Nerenberg is interested in the study of stupidity and its causes so that we may choose another route and pursue wisdom instead. For all the studies on intelligence and wisdom, according to Nerenberg the study of stupidity is quite paltry in comparison. Is stupidity so stupefying that even the best minds find it beyond their capability to study? Or are we so arrogant as to consider human stupidity unworthy of our serious study? Either way, we have proven over the millennia that human stupidity is recurrent and seemingly boundless. It is neither a laughing matter nor is “Stupid!” merely an epithet to hurl at someone with whom we disagree. I’m sure that each one of us can admirably demonstrate stupidity in our own lives.

In the 1970′s Carlo M. Cipolla circulated an essay, The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity. In 1987, The Whole Earth Review republished the essay with pictures and titled it The Fundamental Laws of Human Stupidity. Due to copyright rules I cannot reproduce this article but it is easily located via google and the specific laws are listed in the wikipedia link that I have provided for Dr. Cipolla. That said, Cipolla’s definition of a stupid person is of interest. “A person is stupid if they cause damage to another person or group of people without experiencing personal gain, or even worse causing damage to themselves in the process.” Why are we consistently willing to do damage to ourselves and others?

Although I don’t think that I have THE answer, I do have one possible answer. It is a matter of lack of awareness and fear. So many times I have done stupid things by not paying attention. For example, by forgetting to a pay a bill on time, I have had to pay an extra fee to compensate for my tardiness. Not only have I made the person who provided me a service wait for their reimbursement, I have unnecessarily paid extra. This is a small example of stupidity. A much larger example of stupidity is that for a long time I was in denial about our environment. I drove unnecessarily and didn’t think much about sustainability. I told myself that the impact of my actions was minuscule and couldn’t possibly make a difference. However, I recently realized that if large numbers of people felt and acted the same way that I did, such behavior would have large and likely irreparable effects on our climate and other environmental necessities.

Fear is also a great motivator in inflicting damage on others and thus on ourselves. Violence is often a desperate response that yields damage to both self and others. Those whom we fear and distance ourselves from often then become targets of our direct and projected violence. Were we able to practice connection and caring rather than fear, violence might well be averted.

One last cause of stupidity is overwhelm. We are constantly bombarded with information. It is impossible not to feel overwhelmed at times. In an effort to steel ourselves against any more information overload we withdraw and choose not to pay attention. There are so many things requiring our attention that are worthwhile. How do we best choose? My guess is that those pieces of information that fully honor our values (as opposed to our opinions) are the ones that require our attention. We must be thoughtful and deliberate in our choices. Information that both honors our feelings and challenges our ideas will help increase our wisdom.

Stupidity lives in everyone. It is not just a symptom of low intelligence. In fact, it is not related to intelligence at all. We’ve all seen very intelligent people behave stupidly. It is about awareness, caring and noticing one’s impact on oneself and others. We can do all of ourselves a favor by staying open and aware of our own acts of stupidity. Western society encourages stuporous behavior. We deserve better than this. Wake up and pay attention. Notice your impact and help others to notice theirs. With awareness we can then cultivate wisdom rather than stupidity.

What situations are likely to cause you to harm yourself and others?

What is your relationship with stupidity?

Where do you become stuporous and act stupidly?

More »

Duh! Of course to win any game you must intend to win. Consistent wins are not a matter of chance. You must know your game inside and out, know your strengths and weaknesses and practice your skills everyday. However, as any winning athlete will tell you, your mental game is just as important as your physical game.

And this is where intent is most important. When you make choices in your life, how many are truly intentional and how many are made with minimal awareness or care about impact? Most likely you make big decisions with great awareness and smaller decisions with lesser awareness. Now imagine what your life would be like if everything you did or chose was made from conscious intention and awareness.

Think of something that you desire that you either don’t yet have or haven’t yet achieved. How important is this goal for you? Have you made it your Number One priority? If it is not yet your Number One priority, what would be different if it were?

What is your Number One priority?

As an example, writing this blog post is an important priority for me today. Rather than reading the newspaper, doing a crossword puzzle or surfing the web, I’m writing this article right now. I have made it my Number One priority for the morning. In the scheme of things, writing one blog post is not that big a deal. I could write it this morning or even this evening. However, this blog post is in keeping with my goal to launch The Opportunity Game by January 1, 2010. Now that I’ve made The Opportunity Game my Number One priority for this year, everything I see or do is filtered through the lens of The Opportunity Game. Thus, writing this post becomes an important priority for me. I’m being intentional in my approach to how I spend my time.

I’m also being intentional in how I think about my world. One of the most important lessons playing The Opportunity Game has given me is that every moment presents an opportunity to engage with someone or something. Will I show up in the moment and connect with it? When you connect with the present moment you have any number of possibilities at your disposal. Opportunities abound that I never noticed before.

What if you lived your life as if each moment counted? What if you were intentional about your moment-to-moment life? What opportunities could you create that weren’t there before?

More »