Through verbal discourse, foolishness may indeed manifest, yet it fails to expose itself with absolute clarity. Speech operates with celerity and, when intertwined alongside non-verbal dynamics, can readily command a deceptive persuasiveness. Depending upon facial expressions, manual gestures, vocal resonance, and contextual settings, an utterly idiotic utterance can masquerade as a profound pearl of wisdom, and the converse reality transpires with equal frequency. Conversely, within the written script, foolishness is captured in its absolute, raw state. The disjointed nexus operating between unrefined sentences. The utter ambiguity regarding what it is one desperately craves to convey. Exactly what species of narrative one desires to articulate. Within writing, foolishness is preserved with a fidelity every bit as crystalline as wisdom and knowledge.
When navigating labors as a software developer, one is uniquely positioned to gaze into the intelligence of alternate individuals through code—which constitutes, in essence, the distinct literature of the programmer. Code, in its unilateral substance, manifests as the absolute summation of the knowledge and wisdom possessed by its architect. For a developer, code serves interchangeably as a magnificent window displaying their sovereign competence, or a transparent aperture laying bare their sheer foolishness.
Utilizing artificial intelligence to engineer code occasionally results in the haphazard, makeshift implementation of substandard programming that a true developer ought to instinctively refrain from composing. Yet, what blunder could possibly reside within the AI? The fault rests entirely upon the shoulders of the developer who complacently abandoned it to its own devices. The seemingly plausible code manufactured by artificial intelligence was akin to the output of a crude 3D printer. While the exterior manifested as superficially acceptable, the underlying architecture remained intensely fragile, the output surfaces were jarringly rough, and the desired objective could only be captured following a monumental expenditure of meticulous retouching.
Consequently, I have arrived at a state where I profoundly favor judging individuals strictly through the medium of their written records. For a developer, it is their code. For a general administrative professional, it rests within the documentation they have authored—their conceptual proposals, their presentation decks, and the historical archives of their correspondences. Though certain individuals persist in asserting that human beings must encounter one another face-to-face through conversational dialogue to cultivate genuine understanding, that is far from the reality. At the absolute least, wisdom and knowledge can be flawlessly discerned through recorded chronicles.
A flawless illustration of this reality is preserved within the archives of the Apostle Paul, who stands as arguably the most paramount figure within Protestantism.
“For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.” – 2 Corinthians 10:10
When gazing upon the epistles of the Apostle Paul, one is struck by an immense weight and sovereign power; yet upon actual physical encounter, it appears he delivered speech in an uninspired manner and possessed a physical visage utterly destitute of aesthetic allure. Though the populaces of that contemporary era appraised him in such a superficial manner, zero individuals down to this current epoch look upon the Apostle Paul as a foolish or ignorant man.
One merely needs to examine the written script. Within writing, an individual’s wisdom, knowledge, and historical experiences melt and integrate entirely. Could a person who manufactures text without a solitary thread of order, preserving a thoroughly unrefined and chaotic argument within their written prose, ever truly be deemed wise?
Outside of this, an alternate dimension where one can observe an unmistakably crystalline foolishness resides in an individual's absolute dependence upon subjective appraisals regarding their own cleverness. Intelligent individuals, from the very inception, command documentation that unequivocally validates their cognitive faculties across multiple modalities utilizing strictly objective parameters. While the College Scholastic Ability Test—which primarily encompasses problem-solving centered upon mathematical and scientific aptitude—or the Intelligence Quotient, which links directly to geometric pattern recognition, certainly correlate alongside intellect, I personally deem a far more credible metric to be an individual’s dependent tendency toward external appraisal.
For instance, an utterance such as, "You are extraordinary," is a phrase absolutely anyone can voice, yet interchangeably an expression exceedingly difficult to deliver lightly to just anyone. However, in the overwhelming majority of scenarios, when phrases like, "You are extraordinary," or "You possess an awareness of a universe that the masses are utterly incapable of comprehending," are unleashed, it is far from because the recipient is genuinely exceptional or commands an overwhelmingly superior insight compared to the periphery. If an individual drinks in such vocabulary and subsequently nurtures the inner sentiment of, 'I am indeed extraordinary,' I entirely refuse to categorize that person as intelligent. They are far from clever. They are, in fact, thoroughly foolish.
The rationale behind this verdict is absolutely luminous. Upon exactly what objective metric was the evaluator capable of decreeing such extraordinariness? Furthermore, the reality that the individual remained oblivious to their own uniqueness until the evaluator voiced that specific appraisal stands as an indisputable testament to their own foolishness. The vast majority of genuinely extraordinary individuals possess a perfect awareness of their own exceptionality long before any external evaluation ever reaches their ears. Would a companion who excels at mathematics to an almost maniacal degree experience the revelation that they are unique for the very first instance upon reaching the age of thirty? It is an utterly preposterous proposition.
