In the first couple paragraphs on a post about his ongoing problems trying to get a lathe to work, Steve H. wrote the following:

Human beings are not driven primarily by reason. If we were, Barack Obama wouldn’t be President, and it would be impossible to get anyone to buy heroin. You would think that intelligence would make us happier and healthier than other creatures, but it hasn’t worked out that way. Intelligence is overrated; I’ve always said so. An ounce of character is worth a ton of intelligence. I’m smart, and I’ve done so many stupid things, I could never hope to remember a tenth of them.

Emphasis mine.

This reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from the movie Harvey:

Years ago my mother used to say to me, she’d say, “In this world, Elwood, you must be,” – she always called me Elwood – “In this world, you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant.” Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.

Of course, there’s nothing that says that a person of good character or a pleasant person can’t be intelligent. What I see hidden between the lines in both of these quotes is that we shouldn’t let our pride in our own intelligence overshadow good character or pleasantness.

The Bible tells us that pride is a sinful thing. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goeth before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” James 4:6 says, “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”

This is something I struggle with quite a bit. Even though I know I shouldn’t, I take a great deal of pride in my intelligence, and that leads me into trouble from time to time. I can be extremely condescending and insufferable when I’m right (or even if I’m wrong, if I think I’m right), and I have a tendency to lose my temper all-too-easily if I feel like someone is treating me as though I’m stupid.

I know I need to remember that nothing I do (or nothing that I can do) is the result of my own hard work or native intelligence. Given only my own abilities and knowledge, I would be able to do nothing. What I appear to accomplish on my own is only possible because I am standing on the shoulders of giants, so to speak. Specifically, I’m standing on the shoulders of the one Giant upon whose shoulders all of humanity’s giants have stood. With that in mind, what do I have to be prideful about?