If someone should ask what are the three things we need, most people would answer water, food, and companionship. But for this post, I’m creating a slightly different list.

For the first thing, I’m lumping in water and food together as life-sustaining things we need to survive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second thing would be companionship and sex to propagate our species  – again, to survive.

The third thing I’m adding is intelligence and awareness. Without those, we cannot function properly independently, both physically and mentally. Let me explain.

Intelligence is something I believe is fostered and created. I think a part of the brain is innately created in the womb that determines our intelligence level, but my own experiences convince me that intelligence is developed from birth. How do I know this for sure? Because of my daughter.

When I learned I was pregnant, I read to my belly. I listened to classical and instrumental music. I talked to the baby inside of me. And when my daughter was born, her eyes took in the world.

I spoke to my infant daughter like I would an adult. There was no goo-goo baby talk. I’d converse with her –  in the supermarket as I pushed her in the cart, and when I was making dinner or cleaning, she was right next to me. From infancy, I read to her at night. By the time she was three, she knew most of the words. Yes, she could have memorized the books, but isn’t that what learning is?

As a child, my daughter was always curious and had remarkable problem-solving skills. She also had a high level of intelligence, making origami (Japanese paper art) at six or seven, building a K’Nex roller coaster without looking at directions, and putting together a gas bar-b-q grill in a flash when she was eight. She had that mechanical mind that figured out complex problems fast. And she was a straight-A student, taking AP courses and graduating as one of the top students in her class, hardly ever taking home a book for school.

Was she born with that incredible intelligence, or was it developed and nurtured? We’re born with a certain amount of intelligence, but our life also creates a lot of it.

We need intelligence and awareness to navigate our way through life. It helps us figure out problems, find solutions, understand emotion and have respect and manners. Intelligence helps us be happy because we know ourselves and do what brings us joy.

Let’s always foster intelligence in our children (or grandchildren.) Spend time with them. Read to them. Allow them space to create. Most kids could have a lot of fun with a cardboard box and some art supplies or visiting nature instead of sitting in front of a screen.

The same is true for adults. We can get inspired by anything if we’re curious. And we can learn too, no matter what our age. Intelligence can be developed, even as an adult.

We need to eat, drink, and be with people, but our minds truly allow us to live life. Try something new and get those brain synapses firing to create new pathways of knowledge. It’ll make a great life!

Thank you for reading this. I’d love to know your thoughts on this subject, so feel free to comment below.

To the things we need in life,

Francesca