Lessons on Intelligence

Every day I am amazed by the people I meet in Bloomington both in and out of the classroom. There are professors on this campus who are doing incredible things. For today, I would like to challenge my fellow students to think beyond the University and reflect on their experiences in the local Bloomington community. There are many local Bloomington residents who have a lot to teach us about success.

It wasn’t until I moved off campus that I started meeting the locals. My first impression was that these local Bloomington residents are quite a unique and eclectic bunch. The everyday lessons I have learned from the people of Bloomington are some of the most important lessons I will take away from my time at IU. Here are a few of the things I’ve learned.

Intelligence comes in many, many forms.

Recently my roommate and I were talking with a group of ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses who were sharing personal stories with us about the tragic reality of when religion drives families apart. Without the financial support of their families, ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses must focus the bulk of their efforts on just making ends meet. As we were talking, one of their roommates came home from his fast-food job. To my amazement, as we were talking he picked up a Rubik’s cube and proceeded to solve it in less than a minute. “Do it again!” I said. He did. Maybe he wasn’t a college student, but he sure did possess a mathematical mind.

To really eat natural, go find the nearest mulberry tree.

I’ll be the first to admit it — this kind of basic human survival knowledge is completely foreign to me. I’ll always remember the day when I was going on and on about wanting some fruit to eat when my “townie” friend stood up, walked outside and up to the tree by my house and pulled off a handful of black mulberries. My world shifted. Free fruit had been there all along, but I, in my “environmentally conscious” mind, had assumed that the best thing to do was drive to Bloomingfoods and do my duty as a loyal, trusting consumer. Never again! From now on in the summer months you’ll find me up in the trees, picking fruit. 

Success is the result of an optimistic attitude.

Entrepreneurs are a rare breed, yet there seems to be a rather high concentration of entrepreneurs within the Bloomington community. I have always wondered why this is. Almost every local I talk to seems to be involved in their own project, whether they are launching a publishing company or about to release their first album. From these people I have learned about passion and commitment. Doing work and accomplishing goals on your own requires optimism, confidence and a sense of self-empowerment. These are the same traits that I, and many other IU students, should remember every day.  

In Bloomington, it is easy to fall into the idea that earning a college degree is the only way to prove that you are capable and intelligent. But through daily interactions in the local community, it doesn’t take long to realize that we all have something to offer.

­— bridgela@indiana.edu