Who defines intelligence

Why don't we see the inherent value of each person living their full potential? Let me expand. 

I have always believed in the value of having diversity of types of intelligence, but it is becoming even more prevalent as I have developed friendships with those in different areas of study/interest, and as I have been substitute teaching in my old school district and reading books such as Savage Inequalities (a MUST read!). I always did well in school, fitting comfortably into the mold that our school system asks of students, but as I get older I realize just how unmalleable that mold is (and how narrow in focus it is becoming). It saddens me to hear intelligence being measured as how good students are at math and science, or how well someone can "articulate" themselves. The other week I subbed for a 12th grade English class. There was a boy in the class that wants to go to UofM for biomedical engineering. Everyone in the class obviously looked to him as the smartest in the room. When giving an opinion on something, everyone took it as fact. I asked why everyone just took it as fact (we were having a lighter type of discussion) and one girl responded saying "Well we trust him because he's so smart". It amazes me how we give power to those that are smart in the "respectable" subjects, to be validated in their opinions on any subject there-after since they have proved their "worth". The perfect example is Bill Gates. Since he has proven his smarts in creating Microsoft and making billions, he now has found a way to have a say in matters he has no expertise in. He is now helping to form our education system through his advocacy for math and science. I know that money has power, but to have a say in such a crucial aspect of our society, when he has no background in education (besides having gone through an education system), does not bode well.

Imagine if we had a famous painter advocating for certain technological advancements in the health care field that they had no former schooling on. They have been through the health care system many times, due to previous illness, but this is the extent of their knowledge. I think that society as a whole would not take them seriously. Even, dare I say, if they were in the top 1%, monetarily speaking. But then again, I do not know if someone in this field would even try to do such a thing. I think that we have given an un-do level of entitlement to those that are intelligent in the math and sciences, to say that they know just as much as those that are experts in other arenas. I do not mean to hate on those that are intelligent in those areas, I value your smarts, but just not at the expense of others. 

I argue that all intelligences are equally impressive and as equally important as the next. The ability of a sculptor to create a physical representation of every sorrow ever felt by unrequited love, blows my mind just as much as someone that understands quantum physics. It is said that it was the beginnings of the creation of art that separated humans from the animal world. Art enriches everyones lives. Ranging from the music you listen/dance to, or the painting that you have in your house, all of our lives are enriched and deepened through this form of intelligence. Same goes with writers and lovers of history or culture. If we didn't have poetry or conversations about how the past is recreated in the present, how would our society function? While doctors may help me lead a physically healthy life- artists, philosophers, etc. help me lead an emotionally and spiritually healthy life. This diversity helps us look at the world in new ways, and work off of each other in a manner that truly reveals our level of interconnection. We are a part of a whole, none of us function as disconnected individuals. We need each other, and we need diversity of interest and skill. 

One example that speaks to the need of diversity of interest and skill- janitors and groundskeepers at our universities are just as important as the professors. Here is why. At UofM, prospective students take tours daily- many that are considering several other universities. If the university did not look as nice as it does, with clean halls and well-kept lawns, would these students choose UofM? Honestly, probably not. Aesthetics matter (just like how art matters). People judge by looks. If the buildings were dreary, dusty, and dirty and the grounds of the school weren't so beautiful, would students want to spend four years at university here? Not when they have other schools to compare it to. So if it weren't for those that help to keep our university beautiful, then we may not have even chosen to go here and the amazing professors may have chosen to work somewhere else. We should not create a hierarchy of importance when we all matter. 

So back to my first proclamation- why don't we help each other live to our own full potentials, rather than try to competitively fit everyone into the same mold? I talk to students in the middle school who are in the resource room, and you can tell they have been beaten down with their poor grades in math and english. But then upon engaging in conversation, you are quick to realize the passion that they may hold for music or sports; where they truly shine. Instead of looking at students in terms of how much they will monetarily profit society in the future and investing in those that are going to give the "highest" return, let us look at what enriches the soul of society. I am not looking for the U.S. to out-compete other countries in math and science, I am looking for a country that produces the happiest and most loving people per capita. I could care less about these advancements if, at the same time, we are living amongst those that are depressed, anxious, or disconnected due to not fitting into the "mold" our society has formed. Personally, if I live a high-quality life, it is more important to me than low-quality and living for 100+ years. I feed off others happiness and love, and I am pretty sure others do to. So in the end, we all benefit from helping others reach our full potential, and we must help support each other where we shine. 

Madiba

I was going to write on a different topic, but then I found out about the passing of the iconic figure of Nelson Mandela. I become choked up at the idea of such a man, that makes me proud to be a human being, having passed on. I shouldn't have been surprised, since he was 95, but I couldn't help but be in disbelief. Such a living light, a source of inspiration and love, physically gone from this world. I realized today that he was my first serious source of inspiration for social justice work, which has completely changed my life today. I knew the names of some historical social justice figures and new that they were incredible people, but when I read Mandela's autobiography I was affected on a much deeper level. I read it 3.5 years ago when I was in Zambia and it immediately entered my list of favorite books, a motivating force and reminder of love and courage. His actions of love, compassion, forgiveness, perseverance, and dedication to truth and equality are to a level that is difficult to comprehend at times, but one that I will forever strive for.  I have often said that the most incredible person in this world today was Mandela and now he joins the likes of Ghandi, MLK, and St. Therese to name a few, to be remembered for the rest of time. My (admittedly irrational) hope to meet Mandela will now have to be post-poned until the after life, but I am ok with that as well :) Rest in peace and love, Madiba. May we show him respect and help his legacy live on through striving to live by his example and celebrate his life through ours, by fighting for equality for all. Also sending love and strength to those mourning this loss.  

