IQ, EQ and beyond

Written by Dr Harish Chandra

Wednesday, 11 October 2006 06:12

We human beings are superior to all animals and birds because of our intelligence. Intelligence is a characteristic of the mind and not quite that of the body. Our IQ characterizes our intelligence, called Intelligence Quotient.

However, now there is a greater realization that IQ is not enough for one to succeed in all situations of life whether at home or at work. Now there is greater appreciation for EQ, Emotional Quotient.Indeed, it must be so because if one loses his/her emotional balance on minor pretexts then he/she will not be able to deliver intelligent solutions even though intelligence existed in the mind.

Consider an instance related to the work place. There is an intelligent HR manager of an organization. But he gets angry often. His anger will be a hindrance in his routine discussion with workers. The goodwill that could be earned through sweet and soothing words is lost because he loses his cool when a worker raises his voice. Nobody blames the worker because they are what they are.

But, the management takes a note of the HR manager’s behavior and finds him a liability for the organization. The management appreciates his intelligent background notes but at the negotiating table he is unable to discharge the expected results. So, one day, instead of him firing the irresponsible workers, he finds that he has been fired by the management.

While IQ represents the strength of the mind, EQ represents its health. EQ is definitely more important than IQ and it is easy to see this from our body. We know that the body has two important characteristics – strength and health. A strong body is anybody’s envy. But if it is not in good health then the supposedly strong person is often sick. When he falls sick then he is unable to deliver the force and strength of the body. The body is then of no use. Same applies to the mind.

IQ is its strength and EQ represents its health. A healthy and intelligent mind is very desirable. A healthy mind will deliver intelligent solutions in almost all circumstances. If somebody’s EQ is low then he is likely to get nervous in emergencies and become panicky. Such a person may become a liability for everyone else. He is also likely to lose his temper unnecessarily. He cannot function well in many situations. He cannot get along well with others. His team spirit is at a low point. Most importantly, he is likely to fall into the trap of a stressful life. Thus, it is important to maintain good EQ as we were born with.Some important points to remember:

Plan things much in advance. Be at any place a few minutes before the appointed hour so as to maintain cool and composed state of mind.
Know your limitations well so that you do not overload yourself with responsibilities that you may not deliver in time. Learn to say no when required.
Eat less and well. Drink plenty of water. Breathe fresh air. Take deeper breaths often.
Sleep well. Go to bed at a fixed time in a well ventilated room. Sleep for the hours that the body system requires. In other words, go to bed at such a time that you will rise yourself at the required hour. Use an alarm clock only in emergencies.
In order to sleep well, last 30 minutes before going to bed should not include any intellectual activity. No computers, TV, newspapers, books, discussion, etc. – utilize this time to do trivial things such as a leisure walk, setting your bag for tomorrow, bringing out clothes for the next day, gossip talks with family members, etc. Meditation for 10-15 minutes before going to bed is useful in draining out thoughts from the mind.
Take rest in between the day. Have 10-15 minutes without any body or mind activity immediately after the daytime meal.
Meditation is helpful. Even then, use certain times in the day to close eyes and try to break the chain of thoughts and experience ‘thoughtlessness’.
Critically examine when you lost EQ during the day. What do you think was the cause? Try to resolve that it won’t recur. Don’t blame others. Others will remain what they are – we are here to set our EQ and not others’.

While the world at large has its objectives set on IQ and EQ, let us go beyond them. We know that we are a composite of body, mind and soul. Our soul is the true ‘me’ whereas the body and mind are its instruments. Our instruments must preserve their good strength and health but that is not enough. We know that the sound body and mind are absolutely necessary but that is not enough.

If somebody cannot think beyond IQ and EQ then he may utilize his body-mind combine to cheat others for narrow selfish gains. This does not meet the higher objectives of life. So we must educate ourselves to utilize the instruments of body and mind for positive purposes. This is reflected by MQ, Moral Quotient. Maharshi Patanjali in Yoga-Sutra (and you thought Yoga is just a fitness regime!) states five elements necessary to succeed in Yoga:

Ahimsa – not to hurt others by thoughts, words or deeds.
Satya – to be truthful and to seek true knowledge.
Brahmacarya – a man should look at a woman as if looking at his mother, sister or daughter, and likewise, a woman should look at a man as if she looks at her father, brother or son.
Asteya – not to steal/take away others’ belongings.
Aparigraha – not to collect/aspire for material things beyond needs.

Above guidelines ensure that one is not using the body and mind wrongly. That means he is an asset to the society and is not a liability. A person void of these qualities may be harmful to the society even with high IQ and EQ. So MQ is essential too, indeed more so than IQ and EQ are.

A person with high IQ, EQ and MQ will certainly be a wonderful person. Indeed, he would be an asset to his family, community and even to the entire humanity. If this is the case he would definitely like to fill up his spirit, the soul with spiritual energy through the practices of meditation. That will build up his SQ, Spiritual Quotient. While MQ ensures that one doesn’t harm others, SQ ensures that he benefits others.

This would be the ultimate in personality development. A nation with people of high SQ becomes a heaven on the earth. So, remember that IQ and EQ are necessary but not sufficient. Each one of us must preserve MQ that we had in plenty when we were little children. Furthermore, as we grow we should learn to connect to the Cosmic Spirit of God and gain SQ through build up of spiritual energy in our tiny spirit.

Recommend this article...

Comments

Add New

RSS