Stupid people don't catch colds?

 

 

This is a Japanese saying. It is a classic joke. We say this when someone catches a cold to comfort them:  “You have caught a cold. It proves you are not stupid.”

 

However, I recently started taking this saying seriously. I suspect clever people are more likely to catch colds.

 

Stupid people don’t think about complex things. They always listen to the voices in their body. Is it cold or hot? Am I hungry or not? Am I tired or not? Am I sleepy or not? Listening to these voices from own body might be an important ability to avoid catching a cold.

 

Clever people have to think about many things. Will this cause trouble or not? Do people hate me or not? Will the boss scold me or not? Does it make me a loser or not? Will I make or lose profit? Do I look stupid or not? They need to think too much. It causes them to overwork.

 

Even in a situation like this: “If I don’t finish this work till the next morning, it will destroy the human race,” a stupid person will sleep when the person feels sleepy.  The stupid person never thinks about complex things.

 

This thinking style might be a stupidness we should learn. We don’t want to be destroyed by a stupid person. But does any work, even if we realize it is serious, have enough value to justify ignoring the voices from our body?  

 

If you see a person who catches a cold, please take good care of that person. The person might think too much. The person might ignore the voice from their own body. The person might overwork. You should pray for the person secretly: “be stupider!”

Picture by Toshiro Kiritani

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