The audacity of being stupid
I am not sure if you've heard this but there is a phrase that goes like 'yeda banke peda khana'. People say that when someone smarter pretends to be stupid to get something out of a situation. The anecdotal reference behind this is if someone normal like you and me acts like a mad person or beggar in a social scenario, sitting in line with other beggars outside a hindu temple to get some charity or a free laddu. That's when you say 'yeda banke peda kha raha hai'. So, for the smarter people in general, if you know what stupidity constitutes for in a particular setup (meaning what is considered stupid for the people around you) and you know which buttons to press to get a sympathetic response from someone, you can very well use 'stupidity' as a bait to get what you want. But, the thing is, other than you, rest of the people are getting nothing out of it. Therefore, its not exactly a viable medium of exchange for the long run. You can only fool people once or twice with being stupid (p.s pretending to be one). In fact, 'yeda banke peda khana' is used for smart chicks who know their way with guys. ;)
Now, every time I think of 'Stupidity' I am reminded of Tom Hanks from Forrest Gump (~ Mama said the 'Forrest' part was to remind me that sometimes we all do things that, just don't make sense). Some characters just stick with you for life and Forrest is one such for me. So, his mother gets to know he has marginally less IQ than average and therefore, he can't get admission in a normal school. He was bullied by other kids and had a limb problem so couldn't stand or walk properly either. His only support was his mother. She was a mother like any other, who loved her son fiercely and dared to believe in him despite his shortcomings. She had to, otherwise how could Forrest possibly start believing in himself. Forrest went on to join the army, fought in the war, saved his friend Bubba's life, got awarded by the president for his bravery, became a millionaire and also got to marry the girl he so dearly loved. Now, all of this happened because his mother believed in him. Also, in the practical sense, because he was someone with a lower IQ than average, he sailed through life using his EQ (Emotional quotient), wearing his heart on his sleeves and never quite considering his lack of smartness to be a problem at all.
Cut to today's fast paced competitive scenario, obnoxious long working hours and compromised mental and physical well being of every millennial out there. I am sure some of you if not most of you, at some point in your career were called out to be 'Stupid' for not doing something properly. Made to feel incompetent and insignificant about something that they had no idea how to ace in the first place. I just want to say that it's NOT TRUE. There is absolutely no precise method or mechanism to determine someone's actual potential. You can't measure it accurately like your body weight, can you? People do what they do, over and over again and others kind of take the average of all their doings to determine their worth. You're not as bad as people say, you're not as good as people say. If you start describing yourself, you'll either exaggerate or underestimate yourself (This is me I am talking about).
So, Helllooooo!! Woohoooo!! all the peps out there. That's why it's important to start BELIEVEing in yourself. It will anchor you when the going gets rough on the surface. You want me to say this in a more groovy MJ style 'BABY, IT DON'T MATTER IF YOU'RE STUPID OR INTELLIGENT, just be what you ought to be. Period.
Now, every time I think of 'Stupidity' I am reminded of Tom Hanks from Forrest Gump (~ Mama said the 'Forrest' part was to remind me that sometimes we all do things that, just don't make sense). Some characters just stick with you for life and Forrest is one such for me. So, his mother gets to know he has marginally less IQ than average and therefore, he can't get admission in a normal school. He was bullied by other kids and had a limb problem so couldn't stand or walk properly either. His only support was his mother. She was a mother like any other, who loved her son fiercely and dared to believe in him despite his shortcomings. She had to, otherwise how could Forrest possibly start believing in himself. Forrest went on to join the army, fought in the war, saved his friend Bubba's life, got awarded by the president for his bravery, became a millionaire and also got to marry the girl he so dearly loved. Now, all of this happened because his mother believed in him. Also, in the practical sense, because he was someone with a lower IQ than average, he sailed through life using his EQ (Emotional quotient), wearing his heart on his sleeves and never quite considering his lack of smartness to be a problem at all.
Cut to today's fast paced competitive scenario, obnoxious long working hours and compromised mental and physical well being of every millennial out there. I am sure some of you if not most of you, at some point in your career were called out to be 'Stupid' for not doing something properly. Made to feel incompetent and insignificant about something that they had no idea how to ace in the first place. I just want to say that it's NOT TRUE. There is absolutely no precise method or mechanism to determine someone's actual potential. You can't measure it accurately like your body weight, can you? People do what they do, over and over again and others kind of take the average of all their doings to determine their worth. You're not as bad as people say, you're not as good as people say. If you start describing yourself, you'll either exaggerate or underestimate yourself (This is me I am talking about).
So, Helllooooo!! Woohoooo!! all the peps out there. That's why it's important to start BELIEVEing in yourself. It will anchor you when the going gets rough on the surface. You want me to say this in a more groovy MJ style 'BABY, IT DON'T MATTER IF YOU'RE STUPID OR INTELLIGENT, just be what you ought to be. Period.
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