Intelligence is defined by Longman English Dictionary as: The ability to learn, understand and think about things. To be good at a game one needs reasonable level of intelligence.
If I may ask, from the above definition, can one rightly say that intelligence is innate or acquired?
My answer to that question is that intelligence is a combination of both the innate and acquired.
My reason for this inference is that intelligence quotient differs from one person to the other hence there are born chance i.e one who does not possess the requisite ability to learn as acquired knowledge at some pace with God who created heaven and earth expected man to acquire knowledge and intelligence and apply both with wisdom so as to apply knowledge to positive ends and abhor the use of knowledge to negative ends. Knowledge is to advance the purpose of the creator of the universe.
The creator gave man his creation intelligence and enabled him to acquire knowledge so that he can use wisdom to apply what he has acquired to promote the positive use of knowledge and suppress its negative use.
This is because in some cases the negative comes along with the positive use. But wisdom applies positive use and suppresses negative use of knowledge.
A good and common example is electrons in the electricity cables. Naked exposure of electricity cables constitutes danger to the consumer but to enable man enjoy light that it produces to man, the negative aspect is insulated with nonelection conductor cables.
Similarly, when darkness and light collide, darkness must automatically disappear, this is a natural law that positive acts must prevail over negative acts. These are natural laws.
It appears to me that man has departed from this God ordained natural laws of positive use of knowledge and opted for its negative use, hence, coronavirus (Covid-19).
While we were young our parents warned us against the likelihood of what the Yoruba call Ajakale Arun, now known as pandemic i.e the disease that spreads all over the world. The reason given for the warning then was that the Second World War just ended leaving some of the chemicals and noxious substances.
These chemicals that the western world and developed countries have unleashed on the atmosphere was going to spread and pollute the pure atmosphere and we are likely to inhale some of these noxious airborne virus endemic in them.
So, when the coronavirus was mentioned my mind adverted to the western world’s search for knowledge which excluded wisdom in its application. The refusal to suppress its evil application and elevate its positive use is gradually leading them and humanity towards self-annihilation.
This is a warning to mankind that if we continue with the acquisition and application of knowledge without wisdom we shall be gliding towards that predicted Armageddon we presume is still far away.
The time tested philosophical and fundamental principle of law is that it is better for nine guilty persons to go scot free than for one innocent person to be punished. This principle is not only abandoned but has been turned upside down.
Recently, a C.I.A agent, who was suspected to have masterminded the off unmanned drone to attack the vehicle of a general in convoy, motivated the Afghanistan authority to bring down a plane in which he was a passenger.
This led to the death of 175 other innocent passengers. Thereafter the Afghan leader gave an unacceptable explanation to the world that it was a technical error. This is application of knowledge without wisdom which must be collectively condemned by the world. It will incur the anger and vengeance of the creator.
The creator gave man his creator intelligence and gave man the capacity to acquire knowledge so that they can use his wisdom to apply what he has acquired to promote the positive use of knowledge and suppress the negative use of knowledge.
About 40 years ago, I read an article in the newspaper, I cannot recall the exact date, when the American secretary of state was asked,
“What is your concern with another country carrying out research on nuclear weapons? He replied, Our concern is that power must not be allowed to slip into the hands of the wicked person because he/she would easily abuse it and destroy the world.”
We have a duty to collectively join hands with groups and organisations fighting and controlling the negative use of knowledge, which is an abuse.
When Nigeria was Nigeria and the police and fire brigades lived to work in synergy, one of the approaches to detecting the source of fire in any inferno was for the investigation team of the police and fire fighters to compare reports before concluding. And their method was to start their search for the source of the inferno where the combustion was intense; the firs point of impact as opposed to the resultant position where the fire ended.
Applying this approach, one can conclude that the source of coronavirus was where the impact was more intense – western and developed countries. Coronavirus was more intense and claimed more lives in China, Italy, America, etc.
The testing of nuclear weapons must be controlled by all well-meaning nations with the fear of God. The Holy Bible (KJV) in the Book of Romans 6:1 says. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue live in sin so that God’s grace may abound? It was just a rhetorical question that requires no answer because it is only when we are dead to sin that we can be alive to serve God.
An abnormal situation demands an abnormal remedy. We still appreciate the preventive and protective measures taken by Nigerians and some good citizens of Nigeria that will soon end the spread of coronavirus.
The western world must reverse the application of knowledge without wisdom so that we may not sooner than later be inching (moving step by step) towards the predicted Armageddon i.e self-annihilation.
My fear is that the government’s lockdown, that orders husband and wife to stay at home staring at one another, may not compel us to attend many naming ceremonies where we shall have names like the Gift of Coronavirus, Blessing of Coronavirus, Favour, etc. corokemi, corotobi, corolabi, corofemi, coroyomi, corojide, corolayo, corochukwu, coroeze, corodike, corongwo, corosule, coroabdulahi, coroamina.
Akeremale writes from Abuja.
