You must avoid this surprising habit that can undermine your intelligence if you want to appear brighter, sound wiser, and be more intelligent.
It is more than a habit. It is a basic need, an integral part of being human.
However, if you overdo it, like me ( argh!), it can affect how others perceive you and, more importantly, how you perceive and sound to yourself (is it just me?).
Enough with the blabbing.
This is the habit that can undermine your intelligence:
Talking.
It sounds counterintuitive, but nine times out of 10, the loudest person in the room is the dumbest person in the room.
Being quiet and unassuming will lend you an aura of brilliance, and it may save your life.
Sounds too good to be true?
Here’s a story
A lioness went out hunting. She sees a donkey.
The lioness asks the donkey,
“Can you please tell me if my breath smells good?”
She opens her mouth wide so the donkey can come close and smell her breath.
The donkey, afraid of the lioness, barely mutters — “It smells great,” before he turns into lunch.
The lioness continues on her way and meets a wolf.
“Can you please tell me if my breath smells good?”
The wolf, who witnessed the donkey’s fate, answers the opposite.
“ Oh no, it smells badly!”
Sure enough, the wolf becomes dessert.
The lioness continues walking, apparently insatiable, when she spots a fox.
The lioness approaches and asks,
“Can you please tell me if my breath smells good?”
After seeing what happened to the donkey and the wolf, the fox points to her nose, makes a face as if to say, “ I am sick; I can’t smell today,” and walks away.
She did not become dinner. And most probably, she never will.
Why?
Be like a fox
The fox is focused on herself.
She is not looking to state her opinion about anything and anybody, not even about the king ( or queen) of the jungle.
The fox is not playing mind games to outsmart anyone.
The fox has a challenge to overcome. And she will do it her way, with humility, wisdom, and, more importantly, quietly.
“All my life, I have been raised among the wise, and I have found nothing better for the body than silence.”
– Ethics of the Fathers, 1:17
We believe we are worldly and assertive, but more often than not, we are just regurgitating biases fed to us by society and the media.
While we may think we are sharing exciting anecdotes, they are plain gossip, fake news, or lies people spread mindlessly.
When we consider ourselves to have remarkable character and high standards, but our words are full of judgment and criticism, our true inner self is reflected in our speech — and it is not always pretty.
In a world that is buzzing with noisy fake glittering sounds,
Silence is golden.
One aspect of being an intelligent human being is making good choices. I believe this article will help you do just that.
If you want to learn more about silence in Judaism, click here.
