Competence

There was a professor at UNM in Albuquerque that I like to (probably mis) qoute sometimes-

"Competence can only be measured by performance."

The context was in a special ed environment but it applies to everyone I think.

Her point was that our belief that the LD students we were working with had latent abilities if we could just uncover them was useless until we could find objective evidence that those abilities really exist.

When I try to justify myself by my intrinsic abilities I am just flat wrong. My deeply held opinion that I am smart and that my judgement is good and that I am a morally competent person has no value until I can show those things in my actions. I am only as smart as I am acting today. I am only as kind as the kindness I am performing and only as good as my life shows me to be. Potential is a wonderful thing but has no value to me or anyone else until it is manifested in activity-

I am only as good a person as my life demonstrates-

I am what I say and do.