by D. Kearney Sparano

Created on: November 05, 2009

There are many kinds of intelligence, not all of which are equal. There are those who are academically intelligent, we could call them classically intelligent. Others possess a form of intelligence for life, they can read situations and people, let's say they are street smart. Still others are excellent with people and socializing, they could be classified as emotionally intuitive. The list could go on and on. We all possess different levels of intelligence in multiple categories. However, to me, intelligence in any form comes down to problem solving.

That could be problem solving in the traditional sense, as well as obscure. Intelligence is the ability to think. Let's take a classic test of intelligence, mathematics. There are those that love it and do very well in it. Numbers for whatever reason speak to them. They can look at a mathematical problem and be intrigued and work on it. That same person though may not have the ability to connect with others, or perhaps couldn't draw a picture. The problem of making social connections or creativity may elude them.

To be able to work well socially, there are numerous issues that must be addressed. Personal fear, topics of conversation, how to gage responses are all things that need to be taken into account. They all require problem solving skills, they require intelligence. Creative pursuits require problem solving as well, issues of what to create, what medium to use, how to express the idea and so on must be addressed at some point. If these problems cannot be answered then nothing will be made, it is as simple as that. So it's with that understanding that I define intelligence, the ability to solve problems.

Now what is wisdom? Wisdom does come into play when solving problems that is true. We all know the story of King Solomon and the baby. Solomon's wisdom aided him in deciphering who was the true mother. Wisdom though, to me, is something that is acquired over time. It is a product of experience. Perhaps that is why we associate it most with the elderly. Wisdom is learning from ones failures and successes. I would consider wisdom the culmination of experiences. It is the ability to see what is happening and relate it to something that has happened before. Wisdom is realizing the patterns of life, the cycles, the ups and downs. Wisdom, is knowing it is ok to enjoy the good times and to be prepared for bad ones. I believe that we all have some wisdom. As we grow and learn so does the wisdom, at least I hope so.

I suppose I could sum up the difference between intelligence and wisdom as follows: intelligence is problem solving, while wisdom is recognizing and remembering the problem and hopefully the solution.

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