Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
– Albert Einstein
Years ago, a psychologist taught my class that IQ scores were based on exams taken by people near universities. Traditional intelligence tests measured what those populations understood. But folks from other backgrounds have smarts [genius] that could be a different as, say, how salmon and squirrels would answer right-or-wrong questions about trees, sky, nuts and nostrils.
Thank goodness, as Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, “At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time.”
Oprah Winfrey agreed when saying, “I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint.”
In Latin gen became the root of the verb gignere, “beget, produce.” In Roman times, genius meant spirit guides and guardian angels which the world needs now, especially yours. Especially on National Super Hero Day, April 28. Here’s how to celebrate.
Here’s How to Find Your Hidden Genius.
Shop “Pink Lily,” this week’s Featured Art .
Blessings & best wishes
Smarty Pants Quiz
- Maurice the bull has just swallowed a time bomb that’s going off in five minutes. Which of these four words best describes the situation: Awful, Abominable, Dreadful, or Shocking?
- Wendy has cats. All but two are Siamese, all but two are Persian and all but two are Main Coon. How many cats does Wendy have altogether?
- Lauren is raising pigs and ostriches. Among her animals, she has 17 heads and 56 legs. How many pigs and how many ostriches does Lauren have?
Answers Below
7 Brain Games to Make You Smarter Includes remembering items in a picture and counting backwards.
SMARTY PANTS ANSWERS
- Maurice the bull’s situation is A-bomb-in-a-bull.
- Wendy has three cats. Two are not Siamese, though one is. Two are not Persian, but one is. Two are not Main Coon, but one is. That equals three cats, of of each breed.
- Lauren has 11 pigs and 9 ostriches. Because each animal has two hind legs, 17 heads means 34 hind legs. So, the remaining 22 legs must be the front legs of the eleven, four-legged pigs. The remaining six heads belong to ostriches.