Monday 6 October 2014

What you discuss ?

Great minds discuss idea. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. - Eleanor Roosevelt

Whether a male or female, both spends a considerable minutes of time in discussions with their friends, colleagues, family members etc, But how healthy & useful are those discussions to their intellectual life. Most of our day to day discussions can be categorized within the topic idea, events and people. If you find yourself falling under the category of events or people, You need not to worry, Redirect your discussion to a level better than what you have now, Because useless discussions are not a way towards your journey success.

When I think about this quote little deeper, It gives me so many abstract questions. It doesn't describe what the Poet's intention was, when she says great mind. Does she mean the great mind as intelligent one or significant about life? But in both the cases intelligent and significant people had ideas about what they want to do.  

Roosevelt was quite clear in her saying, I hope. She doesn't emphasize "Great mind discuss only idea" or "Only great mind discuss idea". It is not claiming any infallible law. I think this quote would have risen in her mind out of her observations, but that is often true isn't ? Also Look objectively at the various spheres of people you came across? The ones that gossip all the times, how many instances it triggered your insight? Candidly? Honestly? The ones I know, don't mostly. 



Also It gives me a feel that, Roosevelt intention in saying "great mind" was to describe the state of intellect thoughts than a person. 

People may ask whether the great minds doesn't discuss the events or people, Or People discussing events and people are having small mind. Yeah, everyone discusses all those at some point of their life, but the saying is clearly referring to the proclivities of said minds and not their only actions. Also the word "Discuss" connotes a deeper conversation than just small casual talk. Intelligent people will spend more of their time thinking about grand ideas than average minds. The average mind finds itself in thinking the worries of the past and the anxieties of the future. 

So I would say, what you discuss is the indicative of the true scale of your opulent eruditeness. How would you fit your quality of discussions among the three mentioned categories above? This made me think, Is that why the genius and brilliant people in the history hated socializing. There is some truth in there, isn't? 

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