Intelligence

My hubby texted me this yesterday.  A few months ago I might have been offended by this, but today it gave me joy to look at each new day with wondering.

"The sign of intelligence is that you are constantly wondering.  Idiots are always dead sure about every damn thing they are doing in their life." - Vasudev

Kind of a strong quote to me, but gets me in "wondering" mode.  Last night I was wondering about what the human brain is capable of.  I've learned so much over the years about fascinating phenomenon taking place in the brain.  I was fascinated to learn about the many notable people throughout history who had epilepsy.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_epilepsy (See Religious Figures)  Simply Fascinating

Just being open to other plausible stories or explanations for the first time in my life as to what my five generations of ancestors believed gives me hope for my children.  It also sheds understanding to why someone would die for something they truly believed happened to them, but science didn't understand back when it happened.  Science is an evolving story.  Science offers new levels of compassion and understanding as to why the story was changed and modified so many times to make it work for a compelling religion or cause.

Putting all our previously held assumptions on trial with no bias in the court of our minds with our understanding of neuroscience today and the experiences we can create in our mind makes each new day a new discovery.  To look at everything once held as sure, with doubt and without bias gives gifts of an expanding mind. We all have a bright and beautiful futures ahead if we teach ourselves and our children to never stop questioning and wondering and dreaming and being creative! With less and less fear, and increasing understanding, our world is still evolving.  Could it have been a temporal lobe epilepsy with symptoms just as varied as the human mind is varied?  Could it have been a silent migraine?  Could he have been in a manic phase?  Could it have been something ingested in the forest? Could he have just been a great liar and story teller, with a wonderful imagination as we've seen the evidence of thousands of other humans who've produced works of art to be appreciated, but not worshiped?

Being allowed to ask questions again has opened up my mind and heart, and has caused me to love life again.  Being able to and willing to question my own experiences with rationale explanations and understanding based on science leads to hope, and renewal.  There is so much to learn.  There is so much appreciation for every person in a lab today working all day long to discover something new using the scientific method.  Five hundred years from now will religion be the master, or science and discovery?  Five hundred years from now will we accept how beautiful and amazing and wonderful the human mind truly is, and just for what it is?  Five hundred years from now will we understand more about how we are all connected to each other and the world we live in?