From ancient times to the present, the difference in wealth, status, intelligence, etc., has always been the focus of comparison in discussing related aspects such as current situation, the reasons that constitute them. Among them, the saying "Fools speak what they know and wise men know what they speak" is a typical example of discussing the difference between intelligence and ignorance. This saying helps us understand more clearly the nature of what makes a person foolish and what makes a person wise.
A fool in the common sense is someone who lacks the ability to draw correct conclusions from their sensory perceptions, the manifestation of foolishness is almost always seen as a lack or decrease in intelligence and is measured by an intelligence quotient. Greek philosophers said: There are three types of ignorance: not knowing what should be known, knowing what should not be known, and knowing what should not be known.
Therefore, we cannot judge a book by its cover and we cannot judge a person by a few words. There are people with poor academic performance who become millionaires, but there are also people who study for more than ten years only to return to manual labor. That's why it is said that being better than others is not because of a university degree but because of one's way of thinking and daily behavior.
1. Boasting and showing off, deliberately enhancing self-worth
Foolish people often try to show off themselves to stand out and attract more attention than others. They boast about everything they have, exaggerating what they possess. They boast to hide their inferiority, fearing that they are not as good as others. They are afraid of being criticized or looked down upon, so they actively show off. Recently in Western China, an employee was suspended from work for excessively flaunting his wealth on social media, turning himself into the center of attention, claiming that his father worked in the provincial government and had relationships with many wealthy people, that he was given a cigarette worth over 4 million dong, that he drank tea worth over 400,000 Chinese yuan equivalent to about 1.3 billion Vietnamese dong, and then boasted about luxury goods, causing a heated debate and suspicion in the online community about whether his actions were related to corruption.
The consequences of showing off attracted more than 250 million views, 16,000 comments, and he was temporarily suspended from work to be investigated for his statements. It turns out that it was all fabricated to show off and he will be dealt with according to the law. It is true that most foolishness is born when actions speak louder than the brain. The poor feel inferior and try to show off as if they were rich, spending freely on luxury items. Foolish people are afraid of being recognized as foolish, so they boast about reading this book or that document, often mentioning foreign countries to show off their knowledge, criticizing others for being less educated, and deliberately enhancing themselves through words.
Conversely, wise people will keep their personal matters private and only share what needs to be shared. They live modestly and humbly, letting others be curious and discover their true value.
2. Fools blame others for all their mistakes
If you constantly try to shift the blame for your mistakes to others, you are showing them your foolishness. Fools do not like to take responsibility for their mistakes. They prefer to receive sympathy or blame others. The moment you point fingers at others is the moment they realize you are irresponsible and unintelligent. In contrast, an intelligent and honest person will never blame others for their mistakes, but will always take responsibility and seriously admit their faults when they make mistakes. On the other hand, fools do the opposite; they prefer to be pitied by others rather than admit their mistakes, and they will shift their responsibility to others whenever possible. This means that fools will never progress, while intelligent people will learn valuable lessons from their own mistakes.
3. Fools always think they are "better" than others
Intelligent people like to work with and learn from those who are smarter than them, while incompetent people do not like anyone who is better than them. Intelligent people are always happy and willing to work with those who are more knowledgeable than them, without hiding their ignorance. How to complete the task is what they care about. In contrast, fools are always afraid of becoming weak and being ridiculed if they have to work with those who are better than them. Stemming from the mentality of intelligent people not fearing competition. They try to help others and inspire them to be better, sharing their knowledge generously with others.
On the other hand, fools strive to be recognized as better than others, they will even try to manipulate and undermine others for their own selfish interests. They are always judgmental and think they are better than anyone else.
4. Fools always think they are right in every situation
In conflicts, intelligent people can empathize with others and are willing to accept situations from others' perspectives. They are patient and willing to listen and change their opinions if necessary. In contrast, fools never stop arguing and will not change their opinions even when the other person has very reasonable arguments. In addition, fools cannot recognize that others may have more ability and intelligence than themselves. However, intelligent people never go too far in such matters; they do not wait for others to be honored, nor do they seek praise like fools.
For intelligent people, recognition does not bring much meaning as they are capable of evaluating their own abilities, knowing where they stand to always strive. In contrast, incompetent people love to feel honored and praised by others. Therefore, in any debate, they always have to try their best to prove that their views are correct and superior to others. Intelligent people are usually friendly and caring, they do not boast when someone achieves good results and always encourage and inspire the team. On the other hand, fools always believe they are the best, even trying to eliminate those they see as obstacles to their advancement.
5. Fools do not care about the emotions and needs of others
Intelligent people are empathetic, they do not dismiss the emotions and opinions of others, so they understand different perspectives and look at a situation from many angles, objectively considering the issue. Because intelligent people usually have a keen eye for others, when working together, they often trust their colleagues and are willing to delegate important tasks. As usual, fools still only trust themselves and always try to blame others, adding fuel to the fire, being arrogant whenever a colleague makes a mistake instead of helping to find a solution. They only care about personal achievements and do not value teamwork.
A professor at the University of Texas analyzed over 1,000 Americans and found that intelligent people often give without expecting anything in return. In contrast to fools, this shows that intelligent people understand the needs and emotions of others better and tend to help others more.
6. Fools are aggressive and angry in every conflict situation
Intelligent people always try to simplify things and handle them thoroughly, while incompetent people tend to make small things big. They always exaggerate things to attract the attention of those around them and try to show themselves as outstanding employees. Of course, the truth is not like that. Intelligent people also have moments of anger, but they learn to control their emotions and accept them to have a better mood. In contrast, fools are always angry in every situation, fools often get angry and aggressive whenever things do not go as they want. They provoke to protect themselves and their position whenever they feel they cannot control the situation or someone. Summarizing the analysis above helps you imagine a person who often boasts and exaggerates their knowledge, always trying to show off and claim to be better than others in everything, always present in every matter, always interrupting, saying what they know innocently, then they are clearly fools. The other person is always aware of their actions, words, and thoughts. Understanding the values of kindness, deeply understanding the spirit of "what is core will last long," we know that they are truly intelligent.
They provoke to protect themselves and their position whenever they feel unable to control a situation or someone. Summarizing and analyzing the above has helped you imagine an image of a person who often boasts about their knowledge, empty inside, always claiming to be better than others, good at everything, interfering in every issue, speaking what they know innocently, then they are clearly ignorant. The other person is always aware of their actions, words, and thoughts. Understanding the values of honesty and beauty, deeply imbued with the spirit of "what is core will last long," we know that they are truly an intelligent person.