Academic Intellect, Curse or Blessing?

This question I like asking myself from time to time. Academic intellect, it is a curse or blessing?

One side of this question takes me to the time I used to be a slave to academia. I used to think: I am not enough unless I prove myself. I have to score high marks. I have to do everything to belong and fit in this environment. I have to show them.

Then later with experience and life events, I reached a dead end. I remember dragging myself to the university library to do the research work and writing. I felt deep in my heart something was off.

This what we mean when you live most of your time in your head and you are disconnected from your heart.

Then with regular awareness, questioning, exploring other options, reading other self-help books and financial books, I realized that academia is just one path. It is not all there is.

The culture and society where I come from, it is beleived that being educated is the only thing for you to survive, provide food for your family and have dignity, pride and self-respect.

If that is the case, what about our Prophet, Mohammed, Allah blessings and peace be upon him. What about him? Wasn’t he not educated and still he was chosen to be the last religion messenger on earth?

There is an important message and piece of wisdom here. It is not the education you have. It is not the amount of knowledge and certificates you accumulate. It is what you do with the knowledge you have and how you use your mind to learn, unlearn and reflect on your life. The only knowledge and information I whole believe and hold on is the Holy Book of Quran. There contains the truth, wisdom and generous facts and guidelines. You will never be misled or lose your way if you dive deep in the pages of Quran.

Coming back to the question asked earlier, when academic intellect can be a blessing? Well there is no one right answer for this. Academic intellect itself is a term many people use to define themselves, show their self-respect, prove their worthiness and show how much information they know.

I know people who can’t see themselves anything else except academicians. This fixed mindset would just block your way eventually and make you beleive you are good in only one thing.

What about the human potential? What about our God-given abilities to create, discover, explore, get curious, test and try different options, do mistakes and learn and grow from our mistakes, where do all those go?

Well keep reflecting, asking and building a perspective. No one can do it for you. It is you and only you in the field.