Yes. Yes. Yes! Ta. @David K. Thomasson When I made my last post my brain was dithering but you managed to express exactly what I wanted to say. Take myself, for example. I would say I have a decent vocabulary and speak well. Does that in itself make me more intelligent, or boost my confidence because people around me generally think me more intelligent than I actually am? In my case, I can assure the OP that it does not. It does the very reverse because it raises expectations of me in a way that makes me uncomfortable. I'm sure there are those of us who have seen posts in the Workshop, where the writer has tried to impress by using big/obscure words that, often, have been deployed incorrectly. Perhaps they've chosen to use a thesaurus in order to make their writing seem less mundane, or even more intelligent, but it doesn't work that way. It has the reverse effect and inevitably leads to those who respond telling the writer to stop trying so hard. The best ideas are expressed in the simplest of terms. That way even those with a limited understanding can appreciate the concepts. Despite my vocabulary, I have great difficulty expressing cogent arguments. That's why you'll rarely see me offering my opinion in the debate threads. I have the words at my disposal, but something else is lacking that others appear to have in spadefuls. It's not that I haven't tried, but I tend to make an ass of myself. I'm emotional, not logical. I accept this. Does it bother me? Yes to a degree, but then there's the old saying: 'You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.' @Wreybies, often bemoans the fact he can't draw. (Apologies, for dragging you into this Wrey but you were the first person that came to mind.) But then again, I am not fluent in several languages as he is. Instead of honing in on the things I can't do, I try to celebrate the things I can. I'm a musician and artist, and this is a reflection of my innate self, my emotional rather than logical mind. It's the way I'm wired. I didn't have to be taught to do either of these things, (although practice added polish) that potential was present in me from the day I was born and revealed itself in many ways. You have already proved on this thread that you can adequately express yourself. A big part of intelligence is biology. Those who are smarter have faster impulses in their brain than less smart people. That's an immutable fact. No matter how much I study, I will never become a theoretical physicist. That being the case, how do I deal with the fact that there will always be people who are more intelligent than I am, who make me feel at a disadvantage? By knowing that I can draw and people such as Wrey can't. That's where my confidence comes from. By all means delve further into language, but also consider that it might not be the cure for what ails you.
