When A Leaf Turns

A friend recently stated that he thought that I was more intelligent than he was. I’m kind of embarrassed at the fact that I didn’t immediately deny it. First because I think it’s common courtesy to deny it initially, even if you think such a statement is true. Second because I don’t actually think that it’s true. Or rather, I think it’s only partially true. In the same way I think it’s partially true that he is more intelligent than I am. It’s basically the difference between the journey and the destination.

I always have the destination in mind. I must always know that an idea that I’m exploring has an answer, even if I don’t know it. Even if I in fact know that I will never know it. The process of thought is meant to draw as close as possible to that answer, even when it is in practice far beyond reach.

I think he always has the journey in mind. An idea need not have an answer that can be discovered. The exploration of an idea and the lessons that can be learned from it are the real focus of thought. This can be a much more introspective way of thinking, with less tangible, but no less important and possibly more personally satisfying results.

The two modes of thought are very different, and they result in different ways of expressing ourselves. Mine lends itself to definitive statements which can be easy to evaluate. His leads to deeper philosophical statements which can be more difficult to evaluate. It’s this difference that I think leads to his perception of an inequality between us that I don’t think really exists.