Slow?

The other day I heard someone say, "He's just a little slow", when making reference to someone's intelligence level. As a matter of fact, I may have uttered those words myself a time or two in the past. I know what is insinuated by the phrase but for some reason when I heard it this time, it got me to thinking. Is it really all that bad to think a little slow? I'm not even sure how you would measure the speed of someone's thinking. What would be the advantage of a fast thinker over a slow thinker? I guess one thing would be that the fast thinker could show his rear before the slower thinker. Or, it might be that the slower thinker might realize the possibility of showing his rear as he slowly travels through the thinking process and in doing so is able to change his thinking direction in such a way that he does not show his rear at all.

I know that a fast walker is more likely to miss some of the scenery, or overlook a tripping hazard as they hurriedly traverse the pathway to their destination. The slower walker is better able to take in the sights and pick and choose where his next step might be. Then there is the slow talker. They are many times perceived as being on the low side of the intelligence scale, especially by the fast thinkers. When a fast thinker is listening to a slow talker, his mind is so far ahead of what the talker is saying that they reach a conclusion about what is being said before it is actually said, and by doing so, they actually have no idea what was said anyway.

Probably the most dangerous combination is a slow thinker that is a fast talker. They are the ones that after getting a dozen or so words into their statement they suddenly realize, "Crap! Where am I going with this mess? I wish to heck I would have just kept my mouth shut!". Some of the brightest people I know are slow talkers. They think carefully, and probably slowly, and consider what they are going to say, if it is what needs to be said, and what effect it will have on the listener before they begin to speak. If you are a slow thinker, this is not a problem, however, if you are a fast thinker you will have to exercise patience to reap the benefit of what is being said. I have also had the pleasure of knowing some fast talking, fast thinking people who are also mentally gifted and have the ability to gear down to a more compatible speed to allow slower thinkers time to absorb what they have to offer.

As for me, I'm proud to be a slow thinker. There is one thing that should be made clear at this point, there are slow thinkers that are not very smart, just as there are fast thinkers that are not smart but prove it faster. For the most part, I am also a slow talker, unless I get excited or mad. I have learned with age, to use this slow thinking and slow talking to my advantage. When asked a question, I pause, tilt my head to the side, look up toward the heavens, stroke my goatee and then give my response slowly. For some reason this makes whatever you say seem wise and meaningful, even if you say you really don't know the answer.

There are times when folks don't use their brain at all at any speed. They simply mimic what others have said or done, and follow the more popular crowd. It saves them from all the pain that can result from serious thought. There are times that I don't feel like thinking, so I wait for someone else to do it for me. However, it is usually one of those fast thinkers and I end up having to rethink it slowly and then make my own decision. For some of us thinking is a challenge at any speed. If I do a lot of thinking, it makes me tired. If I try to think fast, it gives me a headache. Despite being a slow talking, slow thinking type guy, I think I am rather intelligent. I just proved that by using the word 'rather' in the preceding sentence.