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| Wednesday, July 21, 2010 |
| Too Busy Thinking |
My grandma Belle had a kind word for everyone, made amazing plum cake, and never met a stranger. She often said ‘intelligent people aren’t always the smartest.’ Her ability to see the best in others did not conflict with her ability to understand human nature.
Gian Fiero an educator, speaker and consultant says “my great grandmother, Leola Cecil, maybe had an 8th grade education at the most. By no stretch of the imagination was she highly educated. She was very observant and had a knack for helping those of us who are smart, educated and intelligent see things more clearly when we are too busy thinking. I use her philosophies to make sure that I’m being guided spiritually and not just intellectually.”
Gian Fiero describes “what” our grandmothers “had” as wisdom. He says “wisdom slows down the thinking process and makes it more organic; synchronizing it with intuition. Wisdom helps you make better judgments regarding decisions, and makes you less judgmental. Wisdom is both a starting point, and a final conclusion.”
A study published recently in the Journal of Planning, Education, and Research and written about under the headline ‘Restaurants nearby linked to higher weight’ made me wonder what wisdom our grandmothers would have applied to these same facts, and how their study of these facts might have led them to different conclusions than those the scientists arrived at.
This study was conducted by professors of urban and regional planning who were mystified by the “paradox of BMI rates among women living in highly walkable inner city neighborhoods.” The lead professor explains that her interest was in the amount of attention already given to “the role of environmental factors in contributing to obesity.” She says “The prevalence of obesity is a significant public health concern because it places individuals at a risk for a variety of diseases and the role of environmental factors in contributing to obesity has received a lot of attention.”
Their research found that “women are more apt to have a higher body mass index if they live within a 5-minute walk from restaurants.” Researchers admitted they were confused; unable to understand, explain, or define data that also “found that, on average, women who lived close to supermarkets and grocery stores -- as opposed to convenience stores -- tend to have lower BMI.” Grandma Leola might say they were too busy thinking to see clearly.
Researchers “said the study has limitations,” as they were “unable to account for where the study subjects shopped for food, only which outlets (fast food chains, supermarkets or restaurants serving a healthier variety) were closest geographically.” In case you missed that, “The researchers were not able to classify restaurants based on their quality -- fast-food and sit-down restaurants were treated as a single category.”
The scientists were puzzled because they are too busy thinking. I’m betting our grandmothers would not be. I think they would help them solve this mystery. ‘Highly walkable’ might mean something different to a woman alone in an inner city than it does to a team of professors of urban and regional planning. Our grandmothers might not agree that these neighborhoods are ‘highly walkable,’ they might see them as scary or dangerous.
Fast food from a convenience store is the meal of choice for many people in inner city neighborhoods. The scientists didn’t consider that economic, educational and social factors, mixed with tempting advertising campaigns and a desire for convenience might lead a woman to choose inexpensive, fast and easy meals, without concern for unhealthy food choices. Our grandmothers would understand that a woman’s day was long and obligations were many. That’s what led to canned tomato sauce and frozen dinners.
Our grandmothers would probably have made a reasonable guess that those women with high BMI rates walked less than 5 minutes to a fast food restaurant; while “women who lived close to supermarkets and grocery stores -- as opposed to convenience stores --walked less than 5 minutes to the nearest grocery store or supermarket, made healthier choices, and “tend to have lower BMI.”
My Grandmother always said intelligent people aren’t always the smartest. Leola Cecil always said “they were too busy thinking to see clearly.”
Have a theory you’d like to share with researchers? I’d love to hear it.
- Nancy
If you like this article, you might also enjoy…
Sensei Talks: Could Your Address Be Making You Fat?
Sensei Talks: Weight Is a Family Matter
References:
Nobel Education: The Difference Between Being Smart, Educated and Intelligent
Labels: Body Mass Index, Nancy
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posted by My Sensei @ Wednesday, July 21, 2010   |
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| 2 Comments: |
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LOVE this post! It reminds me of another saying...
'Common sense isn't so common anymore.'
Not sure who said it, but boy is it true!!
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Hi Red. Thanks for your comment. It really is true!
Have you ever visited a skilled nursing facility with dementia or Alzheimer’s patients? Most facilities have an identical sign posted in the elevator. When I visit my father, who has dementia, I am always amazed. A BIG sign says "Please do not help our residents into the elevator." Whenever a ‘new’ visitor holds the elevator open - politely allowing a resident time to roll or stroll in - one of us ‘experienced’ visitors points to the sign. The ‘new’ visitor ALWAYS says “I’m not helping; I’m just keeping the elevator door open for them.”
Yes, and the resident, a patient with dementia; is now escaping.
- Nancy
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LOVE this post! It reminds me of another saying...
'Common sense isn't so common anymore.'
Not sure who said it, but boy is it true!!