78.4 years old is the average combined age of death, male and female.
I’ve passed the half mark a bit ago and I’m fully convinced that I’ve found the only test, the only mark, the only proof - one needs to prove you’re intelligent (or did intelligent things in life).
Are you getting what you want out of life?
…or posthumously, did you get what you wanted out of life?
Not to be confused with did you get everything you wanted all the time in life…
Me thinks one needs to take this statement similar to the statement made by St. Augustine speaking on the Gospel of John: “Love God and do whatever you want.”
Clearly, there is a rights and responsibilities balance. A rules and order balance here. One cannot merely claim to love God and do ill.
Likewise, one cannot get everything they want out of life by getting everything they want all the time. Simply living past 30 years old avails life to teach all of us this lesson: Life is not fair and you cannot fully control outcomes.
The One Test of Intelligence
So what can we do in a life that isn’t fair and we cannot control outcomes, but rather, the effort we put in?
Can one, create and build a life, where it is completely possible to serve ones own needs, desires, and goals while also completely serving in fairness those that are required to achieve such goals?
More simply: Can one have a life where they are completely satisfied?
Every day I’m doing (something) that moves me and my family closer to our goals.
In this, I am completely grateful. Satisfaction, as it seems, is the progressive realization of a worthy goal, worked on, daily.
TL;DR - To be intelligent, one should be working diligently daily towards a worthy goal. The final outcome of such efforts is a life lived on your terms.
What's yours?
All the best,
ps
