent me to a hospital whenever I got sick. I take vitamins C to boost my immune system.

Now this intelligence could have been to anyone else's, and yet I was chosen to have it even if I don't deserve it. I'm given the advantage of taking the ladder already while others are still looking for materials to make it.

Having said that, privilege comes with the idea of utilizing it to help other people. It's about sharing your intelligence to inspire other people that they are more than what they think of themselves. It becomes a responsibility to respond to that privilege.

One good example of this was my classmate back in college. He's really good at Math. A lot of them are good in Math but this guy, took this privilege to share his intelligence with us by explaining the things in his ways, which makes it easier to understand, than our teacher who fails to explain clearly.

On the other hand, I'm helping him with our oral communication subject, which I can safely say that I'm good at. So we took our privileges to help one another for us to grow individually.

However, some people choose to just flaunt their intelligence or use their intelligence in negative ways. Some work to the criminal forces to do something bad in the community which is wasted privilege, the fact that someone could have that intelligence and share it doing good deeds.

For as long as we are alive, let's use our talents and privileges to inspire other people that intelligence is not only for those who are rich and famous, it's for everyone and let's hope we can change it for the better. Let's raise a better generation.

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Thanks for reading.

Keep safe everyone!