Talent is frightening
When Winston Churchill, still young, finished delivering his debut speech in the House of Commons, he went to ask an old parliamentarian, a friend of his father, what he thought of his first performance in that assembly of politicians. The old man placed his hand on Churchill's shoulder and said, in a paternal tone:
My young man, you made a serious mistake. You were far too brilliant in this your first speech in the House. That is unforgivable. You should have started a little more in the shadows. You should have stuttered a little. With the intelligence you showed today, you must have made at least thirty enemies.
There was one of the finest lessons an old wise man could give to someone starting out in a difficult career. Most people who hold significant positions and who are connected to power are mediocre, and they have an undisguised fear of other people's intelligence. If this happens in England, imagine here in Brazil. It is worth recalling the famous verse by António Aleixo:
There are so many fools commanding men of intelligence, that sometimes I find myself thinking that stupidity is a Science.
antónio aleixo
We must admit that, in general, mediocre people are more persistent in pursuing positions. They know how to occupy the empty spaces left by talented but careless individuals who show no appetite for power. But it must be noted that these opportunistic and ambitious mediocre people have a habit of protecting their conquered positions with veritable granite walls, through which talented people cannot pass. They know better than anyone how to guard their territory.
Talent is frightening.
The old parliamentarian's advice to young Churchill, in the House of Commons.
The inner circles
In every field we encounter these established fortresses, the famous inner circles. Within this line of thinking, we are forced to admit that a person sometimes needs to pretend to be dull if they want to succeed in life. It is a sin to outshine someone even in casual conversation.
Just as a group of well-married bourgeois ladies automatically boycotts the entry of a young attractive woman into their social circle out of fear of losing their husbands, mediocre people also close themselves like oysters at the mere appearance of a talented young person who might threaten them. They know their own limitations well, they know how much it costs them to perform tasks that more gifted individuals handle with ease. This deeply irritates them.
Ultimately, even as they admire the ease with which more lucid people solve problems, mediocre people repudiate them as a form of self-defense. It is an agonizing paradox.
Unfortunately, we must live by these absurd rules that turn intelligence into a kind of defect in the eyes of the world. The most prepared and most intelligent are forced to SELL their ideas, even at the cost of losing authorship of them, or adapting them to mediocre visions, simply to satisfy the appetite of those who have the power to command but do not know how to create. In the current model, this becomes the only option for the development and continuity of projects for those who are starting their careers.
These days, true intelligence sometimes means appearing foolish.
It may seem unfair, but, on the other hand, by being humble and knowing how to play the game, one gains trust and experience over time. For those who are truly intelligent, this will not be wasted: it will be far more useful down the road, when they will naturally evolve, gain power, and be able to change the course of what they now consider unjust.
conclusion
Patience is still the highest form of emotional intelligence.
