The Simple Things

I recently watched an anime series which was hilariously titled Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective. Let me know if you think you can guess what the plot of the show is based solely on the title: yes, it’s basically House if instead of Gregory House being a quirky white guy he was an anime girl with the appearance and temperament of the average high schooler.

The eponymous Ameku-sensei is meant to be a brilliant physician, with a knack for solving medical-adjacent mysteries, as one does—in other words, a genius. Even better, she lives in a brick house that is on top of the hospital where she works; this is a setting the series shows often. Fantastical setting aside, imagine the room of a genius. It doesn’t have to be the room from this anime; it could be the room of your preferred version of Sherlock Holmes.

What’s in that room? For me, and among all the examples I can conjure to mind at will, it’s a room filled with books on nearly all surfaces. In Ameku, there’s a piano in the room, musical instruments being another key indicator of the genius. I don’t recall one in Ameku, but perhaps in your room there’s a chess board—hardly a genius without, right?

What I’m trying to get at here is that there’s a shared language, a shared imagery for what we think of a genius, or even just intelligence. This person is undoubtedly well-read (only recently have we seen the rise of those who would like to claim genius while also seeming like they’re unfamiliar with the concept of books), and in a chicken-egg scenario, we make that part of the mark of intelligence itself. It’s sort of a joke, the set decoration that’s indicative of certain “types”—but in a way, isn’t it also sort of true?

Where would you even begin? [...] The simple answer is to start with the simple things.

I guess I’ve always been interested in intelligence, though I’m not sure I’ve always been interested in trying to become more intelligent. Yet I strongly want to improve myself, in any facet I can, an urge that grows stronger the older I get.

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I’m loath to use this language, but one of my big pet peeves is people who exhibit “fixed mindsets.” Basically, just people who talk about things—particularly about their own qualities—as static, unchanging. I’m this intelligent, I’m this athletic, I’m this thoughtful. Life is ever changing, and so are you. In some senses, I think this sort of thing is often just coping against having to actually show effort, where you might fail. Instead, it’s easier to simply say these things can’t be changed, so why bother trying? Or if they can be changed, where would you even begin? Rather than trying to become more intelligent, some might simply say “be more intelligent,” even further obscuring the path to get there. Words as ever reveal thought-processes. I mean, intelligence is complicated—how can one become more intelligent, or is it even possible?

The simple answer is to start with the simple things. To become more intelligent, maybe you’d start by trying to read more. Read more, read wider, read deeper: as I said recently, almost all of human knowledge is contained in and predicated on books, so probably a good place to start.

This isn’t just limited to intelligence, though. Just this past week I’ve had people tell me they “weren’t creative”; that they “weren’t athletic.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a child toss aside their crayons to open a spreadsheet. Many of the things we think of as essential parts of ourselves are transient, shifting not only according to our circumstances, but also from our intentions and actions.

Being creative is simply a matter of doing creative things. A photographer is someone who makes photos. We can argue about the point where you become a professional photographer, but this is just quibbling. Having a body like Michael Phelps would certainly make you more successful were you to hop in a pool (though similarly, I can personally attest that height doesn’t immediately equal basketball talent), but anyone can swim laps. Swim for a little while, and congrats: you’ve become athletic.

Best of all, it’s easier than you think. I recently saw a post talking about child geniuses—those that seem incredibly skilled in some field despite being just five or ten years old. Some might see these kids and get discouraged, thinking you can never have talent like that.

On the other hand, it only took them a couple of years to get that good. Better get started.