One of the most misconstrued statement is “the smarter you get the less you speak” which often make people think intelligent people are extreme introverts. This is a fallacy. Ask a question that makes an intelligent people think & watch as the assumed quiet break their silence.⛱
Most of my Nephews and Nieces are Introverted angels on the surface but strike a chord with a dialogue in their area of interest and watch as their brain fires a billion synapses. You will have to beg them to have your peace and tranquility restored.
Same thing goes for people in the academia. The only reason people think smart people are quiet is because you don't have interesting conversations with them. Smart people are never quiet when you make them think. I have studied this over 30years. There’s no absolutism.
Some even assume quiet people are not necessarily intelligent since they are not expressive. This is also a fallacy. Conviction introduces emotion, which is the enemy of oratory. Deep thinkers often find it difficult to reduce their thoughts into words in expression or prose.
It’s like you saying people who don’t tweet much have got nothing to say or contribute. This would be an unscientific observation. If we think deep enough most of us will hardly tweet unless after figuring out how to engage the world of infinite idiocyncrasies that’s before us.
Deep thinkers will never break their silence to antagonize any opinion they feel differently about. If it interests them enough they simply explain their perspective in relation to the motion for clarity in distinct form with points clearly elucidated.
They teach us unconsciously how not to assume disagreeing with opinions can cause unnecessary drama. It’s all about the presentation of perspective. Jumping into threads unread beyond the first line with prejudices harms your relationship & flags your person. This is unethical.
Deep thinkers are mindful of their choice of words. “You are Wrong!” As a charge indeed a posit not addressed to you is like jumping at an opportunity to prove another wrong by all means even without exploring context. People like this are often shamed in the end.
The “I disagree” gang are mostly deemed attention seekers especially when not specifically being addressed. Ur agreement or disagreement is irrelevant since no one died & made U emperor over random conversations on Twitter. This is why the wise don’t have an opinion on everything
25years ago, my boss, who’s been the Father of Rating & Valuation even before I got my first school leaving certificate, proposed an new initiative I believed won’t work with unrealistic timeline. We were to sell a property on going concern basis in Ilorin.
This was a man that quarrels over simple matters like changing his words on valuation reports. But I insisted respectfully that if the sale were to be successful in record time things must be approached differently. I stated my points non-violently after seeking his permission.
As you know adults will never verbalize their agreement with a superior argument nor accept when beaten in their own game. He simply said, you are free to do what you like but be ready to take responsibility should your projections fail to manifest. I thanked him and deployed.
I left for Ilorin on a proverbial journey of no return cum fool’s errand in his view but in less than a week, my projections were good on the money and timelines were even far better than projected. We sold a special property in record time ...
...in the client’s words, “this is the best and most engaging report I have ever read. It not only gave me the highest and best use of the property but also have a clear investment analysis of competing alternative uses thus justifying the opinion of value.”
My boss made a fortune even without commending me or appreciating the risk taken to disagree with him. I overheard him speak later to a friend about the incident but of course until the Lion learns how to document history, the affairs of the jungle will only glorify the Hunter.
This pattern repeated itself all through my career until I got the message. It is never about who is right but what is right. If you strongly believe something ought to be done in the know, stand for it and apologize to no one for being so deeply convicted. People will adjust.
