The Big Bang Theory is one of the most popular sitcoms in the Television Industry. It was so popular that it had an average viewership of 17.31 million people per episode. The show was also the longest-running live-action comedy in American TV history. I really enjoy watching this show where 4 nerds
Sheldon Cooper: the intelligent fool
One of the most popular characters of the show was ‘Sheldon Cooper’. Sheldon was a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology.
Sheldon started college at the age of 11, receiving his first Ph.D. at the age of 16. As a kid, Sheldon was involved in numerous experiments, such as his plan to provide free electricity for his hometown by building a nuclear reactor - a plan stopped by government pen pushers claiming it's illegal to store yellowcake uranium in a garden shed.
He was a big-brainer who lived his life by strict rules. Yet, during the entire runtime of the show, he was called crazy many times. Sheldon, even with an IQ of 187, ( FYI Einstien’s IQ was somewhere near 160) was easily confused as a mentally ill person in various social situations.
He was the kind of person who lost no opportunity to correct people, imperiously, whenever they were factually wrong. Constantly bombarding others with irrelevant facts and trivia that no one was interested in was his favorite past-time.
He had the ability to utter inappropriate things that could make any social gathering awkward. He is that kind of nerd who can break friendships with people if they made fun of trains (PS: he was fond of trains).
Once, when he met his friend’s dermatologist girlfriend for the first time he asked if she could look at “the odd freckles on his buttocks”, which, I think, is not the most appropriate request to make in the first interaction with your friend’s girlfriend. What was more fascinating and funny was his candid while making this request, everyone in that room felt awkward except him.
It’s easy to conclude from the above example that intelligent people can be equally stupid in most situations. Although I know that fiction usually exaggerates reality, yet to some degree, it provides a valid perspective into the actuality.
Intelligentsia is stupid, but of a different kind. Their intelligence makes them more socially awkward and unpleasant (based on personal experience).
Here’s a study by Baylor University that said that people with higher grades are “intellectually arrogant”. A very interesting article was written by Michael Ndubuaku that clarifies my point to a greater extent— Why Highly Intelligent People Are Miserable.
The Conversation
This idea was seeded into my mind by a random stranger, whose name I still don’t know, though I know his made-up name— Mustafa.
Mustafa and I are a part of a group filled with intellectuals where we talk about science, philosophy, and question the concept of reality.
One fine day, Mustafa shared this meme in the group.
Ponder about this image, your first thought is only half the truth.
After Mustafa posted this, a fellow in the group asked: “How do you differentiate the extreme ends? Both sound same.”
To which, Mustafa replied in an instance: “There's no differentiation. IQ is a circle, both ends looks the same, and the smartest are also the stupidest and vice versa.”
The same fellow asked a very wise question that received a much wiser answer: “Where should one stand?”
Mustafa replied: “At the center of the circle”
Where should one stand?
At that moment I didn’t truly understand the depth of his statement (at the center of the circle) but the more I thought about it the more I realized how prophetic those words were.
I cannot obviously peek inside his mind to read the exact implication, but here’s what I took out of it.
People standing on the circumference, irrespective of the level of their intelligence, are constantly arguing with each other. Trying to prove their intellectual supremacy.
While people at the center observe these quarrels with amusement. When they are bored, they have the luxury of turning to any other side.
Mathematically speaking, a point at the circumference can only turn for 180°, any more and they are looking out of the circle. But people at the center can have a 360° view, which also implies that they have a wider perspective.
As the center of the circle, they are, in most cases, the source of issues that the circumference people argue about. Centre people originate from the discussions that circumference people fight over.
I think, personally, that no one is completely on the center or the circumference, we are somewhere in the insides of the boundaries. The closer you are to the center, the wiser you are.
Further in the chat, Mustafa added another important statement: “Be anywhere, Just don't be on the line, it zaps you every once in a while”.
How close are you to the center? Think.
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Cheers!