Intelligence Quotient

Hello and welcome back to the discussion. We have been consistently moving ahead with different subjects that concern man’s lofty quest here on The Last Pilgrimage weblog. Last time we discussed a term that was an entirely new concept for the spiritual seeker. For those that recall, we briefly discussed about the spiritual quotient that every individual has within himself. This spiritual quotient could be effectively described as a spiritual aptitude in the journey of life. There are many factors that make up an individual’s spiritual quotient. Today we are essentially going to elaborate on one of those factors; namely intelligence quotient.

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To understand what Intelligent Quotient or IQ truly means, we would first have to understand what intelligence means. Many people have a deluded impression of intelligence. Many are confused when it comes to segregating intelligence from intellect. To put it simply, I would say that intelligence is intellect in action. Now a person’s intellectual capacity is something that cannot be changed. You either have it or you don’t. But if there is one thing that an individual can improve on, it is his intelligence. Intelligence is essentially intellect in its pro-active form. To put it simply, you are effectively using the brain-power that you have with you. Now this brain power would vary from person to person; but if you truly learn to apply your intellect, you will find yourself succeeding in all walks of life.

When I say that you can improve your intelligence, I literally mean that. Intellect is basically the resource that you have with you. How effectively and productively you employ that resource is entirely up to you. If you learn to effectively utilize the level of intellect that you have, you would indeed find that you are able to surpass many of life’s great obstacles.

The relevance that intelligence essentially has with a person’s spiritual quotient is indeed great. An intelligent person knows how to remain productive and creative in life. He can take the opportunities that come into his life and effectively achieve enduring success. Not only that, but an individual’s intelligence always gives him the motivation to stay creative. Any intelligent person would always find new and innovative ways to make life simpler for himself and for those around him. Effectively what it accomplishes is that it tremendously accelerates an individual’s journey of evolution.

Ultimately, we have to acknowledge that the spiritual journey transcends the worldly life. To be successful spiritually, you need to be an achiever; not in somebody else’s eyes, but in your own eyes. You have to be pro-active and creative; you have to be prudent; and you have to be responsible in every single act that you commit in life. That would be what would make any aspiring seeker an achiever. Intelligence merely helps facilitate this process. In the end, we have to say that intelligence is everything that the intellect is. It is all that and much more; for it is truly creative and productive. However, in the end, the one thing that truly separates intelligence from intellect is that an intelligent man is indeed very humble and appreciative of the work that others do. He takes every moment in his life as a learning opportunity and through every single moment, he learns and ingests all that life has to offer him; in the end, moving towards completeness…

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Chapter 10: “Intelligence Quotient”

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Many times we hear the word intelligent quotient used in the sense of intellectual benchmarking. There are many tests out there that help determine a person’s IQ. The fact that they come nowhere close to determining his true intelligence is an entirely different issue. Point of the matter is that it is indeed very hard to determine an individual’s intelligence based on some tests. It is even harder to state what intelligence truly means. In this episode of the Satsang series Rutugandha recounts the day when the master spoke of true intelligence and ways in which it is conducive to our spiritual growth.

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