Just some of his words of wisdom:

“A man who takes away another man’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred, he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else’s freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity…. For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

Ubuntu: I am because we are. 

"A traveller through a country would stop at a village and he didn't have to ask for food or for water. Once he stops, the people give him food and attend him. That is one aspect of Ubuntu, but it will have various aspects. Ubuntu does not mean that people should not enrich themselves. The question therefore is: Are you going to do so in order to enable the community around you to be able to improve?"

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

"It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership."

"There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires."

"Where globalization means, as it so often does, that the rich and powerful now have new means to further enrich and empower themselves at the cost of the poorer and weaker, we have a responsibility to protest in the name of universal freedom."

"I was called a terrorist yesterday, but when I came out of jail, many people embraced me, including my enemies, and that is what I normally tell other people who say those who are struggling for liberation in their country are terrorists."

“It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones.”

"Great for Costume Parties!"

Hello there friends :) 

Lately I have been having many thoughts that I feel the need to write down and share. I think it may be my lack of being in school for the first time in my life, but either way, this is my solution-blog it! mmmm not totally sure how I feel about it, or how it'll go, but I guess we will see! 

So first topic- Fair Trade and Cultural Appropriation

After having worked at a small-scale Fair Trade store for a few months (not any longer though!) I have come to some new thoughts and conclusions. First of all, I had never realized before that a Store could be labelled as Fair Trade without needing all of their products to actually be Fair Trade. When I heard that only 60-80% was Fair Trade, I began noting the "Made in China" stickers and tags on item after item in the store. I quickly became disillusioned as to what I was actually supporting when shopping there. At first I over-looked this flaw, deciding that the store overall was still a good idea, at least most of the items were Fair Trade right? But then I came across something else that made me cringe. One day as I was rearranging some of the items on the counter, I saw a sign next to the Bindi's that said, "Great for Costume Parties". This was too much. I immediately felt extremely uncomfortable and began wondering what kind of cultural appropriation this store really engaged in. When I used to shop there, I was under the pretense that people actually appreciated the art of the products and the story behind them, at least this is how it was for me. I eventually realized that at least half of the people that came into the store were looking for a costume, or that one "crazy", "out-there" outfit to really jazz up their wardrobe and make their friends laugh. If it was just the costumers coming in with this attitude, that would be one thing- I have witnessed and talked with too many that are insensitive to cultures outside of their own, so I am no longer very surprised. But what made me really upset was how the management supported and even encouraged this behavior. It reached its peak around Halloween, when the mannequins would be sporting costume ideas trying to gather people into the store to be a gypsy, belly-dancer, or Jasmine and Aladdin. I cannot even count how many people came in to check out these costumes, even having people looking for ponchos to be Mexican... 

As the owner of this store, I would want people to buy the items based off of an actual appreciation of the art and culture that it came from, not something to laugh at and ridicule. I have met and worked with people in other countries who sell their crafts to travelers and I can only imagine how horrible they would feel to realize what their love and hard-work became- a joke. Imagine if you put weeks of your time and love into an art piece that you created, that not only represented you, but also your culture. Now picture selling it with pride, to then see the person using it as a way to mock your culture. On the business end, I do recognize this as a symptom of capitalism- sell by whatever means necessary! But I cannot condone actions that go against my moral code (but then again I am already not a fan of our country's current business model so surprise, surprise). You know why the chullo hats from Peru are pointy at the top? No not to look funny, but to represent the mountains that surround their towns and connect them with their natural surroundings. It's ideas like this that become over-looked and lost when people consume others livelihoods with their insensitive socialized notions of what is fashionable and "cool". 

I am not claiming this is how it is for all Fair Trade stores, or for everyone that shops Fair Trade. I still support it as a whole and love buying items from other countries, because I actually love learning about other cultures. I was just made to feel so consistently uncomfortable due to the jokes and comments that would be thrown around by customers and the forms of advertisement that the store would engage in. I do not want to participate in or support the oppressive acts of cultural appropriation.

Oh and on a more recent note- the staff was recently threatened with termination of employment if they don't play holiday music (a.k.a. Christmas music). Red flag, that your store is not culturally sensitive, especially ironic in a store that sells many hindu and buddhist items. Let alone that not all of the employees may feel comfortable playing music that supports Christian normativity in our society, but there was also no previous requirement to play music related to other other religious holidays throughout the year. But then again, I guess the underlying point is to get people in the "consumeristic" mindset of buying gifts, so all about the bottom line once again...