I found this at Manpacks, a quirky site I check about once a week. It’s pretty funny, so if you want you can read the article before reading on, because I’m about to rip it a little bit. Seriously… it’s funny I you might want to enjoy it first. Here’s a link.
The 5 ways to appear smarter are:
1. Ask Questions: “Just because you’re willing to admit that you wouldn’t be the smartest person in a room full of Harvard graduates, doesn’t mean other people are.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken part in this scenario – from both sides.
2. Drop Names: I’m now looking to use “According to this month’s Mensa newsletter…” in a sentence.
3. Know the Classics: “IMDb and SparkNotes will help you trick people into thinking you’re smarter (and less lazy) than you really are. I get it – Google/Wikipedia are shortcuts we all take.
4. Specialize in Obscurity: Pick an area no one knows about. Interesting tactic… like theology?
5. Make Some Dumb Friends: I’ve been doing this for years.
Okay, here’s my beef. Why just appear smarter? Why not actually become smarter?
It’s humorous, I know, and I don’t mean to take it too seriously. However, we don’t need to glorify being stupid, at least not on purpose. I think this is a real problem in our culture. It’s more important to appear to have substance than it is to actually have substance. It’s not just a male issue, but too many men have become content to be amused by t.v. and pop-culture and have stopped learning and growing. “Who has time to learn about ancient philosophy when The Office is on, right?” No, not right! Turn the office off and read a book!
Also, I’m tired of defending against the false dichotomy. I reject the assumption that the commitment to learn, to read books, to grow intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually is too time consuming to actually enjoy contemporary culture. I also reject the idea that just because you like the Family Guy means you sit around saying, “pull my finger,” all day.
So here are my 5 ways to actually become smarter:
1. Read Books: If you struggle with reading, or simply cannot make yourself do it, then get audio books. Both are free at the public library. One of my best friends chews through about 3 books a week on audio. He’s getting the equivalent to a degree in literature while he works each day. The best entry point into non-fiction is the biography. No matter what, you need to read. My grandfather, who didn’t have more than an 8th grade education, read through the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. I watched him work through Time Life’s “Old West” series reading every word on every page. He was a welder and machinist who ended up working for the city water department, and was one of the smartest people I’ve ever met.
2. Watch the evening news and read the paper: If you are not into reading, at least watch a network newscast. If you want to try and cut through some of the editorial b.s., watch the news on PBS. Have the paper delivered to your house and spend 20 minutes with it everyday. If you can’t stomach that expense, then set up an igoogle page with news feeds from the New York Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post, npr, and CNN. My recommendation is to not watch or read Fox News or MSNBC – too polarized.
3. Engage in learning not amusement: Just turn it off the t.v. Turn off Hulu & Netflix as well. Stop amusing yourself and see what happens! Create the void first, and then see what fills the void. If you don’t like to read, then go to museums, attend lectures, listen to podcasts, and watch documentary films. There are tons of ways to learn w/out reading.
4. Travel: If you want to expand your horizons, travel is one of the best ways. You need to experience a different culture. It’s powerful to rub up against people, places, things, and ideas that are completely outside your experience.
5. Listen to NPR: Take sports radio or the pop station off your preset in the car. Make yourself listen to npr and you will actually be able to feel your brain expanding. There is a misconception that npr is liberal or something. It’s really not. Listen to it for a month every time you are in the car and you will understand what I mean. It’s not liberal, it’s old-school. Engage the rest of the world. BBC is good as well.
Honorable Mention: practice solitude and silence, take retreats, observe Sabbath, read scripture, eat a good breakfast, get up early and do things that feed your soul.
Always remember – a mind is a terrible thing to waste. Don’t fall for the lie of style over substance!
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