On Intelligence

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted anything. I have been pretty busy with work and classes. Now, that the African Cup of Nations is over, which Egypt won by the way, I have more free time to blog again. So recently, I started reading IMPRO by Keith Johnstone. Its on improvisation and the theatre. The author has a very interesting view on intelligence. Here is what he said with some editing for the sake of length.

.. when I was in my early twenties, I saw a performance of the film, Dovzhenko's Earth. There is a sequence in which the hero, Vassily, walks alone in the twilight. We know he's in danger, and we have just seen him comforting his wife. There are shots of mist moving early in the water, and silent horses stretching their necks. Then, amazingly, peasants lying side by side, the men with their hands in the women's blouses and motionless, with idiotic smiles on thier faces as they stare at the twilight. Vassily, dressed in black, walks through Chagall village, and the dust curls up in little clouds around his feet. He walks and walks untils he walks out of frame. Then Vassily walks again and after a short time he begins to dance, and the dance is skilled like an act of thanksgiving. The dust swirls around his feet and he is like an Indian god. In one moment I knew that valuing of men by their intelligence is crazy, the the peasants watching the night sky might feel more than I feel, the man who dances might be superior to myself. From then on I noticed how warped many people of great intelligence are, and I began to value people for their actions, rather than their thoughts.