The Eighth Intelligence

Low Lai Kim, principle scientist of the neurology department, hastened his steps as he glanced at his watch. He was almost 5 minutes late, and while that was perfectly alright within social etiquette, he hated being even a second late. His rigorous training in National Service had taught him the pain of being late, or rather, it induced the unneccessary fear in his civillian life. He knew Dr Ong would already be waiting for him, along with the patient he had mentioned in his email. Why a psychologist would be believe his patient should see a neurologist was unclear to him, why would a mentally defective person need to have his brain examined? Was it that complicated? In the first place, wasn't mental patients the job of a psychiatrist?

Low knocked on the door of the guest room and opened it as calmly as he could, thinking of a suitable excuse to explain his tardiness. Two people were already waiting for him, one was Dr Ong, another was a kindly young man, of around 20 years of age. He had neatly combed hair, dark eyes and a rather high forehead. His attire was neat and presentable, a youth groomed for professional conduct. There seemed to be nothing wrong with this person, he looked more intelligent than most youths of the age. Low began to wonder if this was some kind of joke, since Ong had known him since primary school. Then again, there were adults now, Ong wouldn't take up his time if it wasn't completely necessary.

"Terrence! I apologise for my tardiness, got caught up with this student."

Low was aware that Ong didn't mind, but then again, Ong was a psychologist. Ever since he obtained his degree, Low had always been conscious around him, wondering whether he was secretly analysing his behaviours. Would being tardy qualify as a disorder too?

"You know I'm quite fine with that," said Ong, smiling. "Well, no time for old time reminisciences, I would like to introduce Justin Toh."

The young man stood up from his seat and proceeded to shake Low's hand. There was a firm touch to it, which was a sign of professionalism. Was this really a mental patient?

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir," said Toh. "Dr Ong has told me much about you."

His tone was soothing and pleasing to the ear. There was no hint of embroidered speech, everything was sincere and down from the heart. This boy was a kind person. Low nearly blurted out 'There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with you', but refrained from that for he feared it may induce some sort of trigger. He heard of some mental patients like that, kindly on the outside, ravaging murderers on the inside.

"Justin," began Dr Ong. "Would you please tell Dr Low about your problem."

The three of them took a seat on the comfortable couch. It wasn't the inclining one like Ong had in his clinic, but Toh didn't seem to need it. He put his hands together and hunched over slightly, ready to break into his tale.

"Ever since young," he said. "I have this strange ability. You know how a person analyses logical questions such as mental sums, or figures out how to win an argument, they go through a series of directions and plans in their head before acting it out in the real world? Well, the thing is, I don't have to."

At this point, Toh paused. Low was wondering whether he was stopping to let him absorb all that had been said or because he was getting to the depressing part. Then again, not much had been said.

"I can just figure it out, practically instantly, I need not do any thinking. Somehow, I just know how the problem is done, sometimes, I don't even need to learn how to do something. For instance, when I was in primary school, we often had mental sums tests. The teacher would say an operation and we would work out the answer in our heads. Some students are slower, they need to count in their heads. My sitting partner said when the operation '20*4' was said, he would add 4 20's together to get 80. He would do it very systematically, 20, 40, 60, 80. For me, the number 80 was appear in my head almost instantly, I don't know how I do it!"

"Why, this is clearly a case of you being a maths genius," said Low. "I don't see how that's a problem."

"That wasn't all, Sir. We were kids back then, and yes, I admit that I'm not the only one who can do this. There are other bright kids who could work out the answer almost instantly too. But I can do things that they cannot do. We had art class sometimes, and when we weren't drawing, the teacher would bring out a random piece of art for all of us to appreciate. She would then ask questions on what the painter was thinking when he drew it, or rather his mood. If you don't mind me asking sir, how would you go about it?"

Low recalled analysing art like this when he too was in primary school. He was often pretty terrible at it, but the teacher would bring the class through various colour tones, forms and spatial perception to deduce the artist's mood. He gave Toh his answer.

"Yes Sir, that's exactly how the teacher taught us to analyse. Then I said, 'but teacher, isn't it obvious, why do we have to go through so much trouble?' and I was promptly made to stand outside."

Low was by now getting rather interested. It seems that Toh was an art genius as well. He had heard many stories of incredible people performing seemingly superhuman capabilities at calculations and deductions. Now he was seeing one right in front of him.

"Justin," said Ong. "Is the very first person I've seen with an enhanced intuition."

Low was taken aback for a while. Indeed, that was the word that was lingering in his mind, but was hesitant to say it. Intuition! Of course, but could it be studied, could it be quantified, was there an equation for it? His scientist mind ran through all the logic of it all, then sheepishly, he laughed to himself over the fact that Toh would be able to tell in an instant.

"Intuition, you say. That's a rather psychologist field isn't it? Why bring him to me?"

