We live in an age where everyone with access to the internet can know anything about anything. No matter what our opinions, our beliefs are we can always find something on the world wide web to support our ideas. But does that mean we are actually right? or does that even help us in getting where we want. Does arguing with someone over some factual information and proving him or her wrong win you some points? This is the intellectual intelligence i am talking about in my title.
Currently we have about 7 billion ++++++ people on the planet, we are probably the most 'institutionally educated' generation ever. More people are going to college, graduating, more people can read and write.....etc. As an optimist i believe this is really good, but i also feel with modern education we are forgetting something that's really important. Emotional intelligence; is something that can only be learned by listening to our instinct and our gut. Something that everyone has but forgotten, because we are so obsessed with being 'right'.
Have you ever given up winning an argument even though you truly believed you are right? Why did you do it? i have done it before and i did it because i would rather feel good than be right. Let me repeat that, I WOULD RATHER FEEL GOOD THAN BE RIGHT. You might say "well doesn't winning the arguement make me feel better?" does it? Every situation is different but i would say most arguements comes from the desire to make someone else agree with you so that your own idea or belief can survive. I call it "survival of the ego". Our ego needs an identity to cling on too, our ideas, beliefs are one of them so if more people agree with us, naturally we will feel that we are 'right'and hence better. But what are we trying to achieve?i am assuming that everyone is doing what they are doing because they want to feel better than where they are currently. So for example, why do you work? to get more money to buy the house, car, etc because we believe by achieving those things we are going to feel better. Why do we eat?, because when we are hungry and we eat we feel better. Why do we argue, so that when we win the arguement......you get the point :).If feeling better is our overall goal in anything we do, that means the underlying assumption we have is that, wherever we are is bad, not good enough, that's why we want to escape it.
In my journey of meditation and yoga, i realize that its not the poses i can do that makes me feel good, it's enjoying them as i do them, being in the moment. When i am salsa dancing, it's not the crazy moves i can do that make me feel good, it's the connection with the other human being in the moment. when i am eating, it's not the satisfaction of my hunger that feels good, it's the taste of flavours on my tongue as i chew them bite for bite. When arguing with someone it's not convincing them that my idea is right that feels good, it's the deeper connection that we can disagree but still have a good relationship that feels good.We are so obsessed with changing the outside world to make it a 'better place'. How about starting within ourselves :)
Treasure for humanity, treasure lies within all of us.
