Little Pieces

In this world of global connection and instantaneous communication, it is easy to see where many confuse intelligence with cleverness. Today's student or even young person in general, is a clever one. Aside from streaming or downloading music illegally and bypassing school blocking systems on the Internet, this student finds that the Internet also houses work done by other people. Due to the sheer immensity of the web, this student can cruise around cloaked in anonymity at the various essays and research papers that have been uploaded by those not dissimilar to him. This time spent browsing, filling minutes with pointlessness that could have been spent reading the novel and creating, or rather straining to create original thought is now gone in the attempt to create the illusion of intelligence that masks the shell that is cleverness. And for his efforts, the student accepts praise freely on his diligent work, his midnight oil burning through efforts of the search engine that he claims as inference of great literature. He claims it with a smile and a pat on the back from those who, unbeknownst to his cleverness, cling to him as an intelligent creature.

Alas, his smile fades. His generous pat on the back is recognized for the labeling that it is as he is cast off and cast out for the charlatan that he is. For unbeknownst to him, those whom he attempted to beguile are aware of his treachery, for they too know the power of the web. The difference being that they use it for this pesky research material first before burning countless hours on music videos and the like. The student slinks away to his corner with the rest of the unoriginal where he remains until society sees fit where to put him.