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| Are We All Born Equal? We each differ in the degree of our various spiritual, mental, emotional and physical abilities... by Peter Shepherd |
| Heal your Heart - Love your Body - Live your Joy! Simply Stunning! 3 guided meditations on one CD. Access higher wisdom, intuition and insights. Change habits, activate healing energies and free yourself from emotional trauma. Beautifully and expertly scripted and backed by Mike Rowlands amazing Fairy Ring music. Click CD's for more info. |
Are We All Born Equal?
Are we all born equal? The short answer: yes, but not the same, not by a long
chalk.
All persons have the same qualitative make-up; we are born equal in this
respect, as recognized in the values of 'Equality, Fraternity & Brotherhood.' All
human beings have the same reflexes, instincts, drives, needs, capacities, and
rights; all have the same powers of perception, discrimination, attentiveness,
retentiveness, reasoning, and so forth.
The differences between persons are quantitative rather than qualitative.
'Equality' is to do with our qualities, that we all share, but not the degree to
which they are developed.
Behavioral psychology has installed the idea that we inherit all of our traits, and
besides the modifying effects of cultural conditioning that we stay basically the
same as our genetic hard-wiring dictates. That's true if you don't do anything
about making positive change, if you don't recognize the aspects of yourself
that are more than animal. Recently many have recognized this possibility and
they are looking for valid information that can help them make positive changes.
We each differ in the degree of our various spiritual, mental, emotional and
physical abilities, and in the manner in which the amounts of the various traits
combine in our individuality. A wide range of aptitude, personality, learning and
intelligence tests will show differences as high as 25:1 from person to person,
with a characteristic bell-shaped distribution curve, in much the same way as
physical characteristics are varied.
It is these quantities, which are such an important factor in personal
competence, creativity and ultimately our success in life, that personal
development courses aim to increase. It is through our differences that we are
able to express our individuality and achieve unique goals.
However, according to expert reports, the average score on the SAT (the
Scholastic Aptitude Test used in the USA for university entrance) has fallen by
at least 20% over the last 30 years. Three students out of four at university
have failed to reach the level of "formal operations," which is the ability to
formulate hypotheses and systematically test them to arrive at an answer to a
problem. To be able and creative with abstract ideas, in other words - skills
that are needed to live an interesting and original life.
The majority are stuck at a "concrete" level of thinking, in which they can only
think usefully about actual physical objects and real-world experiences.
Outside of a particular context the underlying principles do not transfer.
Abstract reasoning is beyond them, or uncomfortable for them, so they are
unable to fully participate and profit from education at a higher level. These are
the students who cannot apply what they have learned, because the abstract
and the concrete are two unconnected things for them: the result is a
mind-body split.
Why has this occurred? Young people read far fewer serious books today and
spend less time in intellectual discussion; in contrast, they spend many more
hours in watching TV programs with little or no intellectual content: MTV,
soaps and basketball. Many young people have been brought up on the 30
second sound bite and pap, so their attention span is shorter than it was
before, their vocabulary is much reduced, and many fail to achieve
communication competence. The pleasure principle has taken over from the
reality principle; immediate gratification rules supreme. They do not have the
disposition to think abstractly nor the training to do so well. They can be 'cogs
in the machine' but cannot have significant career prospects nor play a part in
an innovative company.
Even for those of us who had a good education, if we forget all that we learned
and never exercise our mental skills with new and challenging tasks, our
reasoning ability and effective IQ will deteriorate. We may have an established
expertise at work but for most of our time make the minimum mental effort. It
is a fallacy that IQ and mental capacity is inbuilt and unchanging. Like physical
fitness, if you don't use it you will lose it!
As yet, this downward trend continues and the situation deteriorates with each
year that passes. Ultimately, this could even spell the end of our free
democracies, which require participants to have an aware and critical mind.
Can anything be done about it?
Yes, for those that care, it is possible to 'get an education' even at an advanced
age, and to build up the mental skills one had before or which were never
properly developed. Fortunately it is possible to develop our skills, talents,
maturity and intelligence to high degrees, using appropriate techniques. For
example, a wide range of mind development techniques work very well to
develop the faculties of vision, communication, concentration and will, learning
and reading skills, logic, memory, intuition and creativity. Such methods work
for adults, so at any time a person can revitalize their life and move in a
direction that is, at last, truly fulfilling.
