IG – Intelligent

I took an IQ test today… My test score indicated that I had Superior Intelligence. Within the details of my personal report, it indicated that I could be an astronaut! The interesting thing about that, is ever since I was a young boy, I had always wanted to be an astronaut. When given a choice to write a report on whatever I wanted, it almost always was about the different planets in our solar system. I dreamed about going to space and when I was 17-year-old I joined the Marine Corp in hopes of being an astronaut. Unfortunately, I lacked the actual intelligence to research a legitimate path to my dreams. IQ or Intelligence Quotient is the Standardized intelligence test that was developed in 1904, by Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon. The French Ministry of Education asked these researchers to develop a test that would allow for distinguishing mentally retarded children from normally intelligent, but lazy kids. From my assessment it is a good way to measure one’s analytical abilities, but I am not so sure that it is a good measurement of intelligence. If it was, surely, I would have at least gotten close to my childhood dream of becoming an astronaut instead of eventually being kicked out of the Marine Corp and ending up homeless.

“Intelligence” what is it anyway? Webster defines Intelligence as: the ability to perceive logical relationships and use one’s knowledge to solve problems and respond appropriately to novel situations usually associated with human reasoning.

Everyone wants to think of themselves as being intelligent and we almost always look up to and respect those that we admonish as having a high level of intelligence. Usually, we give promotions too and chose leaders from those that are considered highly intelligent. So, is the IQ testing an accurate measurement of intelligence? I think it is well known the Ted Kaczynski “The Una Bomber” had a higher IQ than Albert Einstein. Charles Manson also had an above average IQ. Is it wise to consider our mass murders intelligent? Or is it stupid? It is the university types that have developed and promoted the test and of course they all score very high on it. Yet many of these high-level intellectuals are socially awkward and lack empathy towards their fellow man. Most would be completely lost trying to teach a classroom of kindergarteners. Should we really consider someone who couldn’t enjoy and productively interact with five-year-old’s intelligent? Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 8:2 “that if anyone thinks of himself as a know-it-all, he still has a lot to learn.” He also warns us in Col. 2:8 “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that comes from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.”

And what about “Common Sense”? It primarily describes how a practical person with average or below average IQ displays good judgment and logic in practical everyday matters. While it is well known and discussed that many who may have a lot of, “book smarts” or high analytical abilities completely lack “Common Sense”. I could go on and on about this, but fundamentally I don’t think that the IQ test is completely useless and just don’t believe that it is an accurate measurement of true intelligence. I am proposing that a new system be developed and that the “Standardized Intelligence Test” being used now be renamed to: “Analytical Quotient or AQ” and it would only make up one quarter of a more accurate testing of intelligence.

Because of the concerns surrounding the IQ testing and how little these tests told us about what it takes to be successful in life researchers eventually in the 1990’s came up with “Emotional Intelligence or EQ”. This is a measurement of one’s ability to understand and manage their own emotions in a positive way to relieve stress, communicate effectively and empathize with others. Although the ability to manage one’s emotions and empathize with others is definitely a sign of higher-level thinking, I am not convinced that it is a good sign of intelligence. We may generally think of emotionally intelligent persons as kind and helpful but, both Princes Diana (a very kind person) and Charles Manson had equally high EQ test results. It appears that “psychopaths” can use their high EQ to manipulate. Neuroscience studies indicate that many psychopaths can blend in and seem as empathic as the next guy. Like a switch they can turn on empathy and then later completely turn in off. As a result of this I again have a very hard time using the word intelligence when associating it with manipulative social paths and serial killers. I do not believe that the researchers of the 1990’s actually accomplished their goal of trying to figure out what it takes to be successful in life. So, my conclusion is, drop the word Intelligence and leave it as “Emotional Quotient or EQ” and use it for only one quarter of the testing score.

When I think of intelligence I automatically think of the word “Wisdom”. Wisdom is not the gathering of knowledge but, the understanding and the application of that knowledge. Do you really know something if it doesn’t change your behavior or your life? Solomon the primary author of Proverbs in the bible was and is considered by many to be the wisest man to ever live. Proverbs 1 starts off with: “Here are kingdom revelations, words to live by, and words of wisdom given to empower you to reign in life, written as proverbs by Israel’s King Solomon, David’s son. Within these sayings will be found the revelation of wisdom and the impartation of spiritual understanding. Use them as keys to unlock the treasures of true knowledge. Those who cling to these words will receive discipline to demonstrate wisdom in every relationship and to choose what is right and just and fair.” When I think of intelligence and wisdom, I immediately associate it with “Faith”. By most people’s standards I have become a very successful individual in business. I accomplished this with no college education or formal training. It was a long and incredibly challenging journey, and I can tell you most definitely that I would have not made it without “Faith”. It was faith that got me through the most difficult times. Times that seemed impossible and I was ready to throw in the towel, but faith wouldn’t allow me to quit. The bible tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith. Since God is the creator and designer of all that there is, it seems very intelligent to have faith.

