In a world where everyone is competing for a good salary, promotion, and economic freedom, being brilliant is not enough. That's my philosophy and I see it every day in my career. It takes more than that to captivate people's hearts.
My name is Pedro Armas, I am a young observer who lets myself be carried away by destiny, but I am always learning, it is my favorite hobby. Observing and learning. There is nothing as powerful as that.
Let's take a few scenarios from my life as an example:
I am a deck cadet aboard the ship Nautilus, a production vessel that carries fuel oil as cargo, we are sailing the Caribbean Sea while my time destined to be the third officer of the merchant marine of my country is fulfilled. Our objective is to supply fuel to some ships.
In the time that has passed, I have come to observe a pattern. I admit that I am not the only cadet, we are two and I also add that I am not the brightest. My mate Excelsior is a boy with confidence in his voice, who has been familiarizing himself for years with the lexicon and maritime life. When we boarded, he already knew about navigation lights, the most complicated terms and most of the maneuvers one performs daily.
I was at zero in terms of knowledge, but I had an advantage in my powers of observation.
The crew of the Nautilus was diverse, each with different tastes and personalities. However, each had something to contribute to me their knowledge. Even the camera department knew the craft of seamanship. Excelsior didn't understand that, thinking that being brilliant was enough.
As time went on I learned more and more about what the officers and non-starters did. From cargo operations to navigation equipment. Little by little I was deepening one step at a time the knowledge I could get a day, I was strengthening it and not showing that I knew it.
My partner would flaunt his knowledge and when they tried to teach him new things he would refute that knowledge. He often clashed with the crew because he thought he was above them, with the officers he was cordial and kept his brilliant knowledge in check, but sometimes he would shoot without remorse.
Like all cadets, we had to do what we were asked to do. I was asked to fetch B and carry A I did it without complaint, but Excelsior thought those jobs were degrading tasks for his genius. Mopping the accommodation or the ship's deck were jobs for the poor. At first, he did it because we were novices, but gradually he showed a little more of his brilliance.
I got to know the people and their weaknesses. I learned that the second officer was still hurting from her father's death and was still in love with her ex-boyfriend, that the waiter was once a kitchen steward and his son had leukemia, and that the captain loved his wife very much until she died for Covid. Just like that, each person had something to talk about.
It was not enough to know what RADAR meant or what the sacrificial anodes were for, you had to show humility and interest in people.
Little by little the high marks went to me, even if I had not stood out for my intelligence. Although Excelsior thought that being cordial and making coffee for the officers was the same thing, it was not. It went beyond playing the lackey to gain favors. It was caring about that person and showing interest.
In the end, the knowledge indirectly went into my hands. I observed and learned.
Being brilliant is not enough in a world where people require attention to their deepest secrets and ailments.