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Upvoted for an excellent expansion on the OP's comment. I will second world travel; I backpacked through India for two months on my own (made a lot of friends t

by Ixiaus 16y ago

Upvoted for an excellent expansion on the OP's comment. I will second world travel; I backpacked through India for two months on my own (made a lot of friends though) on a budget. I've also been sent out on many survival trips, while not world travel, you see a side of life most urban dwellers never even scratch at. I will strongly second the "no drugs" advice. I experimented and quickly stopped because I noticed - more than inhibiting my mental capacity - it ruins your life and makes you dependent (rather than autonomous). Autonomy is the watchword of an adept mind! Read. Read. Read. But, don't believe everything you read! Part of being intelligent is knowing when to accept a piece of thinking and when to question it; when you do question it, dig into it deeply until you come out the other end with a whole new set of original conclusions that were inspired by one dubious conclusion. I will strongly second the advice to foster many interests. You interact with people that have points of view (goes with world traveling well) you would never consider. Also, don't forget, "weirdos" or "eccentrics" have much to offer - just be sure to follow your gut when interacting with them (some have misguided intentions, others are pure as gold).

krsna 16y ago
I absolutely agree with reading. But I'm surprised no-one's mentioned writing. I find writing (à la pen-and-paper) to be a great way to organize one's own thoughts and opinions. It's so easy to read someone else's opinion and assimilate it implicitly into one's own view. Writing, on the other hand, seems to allow for deeper inquiry into a subject.
- mikeleeorg 16y ago
  Ah yes, great point. The critical thinking, introspection, and analysis that goes into writing definitely strengthens neural pathways. You just reminded me of another one: teaching. One study showed that older siblings, on average, tend to be slightly smarter than their younger siblings. One plausible rationale may be because they spend time teaching their younger brothers & sisters. http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=3401 http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=3401 If you've ever taught someone a subject, and found yourself walking away knowing that subject better than you did before, you're experiencing a similar phenomenon. The act of teaching a subject requires you to understand it well enough to be able to synthesize, then explain it to someone else.

by Ixiaus 16y ago

krsna 16y ago

I absolutely agree with reading. But I'm surprised no-one's mentioned writing. I find writing (à la pen-and-paper) to be a great way to organize one's own thoughts and opinions. It's so easy to read someone else's opinion and assimilate it implicitly into one's own view. Writing, on the other hand, seems to allow for deeper inquiry into a subject.

mikeleeorg 16y ago
Ah yes, great point. The critical thinking, introspection, and analysis that goes into writing definitely strengthens neural pathways. You just reminded me of another one: teaching. One study showed that older siblings, on average, tend to be slightly smarter than their younger siblings. One plausible rationale may be because they spend time teaching their younger brothers & sisters. http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=3401 http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=3401 If you've ever taught someone a subject, and found yourself walking away knowing that subject better than you did before, you're experiencing a similar phenomenon. The act of teaching a subject requires you to understand it well enough to be able to synthesize, then explain it to someone else.