Bit by Bit - Chapter 16, Part 2

Trey Smith

The men of ancient times who practiced the Way employed tranquility to cultivate knowledge. Knowledge lived in them, yet they did nothing for its sake. So they may be said to have employed knowledge to cultivate tranquility. Knowledge and tranquility took turns cultivating each other, and harmony and order emerged from the inborn nature.
~ Burton Watson translation ~

For me, intelligence and knowledge are not the same thing. In many ways, the former is an arbitrary standard. The measurements used generally are tilted in one direction or the other. IQ tests tend to measure what the establishment deems important.

Knowledge, on the other hand, is born of experience. It comes from living and doing. There are many people who, though not "smart", are very knowledgeable. By the same token, there are many people who aren't knowledgeable which society holds up as brainy!

To view the Index page for this series, go here.