Even more importantly, techniques to improve mental and emotional
intelligence may be taught - in appropriate formats - to developing infants, such
that their convention education is enhanced and their natural development is
both accelerated and guided toward the best possible outcome for their future
happiness and achievement.
Emotional intelligence is vital to success and happiness in the real world, but is
rarely taught at school - it is up to parents to teach these skills both to
themselves and to their children. There are many important aspects of behavior
- reflecting emotional intelligence - that you can teach your kids, by example,
that will be invaluable for their future lives.
I feel that it is a mistake to belittle the differences between individuals due to a
fear of being seen as judgmental or non-accepting of a person who has little of
certain qualities. It is much better to be realistic (which is truly to be
non-judgmental and accepting) and recognize the strength and weakness of
our various qualities. Then we can take advantage of the opportunities which
are available to develop and improve ourselves, toward the goal of fulfilling the
unique potential that each of us possesses.
What advantage is it to send a young person out into the world with a head full
of knowledge but without the confidence to use it effectively, or the ability to
grapple with life's problems with that inner stability and optimism which alone
can bring success?
The most important thing your child can learn is that you love them
unconditionally, without judgment. That is the rock on which their
self-assurance will be built. We need to demonstrate that love by listening,
genuinely listening, to our children. By never imposing our own evaluations,
instead asking appropriate questions to guide the child to see objectively for
themselves. And never making the child wrong when they give their opinions or
make mistakes, and try to discover their own unique identity.
Secondly, a child (and each of us) needs to learn that we create our emotional
responses based on our interpretation of things. No one "makes me angry" - I
make myself angry based on the way I choose to look at things. That is usually
highly influenced by the way I have been taught to look at things, especially by
my parents, so if we hope for our children to be emotionally intelligent, we
need to be ourselves, and we need to base that intelligence on a world view
that is open minded and flexible, based on facts and observation, not prejudice
and our own cultural conditioning.
It takes time and experience for a child to learn to understand and control their
emotions, and to take responsibility for their beliefs, their reactions and
behaviors. For this they need guidance and a good example. You.
=====================================
Peter Shepherd is a transpersonal psychologist living in France. He runs the
personal development website Tools for Transformation, which includes many
resources for transformation of body, mind and spirit - including his full book
'Transforming the Mind' available freely online and for PDF download, and a
popular free weekly newsletter. For details of these and much more please
click here... http://www.trans4mind.com/
www.reinventingmyself.com/peter_shepherd.html
----------------------------------------------------------
Are we all born equal? The short answer: yes, but not the same, not by a long
chalk.
All persons have the same qualitative make-up; we are born equal in this
respect, as recognized in the values of 'Equality, Fraternity & Brotherhood.' All
human beings have the same reflexes, instincts, drives, needs, capacities, and
rights; all have the same powers of perception, discrimination, attentiveness,
retentiveness, reasoning, and so forth.
The differences between persons are quantitative rather than qualitative.
'Equality' is to do with our qualities, that we all share, but not the degree to
which they are developed.
Behavioral psychology has installed the idea that we inherit all of our traits, and
besides the modifying effects of cultural conditioning that we stay basically the
same as our genetic hard-wiring dictates. That's true if you don't do anything
about making positive change, if you don't recognize the aspects of yourself
that are more than animal. Recently many have recognized this possibility and
they are looking for valid information that can help them make positive changes.
We each differ in the degree of our various spiritual, mental, emotional and
physical abilities, and in the manner in which the amounts of the various traits
combine in our individuality. A wide range of aptitude, personality, learning and
intelligence tests will show differences as high as 25:1 from person to person,
with a characteristic bell-shaped distribution curve, in much the same way as
physical characteristics are varied.
It is these quantities, which are such an important factor in personal
competence, creativity and ultimately our success in life, that personal
development courses aim to increase. It is through our differences that we are
able to express our individuality and achieve unique goals.
