Intelligent or Wise?

Good grades are all the rage these days. They’re supposed to measure how intelligent and industrious you are. Students strive for a high GPA, with the goal of being admitted into a top college. When they get that acceptance letter, all that hard work seems to have paid off. Time for celebration! You’ve made it! You’re set for life! Yay! Except when you’re not. Being intelligent and industrious is not everything. It is simply the ability to think logically, understand concepts, know formulas and be able to work hard. But, and this is a big but, studies have shown that there is no correlation between intelligence and well-being. Suicide is currently the second most common cause of death among college students. What a grim statistic! How could this be so? Students have won the prize! But for some, the stress has just begun. Away from home and friends, far from their support systems, working under intense pressure, changes in sleeping, eating, drinking and drugging patterns. Not everyone can handle all that!   With so much pressure to show how intelligent you are, we have ignored the cultivation of wisdom. But if you’re intelligent, aren’t you supposed to be wise? What’s the difference between the two? Wisdom is more than knowing facts. It’s more than understanding concepts. It’s more than thinking logically. Albert Einstein expressed it this way: “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” Marilyn vos Savant: “To acquire knowledge, one must stud...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Brain and Behavior College Student Therapist Students Success & Achievement Academics Intellect Wisdom Source Type: blogs