If intelligence is the ability to solve problems; well faith has the ability to move even mountains of problems. Jesus clearly stated that all things are possible to them that believe. Faith is a lot more than just believing because faith is an action word. Faith moves you to apply the knowledge that you know to be true. Look at the teenager David. There was no logical reason for a very young shepherd boy armed only with a rock and a sling to go out and challenge the nine-foot giant Goliath who wore a bronze helmet, and a bronze coat of armer weighing 125 pounds and who was armed with a javelin and a sword and had an armor bearer walking ahead of him carrying a shield. But David had a lot more than a smooth stone, he had faith in the Lord of Heaven’s Armies and as a result He easily killed Goliath and ran off the rest of the Philistine army and ultimately became King of Israel and through his lineage came Jesus the Savior of the world. It has been proven through a couple of different university studies that faith filled prayers statistically work when applied to sick patients in hospitals and there are endless books written about the miracles that have been witnessed firsthand by those who chose to step out in faith during impossible situations. Your ability to respond in faith to life’s problems is appropriate and makes good sense and surely should be included in any measurement of intelligence. So, I propose that we add “Faith Quotient or FQ” to our Intelligence Testing.

Since we all are still marveling at the incredible design, beauty, and genius of creation maybe we should recognize the overwhelming intelligence of the creator. The bible clearly and plainly states that God is “Love”, (John 4:8 & 16). Nearly all of us want to receive more love, give more love, and see more love in the world. How could love ever be left out of a discussion of intelligence. The topic of our greatest novels and movies is love. The subject of our most passionate conversations is love. The center of our most memorable and impactful moments in life is love or the lack there of. Paul writes in I Cor. 13:2-7 “if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind; Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance, love never fails. True genuine love has nothing to do with sexual passion but is a self-sacrificing action. Jesus told us that there is no greater love than for a man or women to lay down their life for another. Our ability to love comes in direct response to God’s love towards us. Jesus’s willingness to lay down his own life so that we could truly experience life is the catalyst that motivates us to love others as we have been loved. It is through that amazing love that we can choose others interests over our own, making the world a better place. Who doesn’t like the concept of paying it forward? Who isn’t inspired by the heroes who risk it all, even their own lives to save others? Our ability to truly love is the highest reflection of intelligence we could possess! Who in their right mind would even argue such easy-to-understand logic? When there is love there is more unity, more forgiveness, more peace, more joy, more of all that is good in life. Love should always be our highest goal and our greatest sign of intelligence. So, I propose a measurement of “Love Quotient or LQ” to our Intelligence Testing.

So, let’s look at the human logic of what I am proposing…

It is a four-part test that looks like this:

Analytical Quotient or AQ X .25 + Emotional Quotient or EQ X .25 + Faith Quotient or FQ X .25 + Love Quotient or LQ X .25 = Intelligence Quotient or IQ.

With this measurement of intelligence, the manipulative socialpaths and serial killers that have high traditional IQ’s or even high EQ’s that in no way reflect the definition of intelligence end up getting zeroes or at least close to zero scores on FQ and LQ, truly reflecting their ignorance and lack of intelligence. Since the definition of intelligence includes relationships with others and solving life’s problems, we should no longer look to those with traditional higher IQ’s but live their lives in fear or have destroyed their relationships with their family and loved ones as actually being intelligent. Maybe the greatest benefit of this kind of measurement might be that we would begin to choose truly intelligent and remarkable leaders that would instinctively choose our interest over theirs to lead us into a brighter future.

It is very likely that those in academia who presently promote the traditional IQ and EQ testing will vehemently oppose this proposed testing and some of you might choose to follow their lead. Well, please remember that they have been the ones that has been trying to convince us that many of our serial killers and psychopaths are some of the smartest among us. If you really believe that to be true, I am concerned that you lack “Common Sense” and I highly recommend that you seek out someone who is strong in faith to pray that the blinders be removed from your eyes so that you can see what is right in front of you. For those in academia that clearly see the human reasoning associated with this testing model, I would implore you to begin to put together the structure that would entail the FQ and LQ testing and let’s get this thing moving…..

Thanks for your consideration. If you like this idea, please comment and share with all you know and especially those in education and government. If you are in academia and would like me to come and lecture on the this, sure why not. If you want me to create a thick textbook on the topic, sure why not, as long as you are smart enough to use it. Love you all…