"Patience," said Ong, and he seemed very patient. "Let Justin finish."

"Well," continued Justin. "It was a very good thing at first. I got excellent grades in school without even having to study, I could win arguments easily because I just knew how it was progressing. Then it got scary, as things became harder, you would expect that even a genius would need a fundamental amount of learning, of attending classes. Well, I didn't. I once had the misfortune of being sick for an entire week before a test, and many new things were taught during that week. I was given the option of taking the test at a later date, but I decided to give it a shot. After all, my grades were tip-top, I can afford to take risks once in a while. Then when I took the test, most of the material were taught in the week I was absent, and I somehow knew them all, without even learning them!"

"Could it be subliminal?" asked Low, intrigued. "Did any of your classmates pay you a visit to pass you notes or anything?"

"They wanted to," said Toh. "But it was a flu and I told them out of -" He had wanted to say 'my good heart', but decided to refrain from sounding arrogant. "I told them it was best for them to stay away from me, for I didn't want them to be sick on the week of the test as well. Besides, it was a decision I made on my own, I shouldn't implicate anyone else."

"Ok, so here comes the bad part. Because of my abilities, I was chosen involuntarily as a tutor for many of the weaker students. I protested, because there was no way I could tutor others if I didn't know how I worked out my problems. At first the teachers didn't believe me, but after going through several tutees and causing them to fail, they became pretty convinced that I didn't know the basics of problem solving. But to them, the whole notion of 'I know because I just know', was ridiculous. They began to suspect me of cheating. My mother came to my defence, and after much pleading, they agreed to let me take an IQ test. I scored a full 200."

At this point, Low let out a short gasp. To him, an IQ of 200 was godly. It almost seemed as if a god was sitting in front of him. Toh ignored it, and continued speaking.

"But I didn't know how I was so smart! To me, the answers just appeared in my head, I didn't even think! The logical steps were all missing! After that day, everyone in school shunned away from me, thinking I was some freak or something. And word of it grew, and everywhere I went, people looked at me as some sort of freak. I don't know what to do anymore, I don't want my abilities anymore."

Low nodded his head in sympathy. It was indeed a cruel thing to be ostracised by the rest of humanity, and for what? An ability which you didn't ask for, an ability which you never showed off.

"So that's why you went to see Dr Ong?" asked Low.

"Yes, I wanted to know if there was a way to fix this."

Low had wanted to say 'interesting', indeed, it was. Intuition was a well-recognised phenomenon in the scientific circle, every good scientist uses it to consider almost impossible logic. However, no one knew how it worked, or why it worked. The laymen were taught not to rely on it because anything that couldn't be explained, wasn't reliable to them. However, here was one person who only had intuition to rely upon, and it had brought him misery. If he had indeed said 'interesting', Toh may just come on him like some deranged lunatic, the type he had been expecting to see.

"I'm quite intrigued," said Low. "Why you decided to see a psychologist instead of a counsellor or psychiatrist. A psychologist doesn't do this kind of work."

Low nearly slapped himself when he asked this question. Of course! How would Toh know what made him think that? He just knew. The startled expression on Toh's face already gave him the answer he needed.

"He made the right choice actually," said Ong. "I would have thought that a counsellor or psychiatrist could solve this problem better, but if you think about it logically, this is a problem psychologists are adept at."

"Why is that so?"

"Do you know who Howard Gardner is?"

"The psychologist who came up with the 7 intelligences?"

Low had recalled reading about it a few days earlier, in a random book he found in the library. Gardner was the man who theorised that intelligence came in 7 forms, namely, linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, musical intelligence and bodily/kinesthetic intelligence. It was practically the thing that people used to prove that IQ tests were a big phoney, for most of them mainly dealt with only 2 intelligences, linguistic and logical-mathematical.

"Yes, well, what I theorise here is that intuition could be the eighth form of intelligence, the form that supercedes all the other 7."

Ong's tone was so serious, so matter-of-factly, that Low wasn't sure how to react.

"Of course I don't intend to make it public, it's just a personal theory. You know how people would react if I declare something so elusive an intelligence."

"But, you've got Toh here! You can use him as proof!"

At this point, Low realised he had made a very big blunder common among scientists. He was treating a human being as nothing more than a test subject. While Ong winced at this remark, Toh seemed indifferent.

"Dr Ong," he said with a smile, still looking Low in the eye. "I think we should leave. This clearly isn't Dr Low's field of expertise."

Low was terrified now, he had always been careful in front of others to avoid offending them. Now he had made the most basic of mistakes, and the 'victim' was mocking him. He had to find a way to remedy his problem.

"Hold on! I'm sorry Justin," he said. "It wasn't professional of me. Please, what can I do to help?"

"Justin doesn't want his enhanced intuition," said Ong. "I was hoping you could find a way to help correct that."

Toh nodded.

"Yes sir, this is something only a neurologist can do. You can shortwire some nerves or something can't you?"

