dumb

the first time i met j i said i didn't like condescending ppl & he said he didn't like ppl who were dumb. ok, but who decides the definition of dumb? out of curiosity i looked up dumb on dictionary.com and here's what came up:

dumb ( P ) Pronunciation Key (dm)adj. dumb·er, dumb·est
Lacking the power of speech. Used of animals and inanimate objects.
Often Offensive. Incapable of using speech; mute. Used of humans. See Usage Note at mute.
Temporarily speechless, as with shock or fear: I was dumb with disbelief.
Unwilling to speak; taciturn.
Not expressed or articulated in sounds or words: dumb resentment.
Nautical. Not self-propelling.
Conspicuously unintelligent; stupid: dumb officials; a dumb decision.
Unintentional; haphazard: dumb luck.

so what if we're sitting to dinner and i become speechless...brain fart....just plain ol tired i can't think anymore...and it's a real simple question to - like what's your middle name - then am i considered dumb? or do i get a freebie card? because i know the answer but the 'lack of speech' qualifies me according to the website....it got me thinking because at one (or more!) time/s in my life...someone has labeled me dumb. just like someone has probably labeled him dumb and anyone reading this dumb...so what makes the person labeling think this? it's all relative. Einstein would think I am dumb(and i'm not talking about the dog(gies)!) but my 6 y.o. diva cousin, Lenora, may not. i mean how would you define dumb? i would define dumb as anyone who does not know AND is not willing to learn. (i can't think of a clean cut way to even define it.) Not willing to learn it is the key. this definition makes sense (only) for me because I equate a closed mind = dumb. i hold an open-mind on the highest pedestal(don't get me wrong, i'm still attached to my hypocritical nature). i like to try to leach off individuals when i can about their experiences and what knowledge they can pass on to me. that should be an ongoing experience in life - i'm pretty adamant about that. it's not sitting in a classroom, that's only one way, it's having a conversation with a stranger in line, it's hearing your friends exp at work, it's all around. i lub my friends, but friends, strangers, whoever - everyone would ask me why seattle? and my answer is to see what's there. i know what's in oakland and i love it, but my answer of 'i don't know' is what brought me to seattle - well that made sense in my mind.

so the argument would therefore be, how is condescending not relative. oh but it is very much so too...that's what's got me thinking...all this, is just thinking aloud...
but that's what i like. when i was discombobulated. no job, no home, no plan. part of the time i felt like i had to get my ducks in line and know everything about me - figure it all out before i could start meeting ppl. but i realize now, that that's never going to happen. mtg ppl is all about the continual discovery. they're going to ask you questions, you may not have thought of in forever. they're aiding in the self discovery and once i realized that...accepted that....stress went away...