"They think that intelligence is about noticing things that are relevant (detecting patterns); in a complex world, intelligence consists in ignoring things that are irrelevant (avoiding false patterns)." — Nassim Nicholas Taleb
One misconception people, especially parents in Africa have about intelligence is being book-smart and having a college degree. At one point I used them as my indicator for intelligence, until I realized intelligence goes far beyond book and bagging degrees. By book-smart, judging from my outstanding results, I'd be tempted to say I'm intelligent, probably more intelligent than many of my peers but that's not true. I've seen some of my peers are intuitive, they think outside the box, have greater ability to change, and possess more power to let go of what's irrelevant compared to me.
I'm not intelligent, I've made so many mistakes, took on irrelevant beliefs, held tight to a failing tradition, fainted to change, etc. all these aren't the true definition of intelligence, they're weaknesses thought to be intelligence. While in school a lot of people saw me as the guy with the answers to everything and who doesn't need to read to pass an examination, that's what they saw about me, but deep down, I knew I wasn't half as good as some of the people who rained praises on me. Albert Einstein said; "Education is not the learning of the facts, but the training of the mind to think". I was holding to the fact, while some of my peers were training their minds to think- and that's what made the change.
Everyone has something to offer, that's true, but the greatest truth about intelligence is someone who has been able to take control of his mind. The ability to see something quickly as they are, and these, I'm still learning to do. So No, I'm not intelligent, I am still a work in progress.
All photos are mine