At that moment, there was an eerie air of silence in the room. This time, everyone knew it, not just Toh. What Toh had just said was the biggest careless mistake for a person of an IQ of 200. A neurologist studies the brain, and while many believe they knew what produced the intelligences, to shortwire the neurons in the brain would be to turn the person into a vegetable. There was also something else, if Toh knew this all along, why did he agree to go with Ong in the first place?

"I don't understand," said Toh, rather sheepishly. "This has never happened in my life! How...how did this happen!?"

The tone wasn't one of fright or disgust, it was one of elation. Toh was happy that he had been wrong, for the first time in his life.

"You see, Justin?" it was Ong that said it. "Do you know why your intuition was wrong?"

Toh shook his head.

"You were overcome with emotion and thus, you blocked out your intuition. Your intuition wasn't wrong, you were right to come to me. However, you were wrong when you agreed with me that a neurologist should be able to do it. At that point in time, you had wanted not to believe your intuition anymore, you wanted to get rid of it, so subconsciously, you shut out your own intelligence."

There wasn't only one shocked person in the room this time, Low was horrified by what Ong had said.

"So that means..."

Ong motioned for him to wait, and continued speaking to Toh.

"Justin, I brought you here today to show you how dependant you are on your intuition, just like other people are dependent on certain intelligences they have. If you remove it, you won't be able to experience the joy everyone else has in life. You would be lost, devoid of all logic and well, I dare say you would be quite a buffoon. You have a powerful gift, Justin, one many people would kill to get. I want you to treasure it."

Justin sighed.

"As I said, Dr Ong, this intuition has given me nothing but trouble."

"The trouble came from your own unwillingness to explore. Everyone can find a way to help others. You are weak in logical intelligence because, well, you never used it. In this case, why don't you let yourself be the tutee, read books on how people would solve problems and ask yourself, how do they do it? The answer would come readily, you already know that, but at the same time, you would get an insight into how others not as extraordinary as yourself, do their best to help others. You can also ask yourself, 'how can I understand the normal workings of humanity?' Then you would find that you are able to fit in."

Toh thought over what Ong had said, it was the first time he really thought.

"You're right, doctor," he said. "Without my intuition, I can't do anything! And of course, why didn't I think of it before! I can use my intuition to help me figure out how to get into the normal workings of society! I can use it to figure out how to make friends! I don't have to fear my intuition anymore, how can I fear something that is really a part of me...wait, that means..."

"I'm sorry to say it, Justin," said Ong rather solemnly. "But all the sufferings you had gone through, you can only blame yourself."

Toh looked on the ground, hanging his head quietly, then looked back at Ong and smiled.

"Thank you Doctor, you've made me seen the light, I guess I wasn't wrong in coming to find you after all."

"That's great, now if you don't mind, I would like to speak to Dr Low here for a moment. Would you mind waiting in the car?"

With that, an elated Justin Toh skipped happily out of the guest room, quite forgetting the proper etiquette. It was alright though, for he was a psychiatric patient who had just been cured.

"Well, you had to take up my time to cure this guy, huh?" Low asked Ong, not with distaste, but rather a little humour. "In the first place, you're a psychologist, how come you go about treating patients like a psychiatrist?"

"Well, I was intrigued," said Ong, in good humour. "The eighth form of intelligence, doesn't that puzzle you? When Justin emailed me, I too was puzzled as to why he didn't choose a psychiatrist, or a counsellor for that matter, but I could tell, somehow, he knew I was the right person to choose. A psychiatrist dealt with madmen and depression, someone he should go to, but by coming to me, he has invoked my interest in this field of research. In a way, you could say his intuition chose the path which benefits the most people."

"Yes, a few questions there though. Didn't you say you weren't going to publish the theory? It's still a little difficult to stomach why he didn't choose a counsellor though."

"Well, I lied at that time, because I didn't want it to interfere with matters at hand. And well, you almost blew it."

Low cringed at this remark.

"You also know that a counsellor wouldn't have any knowledge of the 7 intelligences, and wouldn't be interested in a follow up. I intend to keep in contact with Justin, learn more about his phenomenal intuition, then hopefully publish a paper about it. It would benefit many people who believe they are dumb and inept."

Low saw that Ong was ready to leave.

"Well, I'm sorry for taking up your time, Lai Kim, I understand it hadn't benefitted you at all, but I had to do something for Justin's sake. I hope to make it up to you someday, how about lunch tomorrow? My treat."

"Why that would be excellent, Terrence," said Low gleefully. "Just a few more questions though, how do you know people are going to accept your new paper, and also, how did you learn those skills of counselling? I mean it doesn't strike me that you were a good counsellor, or even knew anything about counselling, no offence."

Ong laughed.

"Well, I guess there's a Justin in all of us," he said. "The answers to those 2 questions are 'I just know'."