By Comet N.
The yardstick to measuring a lot of things in life has to do with our perception of that thing. But most times certain metrics are obtained on a more generic authentic perception than not.
Some of life’s endowments that are against the stakes (high, not-so-high, or low) include beauty, power, money, freedom, sex, education, wisdom, and intelligence, etc.
Now that we are aware of this, it’s time to point out some rare hard truths about some of these endowments.
First is: the beautiful ones most times work twice as hard for attention and relationships
Think about it for a second, the beautiful ones are usually assumed to be already in a relationship or getting much attention from many other people. As a result, they lack the attention they crave from the people they expect it from.
Secondly: the powerful ones use less of it
Have you ever met anyone powerful before? I mean in the sense of occupying a governor’s seat or part of a presidential crew? They’re usually the ones who act less capable with certain things you’d expect them to come through. And this mostly affects the perception people have of them because they are seen as powerful yet they act ordinary. They don’t give you connections easily, nepotism is a big deal since they’re constantly under the public’s microscopic evaluations. So, yes, the powerful ones are often powerless in action.
Thirdly: with money, the rich ones act as if poor and vice-versa.
This one is a typical example. Think about it: Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, stinkingly rich men who look so ordinary. They are the kind of men you meet and “by”-pass as nobodies. I won’t delve into the psychology of why this is so as that would be digressing from the topic, but I will say this: the rich men get to the point in their lives when money awfully humbles them. They don’t remember the money they have, they just chase after what to use it for. And because they don’t look so flashy (like the poor ones often do), you could almost rule them off as equally poor.
Whereas the poor ones, on the other hand, act rich and flamboyant. Again, I won’t delve into the psychology of why here but perhaps, it’s to do with boosting their esteem, the “fake it till you make it” mantra. Which is not pervasive until people start to lend them their treasures — heart, love, relationship, expensive jewelry, you name it — only to find out they were not who they appeared to be.
Again, perception.
Fourthly: Freedom is limited for the rich, intelligent, and the beautiful ones
You would think that being rich or beautiful or knowledgeable gives you a pass to so many things including freedom. Until you realize that those same things restrict your freedom to do so many things — or freedom on its own. This might do with the fact that they’re classified as the most wanted class of people in the world. Goals, like the millennials, would refer to it. Hence, why they have to be very mindful of many things they do, as a celebrity would, to avoid being taken advantage of — or at worse revealing how they’re equally the most vulnerable group of people there are.
Fifthly: Sex is overrated, other forms of it are underrated.
People often think that the worst thing that could happen to them is having sex uncountably not knowing that it’s having sex with the wrong people, and maybe uncontrollably so. Sex is overrated because anyone can offer it, but the sacredness comes from whom you share such spiritual/physical bonding. It lies in the stages leading up to it rather than just meeting and being sexed up. It’s the act or process leading to it that is underrated.
Sixth is: the educated ones work twice as hard to be validated or seen
This is one rare hard truth that needs to be flushed down with some cold drink associated. Why? Because the educated ones have to constantly prove themselves as opposed to the non-educated ones. It’s either the disparity is coming from the type or caliber of uni they attended, or it’s done with the caliber of previous work environments the person has worked in. And if you’re unlucky the more, you might have to answer more queries to do with all the fancy-looking courses, workshops, and job experiences you’ve had thus far.
I’ve heard this anonymous quote somewhere which states that it’s often better to hire a person who likes using a shortcut to things because then they can reduce the workload into half before the main work starts.
What does that teach the people who used the long cuts? We are talking, people who obtained their Masters, Ph.D., with multiple other side professional courses to max out the competition.
It’s awful, but the hard truth.
Lastly: the intelligent ones are the most criticized
“The problem with the world is that intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.” — Charles Buwoski
In every room full of people there are always more unintelligent people than the intelligent ones. They are often the loud, funny ones. The ones who love to pretend to be accommodating while degrading your abilities.
Woe betides the intelligent people who find themselves amid unintelligent ones: speaking in an articulative manner, probably in polished English, exuding confidence in their speaking skills even while arguing, quoting articles, giving both earthly and literary references, gosh, typing this already spells annoyance for those who might be reading it and thinking “boring”.
And if you did, or anyone else for that matter, be aware that it’s not your fault, the intelligent ones are the most criticized as either knowing too much, showing off even while being themselves a hundred percent, and as purely annoying and boring as f as they can be.
Perception has a lot to do with how we measure things in life. Whether they are for or against the stakes. We create the stakes with the metrics. This however forms some of the truths of life we often like to ignore, to continue to suit that perception.
These truths cover several life endowments such as beauty, power, money, freedom, sex, education, wisdom, and intelligence, etc. And the earlier we absolve these truths the easier it’d be to continue to navigate life confidently.
