Post MBA exams you will be tested for WAT or Written Ability Test so it is advisable to read variety of topics. Today, you will read WAT topic: The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination
Albert Einstein once said, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination”. He was right in saying that the intelligence level of an individual is not dependent on the facts he knows but on how he applies them creatively to solve problems in the world.
By memorizing formulae and scientific data, we only prove to the world that our brain’s storage capacity is high; in fact, anyone can read encyclopedias and gain knowledge but not everyone can find loopholes and make new discoveries.
Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Ellison, who are known for their intelligence, never completed their university studies. If intelligence was based on the knowledge that people gained at colleges and universities, these three gentlemen would never have made it to the list of most intelligent people in the world.
Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook through his imagination – he understood the need of the current generation to connect with people around the world and came up with a platform to enable them to do so.
Instead of storing the knowledge in his brain, Mark Zuckerberg used the knowledge he had acquired at school and college to fuel his imagination.
Samuel Johnson was right when he said, “Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect”.
What use is knowledge to mankind if it is not applied to everyday situations to solve issues and problems?
Technological advancements that we witness today, such as the aeroplanes and cars, are a result of imagination – no one taught the Wright brothers about aeroplanes; they struck upon the idea of a vehicle to transport people after looking at birds in the sky.
There is no limit to imagination, which is what makes it so unique. Ideas stem from curiosity and imagination and these ideas can be transformed into useful applications with the help of existing knowledge.