On IQ, Wisdom & The Zen Master

I've previously mentioned that my son Alex sees the world differently than I do. Yesterday his lessons to me continued.

Many of us have egos that allow us to think that the higher our IQ, the "smarter" we are. Specifically, we sometimes assume we are "smarter" than those with a lower measured IQ (whatever that means). IQ is very different than wisdom.

Last evening I picked up Alex in Columbus at the peak of rush hour and started home to West Chester (near Cincinnati). The trip went well until we hit the south side of Columbus on I-71 south where we hit gridlock. In 45 minutes we only moved 2 miles. I began to feel my blood pressure rising and got off the highway to try other routes. I became EXTREMELY frustrated when I discovered several thousand other people had the same idea. A 90 minute trip home turned into a 3+ hour journey. Pretty much the entire time I was VERY irritable.

Several times I mentioned our delay to Alex. Every time his response was "no problem" or "it's all good". He couldn't have been more relaxed in a hot tub! In his wisdom he realized that we weren't going to change the situation so just kick back and enjoy our music and heated seats. Me, the "smart" one couldn't figure that out. Alex the Zen Master had it all under control. It goes to show that EVERYONE has lessons to teach and lessons to learn. 

I'll try to remember his lesson.