Elephant Walk

Intelligence is measured on such interesting parameters in society and the human condition.
Does being an “intellectual” make you automatically more intelligent? Most intellectuals are well-read and perhaps some have a form of higher education. They are analytical and can express their ideas and thoughts verbally and through the written word.

Or perhaps someone that is “spiritual”. Are they considered intelligent? They have the ability to connect spiritually to a higher vibration. Many spiritual humans have dedicated a lifetime studying religions or devoted their lives entirely to a spiritual enlightenment. They are spiritually wise and can “see” how their existence is influential to the tiniest being.

Perhaps “artist expression is a form of intelligence. Does composition, color and medium dictate or indicate intelligence? Does it make a difference if it is abstract or is representational art? Does intelligence take the form of a “musician”? Composing or performing in a symphony either with an instrument or vocally can change a mood or inspire the spirit. Is artistic expression construed as intelligence?

My thoughts then meander to the animal kingdom. What do we as humans consider as “intelligence” in animals?

Is the small monkey that performs tricks, like smiling on command or turning a somersault when its master claps his hands. Is this intelligence?

In the wilds of Africa, a family of elephants working together to help its young out of a swimming hole. The young elephant is clearly in dire danger of drowning, because literally it got in over its head. Intelligence or survival?

In the artwork entitled Elephant Walk, I envisioned the wise sentient being of the elephant. There is a stately intelligence and presence that their souls embody on this earthly plane. My mind recalls a recent photograph of a baby elephant presenting a flower to its mother. The ultimate gift…intelligence with purity of love. The universal undying language.