From the very inception, extraordinary individuals—those who stand out with peerless distinction in comparison to the periphery, and who command that requisite magnitude of meta-cognitive capacity—know themselves thoroughly, completely independent of the appraisals birthed by external entities. For instance, if an individual who knows absolutely nothing regarding mathematics approaches a mathematical genius and declares, "You are not particularly extraordinary," that utterance instantly lays bare the absolute metric of the evaluator's own deficient intelligence. The evaluator is speaking as though they possess knowledge regarding indices and a universe they are fundamentally oblivious to, utilizing that blind standard to appraise the superior party. It is a thoroughly foolish act.
Within the casual discourses engineered by private individuals, the encapsulation of foolishness carries zero monumental consequence. However, the moment that foolishness infiltrates labor, transforms into a profession, and becomes the very baseline of existence for alternate individuals, from that specific juncture onward, foolishness systematically demolishes the foundational assets of society. For example, if a person entirely destitute of musical knowledge denigrates the competence of performing artists, unilaterally asserting that they exert zero effort, that message transforms into an instrument that provokes intense societal outrage, breeding widespread fury. This specific phenomenon is far from marooned strictly within the digital comments sections of online platforms.
Without even properly verifying the underlying factual relations, individuals manufacture defamatory material, unleash it upon internet communities, and re-disseminate it through media channels as news, while throughout the entire trajectory, not a solitary soul executes a rigorous verification of facts. Consequently, even when the absolute reality surfaces to completely dismantle every single one of those fraudulent assertions, not a solitary individual steps forward to assume accountability, proffer an apology, or take responsibility for their sheer foolishness and the manufacturing of entirely meaningless societal rage. That constitutes the definitive outcome of the foolishness engineered by foolish human beings.
Society appears structurally organized to ensure that foolish individuals execute foolish deeds within the established institutional boundaries without ever instigating a violent insurrection. While such structural engineering serves the preservation of power—inasmuch as it causes the masses to remain marooned within the current system rather than actively reforming their existences while murmuring ceaseless grievances—it simultaneously demands that they be handed a designated arena, a mechanism, and a righteous pretext to liberate their pent-up fury. That pretext transforms into an ideology, proliferating as raw anger across a multitude of domains.
"The universe has deteriorated into this state precisely due to a specific individual. It is due to a particular collective." While demonstrating such claims demands a monumental span of time and requires the execution of countless refutations and scholarly debates, the moment a declaratively fashioned slogan is deployed, the foolish masses instantly rally in absolute alignment alongside it. They completely refrain from auditing the credibility of the assertion. They care only for the distinct emotion the messenger has injected into their consciousness. If an individual they harbor affection for delivers a specific claim, they align alongside it; if an entity they detest offers a refutation, their pre-existing dogma is merely reinforced further.
Consequently, societal foolishness transforms into a highly utilitarian grand rule of the power game, packaged neatly as propaganda and systematically infusing itself through a multitude of media channels. All while thoroughly deceiving the foolish populace.
"You are the ones who are truly awakened."
"You, who have comprehended this sacred message, must be the ones to mobilize first."
Throughout the entire stretch of their existences, they have never once encountered an appraisal labeling them intelligent, nor do they possess a solitary metric to proudly showcase by any worldly standard; yet this is the exact, desperate vocabulary they have intensely yearned to hear. Recognition. The absolute ecstasy born of being recognized, the sentiment of belonging, and the intoxicating flavor of moral superiority. These elements constitute the potent opium employed to bewitch the foolish. They craved it with absolute desperation. Because they had never once captured ownership of it throughout their lives. Thus, I comprehend them. And I interchangeably comprehend the clever individuals who systematically exploit them. No matter how vast a span of historical time elapses, so long as a stark chasm in wisdom and knowledge persists within the human species, humans will eternally dream of a visage superior to their neighbor; consequently, they must grasp even a single grain of justification to depict themselves as entities vastly superior to the periphery. That must manifest as the ultimate persuasion executed upon their own minds.
A multitude of perilous individuals saturate this world. Those who lavishly dispense entirely meaningless strands of hope. These entities have invariably been capable of utilizing the ignorant as sacrificial lambs, lavishly enjoying their own existences utilizing the lifeblood of the foolish. They continuously utter to the foolish masses: "You are clever, and you are profoundly wise." Yet, to genuinely discerning minds, the appraisals birthed by such entities command absolutely zero significance.
"Who on earth do you think you are to presume to evaluate my intelligence?"