Last night, I joined an interesting discussion about smartness on Twitter. At first, a female friend taught how she had enjoyed learning various things by reading textbooks (or, just glancing at them only with curiosity), and other users started showing how they had got angry about that episode. I can't tell how YOU (yes, dear reader!) are thinking about ME, but TBH I am never a smart guy therefore in my school days I had to read my textbooks again and again, and finally had to give up/surrender to the severe reality (However, about reading Haruki I could concentrate on his works during my free time without feeling boredom).
YOU would say to me "Bullshit! I already know you're from Waseda!". I accept what you're saying about this (even though I am autistic, I can read such an easy context behind your blaming of me). However, I can't believe that I can learn one's smartness from the university by which they graduated. I'm not saying this from any beautiful ideal but just from the reality or the intimate feeling I have (or maybe you can call that my intuitive point of view). At least, there must be various "smarter" people than me. For example, my ex-job coach or the girls I have loved once (all of them are still good friends of mine).
And, I remember another idea from somewhere (probably from Sandel's book I've read recently, or some posts on Twitter from Japanese "clever" and "ultra-liberal" guys) that says there seems to be a certain bias that ONLY the concept of "smartness" (yes, in a way, a very abstract idea) rules/determines our dignities or the primal values we must have. I won't hesitate to say this to such a snob trend/atmosphere. "Bullshit!".
After today's work, I joined the weekly Zoom meeting with my friends. There, we talked about several topics freely. About the result of the election in the US, and also how we can learn English to understand/follow the changing currencies in the world. In my case, it seems that all I can do from now on can be just to learn various things as I have done usually/steadily, and also try to communicate with others with a calm attitude. You would say I must be a nameless coward, but I don't want to open my political stance in this journal. But, from this stubborn and definitely ignorant Japanese autistic guy, I just keep thinking about this reality on and on.
