I have always thought of myself as being "intelligent enough". I know enough to get by most situations, and I have the wherewithal to gain the knowledge needed to surpass situations that I struggle with. Also, I have a firm sense of what is good and what is bad. I figure that I am in a good place with my mind, and improvement would not be very progressive to me. However, this changed when I encountered a character named Hercule Poirot.
Fairly recently I had gone to the nearest public library to find a book, any book, by Agatha Christie. The reason for this was that a show, that I really enjoy, had Agatha Christie as the main focus of the storyline. Throughout this episode, I watched with pure wonder. As the episode concluded, I decided that I would read a book authored by her. This decision is what got me into the library's mystery section.
At first, I really did not know where to find books by Agatha Christie. Therefore, I asked at the help desk, and was pointed to two separate sections that contained books by her. Each section had so many choices! I paced between the sections trying to decide which title and synopsis seemed to intrigue me the most. After nearly twenty minutes comparing and contrasting, I finalized my decision and took "Murder on the Links" to the checkout counter. As my steps lead me away from the library, I was ready to dive into this novel.
Arriving home, I accompanied myself with a cup of my signature tea. The tea that I brew relaxes me, and I was ready to kick back and enjoy my literary selection. Comfortably burrowed in my favorite chair, I peel open the cover and initial pages to reveal chapter one. "Here we go" is what I thought.
About midway through the third chapter I sorted out the characters logically, and set my mind to alert, because a murder happened. I was usually good at figuring out Hollywood movies, so I was a bit cocky. I figured that I could solve the mystery before the books end. I pieced events together with the facts presented. However, with each conclusion I drew, there was a character in the book that would throw out or trump the conclusions I made. His name was Hercule Poirot.
This man used his mind in ways that I never knew possible. I was in utter amazement. He always took time to let his "little gray cells" work. These cells are what he attributes his successes to, as he taps his head. His ability to critically think in depth was astonishing. Hercule Poirot quickly became an icon to me.
I have had icons that have influenced my life previously. The main icon was from my childhood. Hulk Hogan told me to exercise, take my vitamins, and say my prayers. So, I did. Now there was a new icon to me. He is a man who made me want to use my brain in new critical ways. He is a man who helped me to see minor details in everyday life. He is a man who was not even real. He is named Hercule Poirot.
I am not easily influenced, but I have been persuaded to see everything there is to see. With that information, I do my best to break it down critically. Being able to break things down and see each piece of information and how they could relate has helped me in many aspects of life. It has really helped my academics. I have a new approach to problems, and am usually able to break them down thoroughly to achieve a solution.
This new logical and critical way of solving problems has shown me that my previous amount of intelligence was acceptable, but not as high as it could be. Using my own "little gray cells" as much as possible in daily life has given me a new view. The person I thank for this progression of my mind is a fictional man by the name of Hercule Poirot.
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