Reflection #24 (Only 1052 to go!): The Art of Being Smart

     I have no illusions about my own intelligence; in the realm of "smart" people, I admit to being an outsider looking in.  One the other hand, one of the two smartest people that I've ever known personally is the recently retired physics and math teacher, John Balaban.  (Y'all can argue over who is the other one!)  John is also a friend of mine, but there were a couple of reasons why I was hesitant to write this blog.  It bordered on being POLITICAL (yikes!), and that is a can of worms into which I choose not to climb.
     My true purpose here is to express my admiration for how John uses his intelligence.  Being at Ignatius has put me in close proximity to a large number of smart people...not only students but colleagues.  A common, but not universal, trait is that many equate intelligence with truth, and become dismissive of those who disagree.  Truth to them is about who wins the debate, not objective reality.  At this point, of course, the argument starts about "what is objective reality"...I think that's called "epistemology".  (Don’t mess with a Loyola U. grad when it comes to the names of philosophy courses.)
     John seeks what is right, true and just, but he continues to observe reality, modifying, confirming or rejecting his opinions.  If John doesn’t think much of the “king’s new clothes“, he’ll say so.  (Reference Hans Christian Anderson)
     John, and his wife, Jane, are strong advocates for environmental issues.  As a teacher, he would regularly take groups of students out into the "wilds" of north-eastern Illinois to clean up river banks and the like.  On careers days at school, he would lecture on the value of preserving the wetlands and savannas.  (Until I heard John’s lecture, I thought savannas were just cities in Georgia.)
     He and Jane were so committed to the cause that, in 1997, they received The Nature Conservancy President's Stewardship Award in Washington, D.C., and locally, they received a stewardship award from the Chicago Wilderness and Audubon Society.
     My point, however, is that John evaluates his principles, reconsidering their effectiveness.  One day years ago, John and I were talking about "cabbages and kings", and he said that those who are 100% against nuclear power as a source of energy wouldn't be very happy if that source suddenly disappeared.  As I prepared to write this blog, I asked John if he still felt the same in the wake of what happened in Japan this year.  The response that I got could easily have been a whole blog by itself.  The essence of his response was that civilization has to deal realistically with factors as they are, not some idealistic view of the way we wish it were. 
     To sum up, John uses his "smarts" correctly, blending his observations with his intelligence to make good decisions.  Afterwards, he critiques that decision.
     Finally, John was a heck of a teacher.   The Mathematic Teachers’ Association awarded him the prestigious Wagner Award for excellence in teaching.  Watching John prepare Ignatius’ brightest math students for a math competition was a joy to behold.  On the other hand, Darcy Regan (’84) identified him as her favorite teacher because of his willingness to help students who didn‘t happen to be the other smartest person I know.
     Congratulations, John, on a life well-spent...so far.