“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

— Romans 12:2

Let’s keep it simple.

It’s misunderstood, misapplied, and misjudged. As a result, it can be stigmatized in a lot of contexts.

Intelligence is needed, available, and universal. It’s diverse.

Intelligence run amok is shallow, stupid, and self-destructive.

“Unintelligent” people have the intelligence of being envious or cautious around intelligence, or to avoid or take advantage of intelligence—that is intelligence.

The subconscious is real and accessible. Feelings are thoughts, cravings are thinking, and creativity is genius. Denial and blame take massive cognitive loads. Our guts, right hemisphere, and limbic systems are just as much players as our left hemisphere and prefrontal cortex.

Non-thinking, being able to think about thoughts and feelings, and to hold room for other people, as well as their ideas: that implies room to work with it all, as well as the ability to do so (James 3:17; cf. 1 Corinthians 3:18-19).

Smart is not intelligent. Self-control is. Wisdom is what matters, as life, truthfulness, and love.

Change is constant, the brain is plastic, and God can remold humans like clay if we would but give a little (Isaiah 64:8).

“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.”

— Socrates

A follow-up piece called Knowledge, Neurogenesis, & Recovery is coming out in the next week or so. It is looking directly at the neurobiology of the mind, pulling from research that was meant for today’s post. Using myself as a case study, it explores the science behind how addiction, trauma, and environments of manipulation affect brain architecture, like gray matter loss. And, using myself as a case study, exploring the objective realities of neurogenesis, pivotal mental states, integration lag, and more.