There are no smart people.

Are there any smart people?

This may seem like a trivial and dumb question at the surface, but if you really look deeply you can see some possible answers to this question.

We like to think that smart people are the ones have a certain quantified intelligence and are able to critically think through problems and situations. Sometimes we may think that a person with a good memory and the ability to spout out statistics and facts are of somewhat intelligent significance. We also perceive people with accreditation and merit in certain fields to have some sort of authority in intelligent matters. In what way do we just label people as smart by what they specifically have to say versus what they actually do? 

There tends to be a division between different types of intelligence as well. We sometimes will see a person who fits more into a street smart than a book smart. Maybe someone is intelligent in one or two things and fails to lack any intelligence or common sense for real life issues. 

We tend to call people smart in order to compliment them or simply agree that have something relevant to say. When we call someone smart, are we stroking their ego? Are we creating a false division of intelligence between people that aren't called smart? 

In reality, all that matters at hand is if the information is factual, reasonable, logical and concrete. The person delivering such information is only the messenger for what they actively say. When you strip away the label of "smart", you only need to focus on what is said and not who actually says it. You can then logically conclude that the information said is reflective of how deep the self knowledge and the critical thinking is of the person. 

When you think a person is smart, you are creating an image that puts them into a solid state. Is the scientist that knows a lot about frogs still smart if he chooses to text and drive on a daily basis? The smartness should only be determined and criticized by the actions itself. A person who makes a stupid decision can make a decision under a multitude of factors such as stress, anger, duress or emotional compromise. It is the lack of self knowledge and the lack of awareness that leads to poor and irrational choices. 

This can also be applied to the word stupid. This is a more aggressive label. When someone calls another person stupid, they are choosing to limit their viewpoint to a label and not take into  consideration of why they might think they are stupid. It is a complete lack of understanding and an irrational and ego identifier that leads to a disconnect from empathy and compassion. Stupid holds no value. It actual separates you from the humanity of fellow man. It is choosing to be lazy and irresponsible because of an unwillingness to look inward and see the situation for what it actually is. 

You could both use smart and stupid as emotional manipulators used to separate people into illusory classifications. A reasonable man would have no need to call a man smart or stupid because he would only focus on the reasonability and validity of the information brought to him. He would not see an accredited and astute man as smart because he would only see what lies within himself. 

When you recognize the smart/ stupid paradigm, you can truly see the lack of education and self knowledge that is abundant in the real world today. One must not feel pity for the uninformed because the uninformed know not what they do. A unreasonable person will not be reasonable when he or she is unconscious of his own neglect and ignorance. To shame a person by calling his argument or his character stupid is to sink into the land of unconsciousness. 

Does a person's personal experience make him smart? 

No. 

Personal experiences are lessons for the people that are consciously aware. They can learn from mistakes and progresses and educate people of their findings. When you quantify personal experiences, it does not make a person more smarter than another. A person may become more "wise", but that only applies for the benefit of himself and how he interacts with the outside world. 

The acquiring of knowledge does not make anyone smart either. Knowledge comes from all different places and the most important is self knowledge. Knowledge comes and goes and fills up minds. If a man has "more" knowledge in a certain subject that another man, he is only advantaged because he carries more information. More information does not make a person smarter because when it is delivered it is for the benefit of everyone. When the words leave the mouth, the messenger detaches from it. It is from conscious intention and other factors outside of their control they gave them an "upper hand" in contribution. 

In conclusion, people will not be entirely equal on a scientific intelligence spectrum such as the IQ test. People will have different natural advantages based on genetic factors and childhood experiences. When labels come into the picture, it distorts the uniqueness that lies within humaniy. Freeing the smart label will let you see truth and understand the mechanics of human consciousness. Compassion will arise and the action of love will come into place to see the illusions of false indentifications that hold no value.

DG