That’s A Really Smart Guy!
I’ve mentioned. many times, either here in this blog, on social media or while speaking in public, that I don’t have a college degree. For many years I would say it was something I regretted in my life. I regretted not having that opportunity to go to college. The cards were just not on the table for me, so I missed out. I no longer say I regret that twist in my life. To be honest, I don’t regret it at all anymore. Mainly because I learned along the path of life that inner peace comes from not having regrets. But I also came to no longer regret not having that degree because I have never stopped learning. My thirst for knowledge is just as strong today as it was when I was 18 years old and graduating from high school. The only difference is that I learned that the path to knowledge doesn’t come in a one size fits all classroom model. I’ve said it many times, I may not have a piece of paper that says I’m smart, but I’ve never stopped learning.
I only bring this up because a couple of weeks ago I had the extreme pleasure of meeting a very smart man. You could tell just by talking to him that he was intelligent, highly intelligent. I was signing books at the Fryeburg Fair, not exactly the halls of deep academic thought, but the deep fried oreos were amazing! This man stepped up to the table, not to have me sign a copy of my book for him, but to ask me about the publishing process. You see he had written a book, a real life story about the first time DNA was used in a court trial. The DNA evidence wasn’t used to convict anyone, but to prove the innocence of the accused.
I found this very interesting because I had only heard of cases where DNA was used to find someone guilty. His story seemed to be the opposite of everything I was familiar with. I love it when something challenges my way of thinking! This man was extremely passionate about his subject. He told me all about it and in doing so he used impressive vocabulary words! I love words, so naturally that is what I picked up on first. He was a smart man and what he wanted to know was how to get his book published. I explained that I was a self published author and then told him about everything that choosing to go that path entails. I could see him grimace at the financial burden doing it this way would cost him. I mentioned other avenues, traditional publishing, querying to agents, crowd sourcing, etc. He openly admitted that he felt trapped in his station in life because of his socio-economic status.
This man openly explained his situation to me. In our world today we would use words like “marginalized” or “less advantaged”. He was honest with me that he is surviving at government funded income levels. He’s basically what we would call “in the system”. Yet he had never been educated in the traditional sense, same as I have not, but he was so smart. You could tell that immediately. How had this gentleman, and that is what he was, an articulate well mannered gentleman, how had he not found a way to pursue his goals when he clearly fit the criteria for every program out there? All of the years he had been in “the system” how is it that no one else had noticed his intelligence and pointed him toward a different program than just subsistence living? It infuriated me to be honest.
I gave the man my card and told him to use the contact form on my website if he wanted to reach out to me. I’d be more then happy to help him navigate the world of getting his story published. At that moment Bud stepped up and you could tell the man felt very comfortable around Bud’s down to earth demeanor. Immediately they started chatting away about what I affectionately call “guy stuff” and before long the man was telling Bud about a mechanical part he had invented. I marveled at him as I watched his mind switch from speaking to me about literary pursuits to chatting with Bud about mechanical functions. This man was multi faceted. His knowledge, his intelligence, his level of understanding was well rounded and not just focused on one thing. He was a very smart man. But by the standards we currently live in, he would not have been judged smart. He had no degree. He held no job. He had no successful career. He did not look the part of a well educated man that is so stereo-typical in our image driven world today. It’s safe to say that most people, myself included if I’m honest, would have not even noticed him in the hustle and bustle of life. He was that unassuming.
As someone who has been shunned myself in certain circles, by certain individuals and even by certain organizations, all because I don’t have that special piece of paper that says I’m smart, my heart broke for this man. He and I shared a similar struggle, but his path was much more difficult than mine is at the moment. As he walked away I was grateful for the time I had spent with him. Grateful that I could add more one interesting individual to my long list of people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.
Meeting him also helped me to more deeply understand that we are all smart. Intelligence comes in many forms. Knowledge does not belong to just a select few. Nor is education acquired in only one form. There are a lot of very smart people out there who’s voices are never heard. Find those people. Share a conversation with those people. They are the real gems in life.