It has been stated before in ancient history that the best kind of man is the one who is not only wise but physically fit as well. By physically fit, I refer to the man’s ability to run, jump, climb, and move things around and by wisdom, I refer to the next paragraph.

By definition, a person who is wise has received their wisdom due to deep and profound understanding of whichever particular topic (understanding, not an opinion) that is at hand. A man who opines is not wise, he just has a very strong belief. Whether that belief is convincing or not makes no difference to the fact that that man is not wise. Smart maybe, but not wise.

It is important to mark the difference between having wisdom and having a correct opinion due to the fact that I believe that having wisdom is a much more worthy goal than having a correct opinion, but for the case of this article, intellect can refer to either one.

There are basically two fundamental parts to a human, the body and the soul (for those of you who don’t believe in the existence of souls can think of this as the essence of that person, what goes on inside the mind, if you will). While physical fitness nourishes the body, wisdom and intellect nourish the soul. Just as with regular nutrition, it is possible to overdoes on some of the nourishment while being deprived of the other part or even be malnourished altogether.

A person who has a steady intake of intellect while neglecting the body can and will be labeled as a sissy or a nerd and while maybe smarter than the average person, they will still be looked upon as a weakling and not give them much of a second glance. On the other hand, someone who focuses on the body but not the soul can and will be labeled as a gorilla or a jock and while they can be stronger and more intimidating, they tend to be more aggressive, more short-sighted, and not too many people will trust them.

However, a person who has that balance of body and soul will be more likely looked upon as being more trustworthy, more stable, and more responsible among other things. This man can be counted upon to not only have an educated opinion or answer (or maybe even understanding) on many topics, but can also be counted on during situations that require strength or other physical feats.

Nourishing the two halves of the essence of what makes a human being is the key to having a better human being.