Intelligence is often mistakenly reduced to memorizing facts, but what if its true essence, or more precisely the rare quality of wisdom, is something much deeper? One of the characteristics of extremely intelligent people is the ability to recognize how two opposing ideas can exist simultaneously and both be true, mindfulness trainer Celastrina Calea points out in a popular video.
Calea explains in her video that she has rarely seen such a high level of intelligence that goes beyond even metacognition, that is, the ability to think about one’s own thinking.
– It may not be called intelligence, but wisdom, she stressed.
According to her, it is about a person’s ability to accept two seemingly opposite things as equally true. Such a person does not necessarily try to resolve the tension between them or choose a side, but can stay in that space and allow both ideas to be real.
For example, one can be deeply troubled by the state of the world and at the same time feel sincere gratitude and humility for the gift of life. He can grieve for what he has lost and yet be grateful for what he has left. The key is to accept what we cannot control, while taking steps towards the change we want to see.
The ability to accept conflicting feelings is rare because it can be uncomfortable. Psychotherapist Margo Lowy explains that people often resort to binary thinking to avoid personal discomfort. “We limit our feelings and interactions to ‘either-or,’ ignoring the possibility of ‘and,'” Lowy states. “This is how we see ourselves as joyful or exhausted, lonely or connected, desperate or calm. Instead of movement and fluidity, such an attitude is dominated by rigidity and a firm hold on only one belief at a given moment.”
It takes a rare kind of intelligence to see both sides and realize that there is a space between them where both ideas not only exist but can be true. One of the most famous examples is the liar’s paradox: “This sentence is false.” If the statement is true, then it is also false. If it is fake, then it is true, reports Index.hr.
– It takes courage and effort to admit our inner opposites, those that mark our everyday feelings, interactions and relationships, and which are often socially and personally unacceptable. We have to surrender to that challenging and often counterintuitive state of mind, Lowy added.
The moment you are able to accept without hesitation any paradox that confronts you is the moment you have reached true understanding. It is a philosophical way of thinking that sometimes takes a lifetime to acquire.
