Creative intelligence is difficult to measure

The biomedical engineering major is a very broad major and often criticized as being too superficial on too many fronts. Yet, the so-called geniuses of society are the ones who are able to be broad in their pursuit of knowledge and innovate in multiple domains. Biomedical engineering has taught me that I’m good at some things and not so good at others. In college, I didn’t necessarily pursue what I was good at because I wanted to perhaps work on my weaknesses. I sort of paid the price for this I think because, at the end of the day, society pays you for your strengths and not your weaknesses. 

This got me thinking about my bipolar and creative intelligence. Creativity is something that’s difficult to measure. It’s hard to grade what may be inherently subjective. I think that’s why a lot of men are put off by it. It’s innately not quantitative and anything sort of goes. I don’t think men in particular like that. Yet, creative intelligence is a thing. The ability to come up with useful and lasting ideas for society is something that is valued immensely. Of course, in regard to that, a large subset of people with bipolar do not posses above average intelligence. It’s an interesting thing that those with high IQ and also those with low IQ are grouped in the same category with bipolar. I think this is a point for the psychiatric establishment to work on because it can result in a lot of confusion for patients. 

In conclusion, I think true innovation appears initially kind of silly. If you take the chair for instance. Imaging a world that predates the invention of the chair and people just didn’t sit down. Yet, someone or some group must’ve thought of the concept of the chair and the invention of which has forever changed the world and how human beings go about their day. Maybe the wheel is a better example, but you get the idea. I think true, lasting innovation takes time to be adopted because people tend to be resistant to change. It takes a lot of mental energy to think a little differently.