In a well-functioning society, and life in general, we need to be both smart and physically capable.

Not only do we merely need to be capable, but we also need to possess other vital skills such as courage, competitiveness, and assertiveness as well to protect ourselves, and the people around us.

We’re also required to be intelligent and wise to make good, thoughtful decisions that benefit not only ourselves personally, but also all other members of society.

That means if we’re not both scholars and warriors, then we will have our thinking done by weak people without courage, and our fighting done by folks who don’t even know why and what they’re fighting for.

Strength

It’s no wonder that strength is something that has historically been admired and that great sculptures have been made of incredible physiques in humanity’s short existence. Perhaps the people back then knew how important physical vigor was, and still is. Whether it’s to defend oneself, for general health, or to be able to perform the rigorous physical activities that life requires at times.

Yes, the need for physical strength has gone down in modern times since technological advancements and the increased use of machinery. It’s also true that life has never been safer than it is now. Yet, strength remains much more essential than almost all of us realize.

Being physically capable creates confidence

It’s indispensable to be physically tough in order to be competent enough to protect yourself from dangerous situations. Not only that but knowing that you’re capable will make you radiate an aura of confidence that will already make most people realize that you’re not someone to be trifled with. At the very least, they’ll respect your confidence.

Confidence and being physically capable teaches courage

That much-needed confidence will make us muster the necessary courage to stand up against all the evil that happens in the world. If people lack courage, then the bad people win since there’s nobody left to oppose them. And without the courage to stand up for oneself, and to speak up, there can be no change for the better.

Being intelligent and wise in life

Concerning intelligence, there’s not much we can do to increase our fluid intelligence. But what we can do is increase our crystallized intelligence, which is the accumulation of knowledge and abilities that we acquire during our lifetime.

Accumulating wisdom

We can accomplish this feat by learning something new each day. By becoming, and perhaps even more importantly, remaining open-minded our whole lives. Read a book, observe, search for empirical evidence, and seek out the truth and objective information.

You would be amazed how much you could learn in a short amount of time if only you applied yourself properly. And this will most certainly improve your existence in many ways you hadn’t even considered before!

Wisdom and intelligence allow you to make good decisions

Not just that, flexing your brainpower allows you to make good decisions, which is vital if you want to have long-term success in life.

For example, intelligent people forego immediate, short-term gratification to gain a delayed, but much larger reward in the future. Smart behavior! And something very hard to do in our current dopamine-craving society that desires immediate gratification of the senses.

The capacity to make good decisions is especially necessary for individuals in a leadership position. They need to be both courageous/physically capable AND smart/wise to make good decisions that benefit society as a whole. If leaders are weak and/or unwise, then society will be worse off, or even crumble, as a result.