If you mark an elephant and put it in front of a mirror, it will recognize itself.
At first, it’ll think there’s another elephant, but eventually, it’ll realize it’s just a reflection and examine its own body. That means elephants, at least some, are self-aware. The experiment is called the mirror test. In the 50 years since its inception, only six other animal species besides elephants have passed it.
And yet, all humans eventually develop this capacity. Babies first become self-aware between 12 and 24 months old. It can be delayed up to four years in less individual-focused cultures, like ancient tribes, but eventually, it always happens. Self-awareness makes humans unique. It’s a binary separator of evolution.
Now, when it comes to intelligence, that’s a different story.
Playing Himself
One fine day, the crew of a very popular TV show arrives at the set, only to find the series star passed out on the stairs.
At first, they’re a bit concerned, but it’s in line with the character he plays, so they roll the cameras and start filming. That’s my version of how that episode of Two and a Half Men came to be.
As the son of famous actors Martin Sheen and Janet Templeton, Charlie Sheen realized early on he could use his advantage to break into an industry that’s as tough as they come: Hollywood film. He grew up in Malibu and went to school with Rob Lowe, Robert Downey Jr., and Sean Penn.
He acted in his father’s movies as early as age 9 and landed his big break with Wall Street, also starring next to his dad. Since then, he’s thrived on roles resembling his personality, such as in Scary Movie, Anger Management, and, of course, Two and a Half Men. Charlie Sheen is a clever man.
The clever man knows life is full of shortcuts. He uses them to achieve his dreams.
My Definite Chief Aim
In 1969, a tiny, Asian-American man wrote a letter to himself:
My Definite Chief Aim
I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid Oriental super star in the United States. In return I will give the most exciting performances and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor. Starting 1970 I will achieve world fame and from then onward till the end of 1980 I will have in my possession $10,000,000. I will live the way I please and achieve inner harmony and happiness.
Bruce Lee
Jan. 1969
He died just four years later, but in the meantime, he achieved all these things. You see, Charlie Sheen may be clever, but he’s not very consistent. The quality of his work varies a lot and sometimes, he disappears for years. The roles where he plays himself are really the only ones we appreciate him in.
Bruce Lee, on the other hand, decided he would dedicate his entire life to a singular mission. He would offer himself to the world and if he was worthy, the world would reach out in return. And so it did. Bruce Lee was an intelligent man.
The intelligent man knows that sometimes, shortcuts don’t work. So when the time comes, he digs his heels in and persists.
Back to the Farm
In June 2017, a shocking statement was released:
“Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be working as an actor. He is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject.”
Daniel Day-Lewis is the only performer in history to receive three Oscars for ‘best actor.’ One for playing a writer with cerebral palsy, one for portraying a greedy oil man, and one for acting as Abraham Lincoln. For all his diverse roles, which he carefully selected, he took his preparation to extremes.
Clearly, he was both clever and intelligent. He made smart choices and worked hard to see them through. Other examples come to mind. Arnold Schwarzenegger broke into action movies via fitness, The Rock used wrestling and Will Smith leveraged the hip hop scene. They all work hard. But so far, none of them seem inclined to do what Day-Lewis did: walk away from it all.
He often described a profound sense of sadness after finishing movies and struggled with letting go of his roles. Plus, he’s achieved everything there is to achieve. The exact reason for his departure? We’ll never know. Maybe it’s his family, maybe the struggle, maybe his farm. But we do know that Daniel Day-Lewis is a wise man.
The wise man knows that some things in life, you can’t have at all. No matter how hard or how smart you work. But you can choose to accept.
That’s why, to the wise man, peace of mind will always be free.
We’re Not Elephants
Unlike self-awareness, intelligence comes in many different degrees. But precisely because it’s not black-and-white, our brains want to make it so. That’s where evolution stopped in its benevolence.
It’s easy to look at these examples and think “the wise man has it all, I want to be wise.” But that’s no different from the elephant, acting only based on what it sees in the mirror. And while you might both be self-aware, there’s still a whole lot left that separates you. You, for example, can choose not to judge these levels of intelligence.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you have to rank decisions, events, and people by how smart they are. Sometimes, being clever may outmatch being wise and often, the wise will choose to do what’s intelligent. Most likely, you will need many varying combinations of all three to live the life you want.
Cleverness, intelligence, and wisdom are all hard-won and you won’t attain any one without the other. Unlike the elephant, who’ll live happily ever after, even if it never sees itself in a mirror. Then again, we’re not elephants, are we?