Once in an interview, Academician Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev said a short monologue: “Is it possible to pretend to be a knowledgeable person? You can, if you remember a few facts. Is it possible to pretend to be smart? Yes, you can, if you remember a few connections between the facts. Is it possible to pretend to be an intelligent person? You can’t.”
Many people think that getting an education, a PhD and a doctorate, years spent traveling, knowledge of several languages are all characteristics of an intelligent person. And if you deprive such an "intellectual" of all his knowledge? After all, a lot can happen in life. And then what? Emptiness, stupidity, and maybe even selfishness and soullessness … A truly intelligent person can be deprived of education, knowledge and memory. He can forget everything, but at the same time moral values, love of knowledge, a sense of aesthetics and responsibility will remain in his soul. He will admire nature, never show indifference, rudeness, envy of his neighbor. In a word, intelligence is manifested in the ability to understand others. Education is not synonymous with intelligence. Another thing is spirituality, which is accompanied by honor, dignity, decency and a clear conscience - all these are signs of intelligence. You cannot say that a soulless person is disgusting and insignificant, he is simply weak. No, not physically, his weakness is manifested in anger and envy of everything around him, in misunderstanding and rudeness. Such weakness is not just a flaw, it is an inability to live and enjoy life. And as already mentioned above, an intelligent person always shows understanding and sympathy for the weak. Perhaps that is why history knows cases when the intelligentsia was destroyed and humiliated. Weak people were afraid of the intelligent, they were furious because someone could be stronger (morally) and wiser than them. The weak had power, and the intelligent had the soul. Intelligence is not a document with many seals. This is a position in life and peace of mind. An intelligent person is original in the manifestation of his feelings, courageous in his actions and is able to protect the offended. As the saying goes: "The secret always becomes apparent." In the same way, intelligent falsehood can be clearly revealed over time. By chance or by design, one day the fake person will reveal his true self. This can manifest itself in behavior, and in the manner of dressing, and in habits, even in the expression of thoughts or the interior of the apartment. In the modern world, the concept of "Intelligence" is ambiguous, but on the whole, probably, this is just a good person.
