A couple of weeks ago, a Twitter acquaintance of mine called Derek Humphries posted this amazing video of a man who’s figured out how to turn old plastic bottles into light. Really.
After watching it, Derek and I and a few other people were discussing the wonder of what this fellow had done, and I said something like “what we need is a place where stories like this get collected.” Someone on Derek’s list jumped in and said “why don’t you make it, then?” and, because of the wondrousness of the world we live in, five minutes later a new Tumblr was launched, called (on the spur of the moment) Smart Humans.
What I’d like to happen now is that people submit examples – like the water-bottle-to-light story – of humans being really smart. It’s probably worth a mild diversion into what I think being “smart” means. It means something more than clever or intelligent; it probably places more of a premium on what my mother always calls “common sense” (she usually deploys this phrase when indicating what I’m deficient in).
Inspiration let us living, by jijis008 on Flickr
So being “smart” means employing a combination of imagination, creativity, revelation and, perhaps most important of all, resourcefulness. Whether it’s being diligent in looking at data, determined in seeking answers to the recycling of plastic, or figuring out the best way to turn bottles into light, being “smart” means making a material difference to the world through the application of intelligence, resourcefulness, creativity, imagination and, perhaps, revelation.
So, do you know of a story of Smart Humanity? Either leave a comment here, or add it to the Tumblr using the submission form.
And Get Smart. It’s a Dumb Jungle out there.
Picture by jijis008 on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons.
About Lloyd Shepherd
