Re: Pondering Posted by Sally on May 04, 1999 at 16:17:08:
In Reply to: Pondering posted by John on May 04, 1999 at 12:01:36:
Hi John,
I had been avoiding discussing the Littleton/Kosovo "personality
wars" until there had been some other feedback....but I can *see* that
it needs to be addressed for it is obviously bothering you.
Personally,I recall a previous class discussion about mankinds innate
v. learned propensity for warfare...It seems to me that what is missing
in the current world crisis is the full realization of true
empathy/compassion for our fellow sufferers. The masses have become
desensitized because life has become an all-out battle for
survival....The rules have been gutted...for the advantage of "the
few",,,ethics have erroded to the level of virtual non-existence in
many areas.{i.e. Law/court system} Lip service is paid to due process
and Human rights,but it seems that we have all but buried that
humaness...Will we leave only the inky footprints Douglas mentioned?
Yet the root causes of inequity and global strife remain "obscured"(to
the masses!)....When people fully realize the interdependency of the
entire Earth...it may well be too late. Until then...mindfulness will
"light" the darkness for those of us who chose to avail ourselves of
its beacon. I recently have been reading about EQ....as I am way too
"emotional" but also cynical too.I *feel* almost like an alien to
myself at times{The evil twin syndrome...then I "come to" and my
remorse is profound.How can this me...be ME??)We all need to learn more
about EQ!!!What is EQ?
(http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content4/emot.intel.html#what)
Emotional intelligence is a way of recognizing, understanding, and
choosing how we think, feel, and act. It shapes our interactions with
others and our understanding of ourselves. It defines how and what we
learn; it allows us to set priorities; it determines the majority of
our daily actions. Because emotional intelligence is so closely tied to
the ways we relate to ourselves and others, research suggests it is
responsible for as much as 80% of the “success” in our lives.
The idea of emotional intelligence is not new. The first known writings
about the emotional basis of learning come from Plato. What is new,
however, is the recognition that the cognitive, emotional, and social
parts of ourselves are deeply interconnected and interdependent -- that
our feelings dramatically influence our thinking, that our behaviors
are inseparable from our emotions.
There is no thinking without feeling, no feeling without thinking.
Action, feeling, and thought all affect one another.
Mindfulness is helping me to learn how NOT to "react"...and this site
had some other good ideas that can help. We all have choices....but
many can't *see* that they are there....Time to remove the
blindfold...Bye,
Sally ;-)
Archived 15 Jun 99