However, according to expert reports, the average score on the SAT (the
Scholastic Aptitude Test used in the USA for university entrance) has fallen by
at least 20% over the last 30 years. Three students out of four at university
have failed to reach the level of "formal operations," which is the ability to
formulate hypotheses and systematically test them to arrive at an answer to a
problem. To be able and creative with abstract ideas, in other words - skills
that are needed to live an interesting and original life.
The majority are stuck at a "concrete" level of thinking, in which they can only
think usefully about actual physical objects and real-world experiences.
Outside of a particular context the underlying principles do not transfer.
Abstract reasoning is beyond them, or uncomfortable for them, so they are
unable to fully participate and profit from education at a higher level. These are
the students who cannot apply what they have learned, because the abstract
and the concrete are two unconnected things for them: the result is a
mind-body split.
Why has this occurred? Young people read far fewer serious books today and
spend less time in intellectual discussion; in contrast, they spend many more
hours in watching TV programs with little or no intellectual content: MTV,
soaps and basketball. Many young people have been brought up on the 30
second sound bite and pap, so their attention span is shorter than it was
before, their vocabulary is much reduced, and many fail to achieve
communication competence. The pleasure principle has taken over from the
reality principle; immediate gratification rules supreme. They do not have the
disposition to think abstractly nor the training to do so well. They can be 'cogs
in the machine' but cannot have significant career prospects nor play a part in
an innovative company.
Even for those of us who had a good education, if we forget all that we learned
and never exercise our mental skills with new and challenging tasks, our
reasoning ability and effective IQ will deteriorate. We may have an established
expertise at work but for most of our time make the minimum mental effort. It
is a fallacy that IQ and mental capacity is inbuilt and unchanging. Like physical
fitness, if you don't use it you will lose it!
As yet, this downward trend continues and the situation deteriorates with each
year that passes. Ultimately, this could even spell the end of our free
democracies, which require participants to have an aware and critical mind.
Can anything be done about it?
Yes, for those that care, it is possible to 'get an education' even at an advanced
age, and to build up the mental skills one had before or which were never
properly developed. Fortunately it is possible to develop our skills, talents,
maturity and intelligence to high degrees, using appropriate techniques. For
example, a wide range of mind development techniques work very well to
develop the faculties of vision, communication, concentration and will, learning
and reading skills, logic, memory, intuition and creativity. Such methods work
for adults, so at any time a person can revitalize their life and move in a
direction that is, at last, truly fulfilling.
Even more importantly, techniques to improve mental and emotional
intelligence may be taught - in appropriate formats - to developing infants, such
that their convention education is enhanced and their natural development is
both accelerated and guided toward the best possible outcome for their future
happiness and achievement.
Emotional intelligence is vital to success and happiness in the real world, but is
rarely taught at school - it is up to parents to teach these skills both to
themselves and to their children. There are many important aspects of behavior
- reflecting emotional intelligence - that you can teach your kids, by example,
that will be invaluable for their future lives.
I feel that it is a mistake to belittle the differences between individuals due to a
fear of being seen as judgmental or non-accepting of a person who has little of
certain qualities. It is much better to be realistic (which is truly to be
non-judgmental and accepting) and recognize the strength and weakness of
our various qualities. Then we can take advantage of the opportunities which
are available to develop and improve ourselves, toward the goal of fulfilling the
unique potential that each of us possesses.
What advantage is it to send a young person out into the world with a head full
of knowledge but without the confidence to use it effectively, or the ability to
grapple with life's problems with that inner stability and optimism which alone
can bring success?
The most important thing your child can learn is that you love them
unconditionally, without judgment. That is the rock on which their
self-assurance will be built. We need to demonstrate that love by listening,
genuinely listening, to our children. By never imposing our own evaluations,
instead asking appropriate questions to guide the child to see objectively for
themselves. And never making the child wrong when they give their opinions or
make mistakes, and try to discover their own unique identity.
Secondly, a child (and each of us) needs to learn that we create our emotional
responses based on our interpretation of things. No one "makes me angry" - I
make myself angry based on the way I choose to look at things. That is usually
highly influenced by the way I have been taught to look at things, especially by
my parents, so if we hope for our children to be emotionally intelligent, we
need to be ourselves, and we need to base that intelligence on a world view
that is open minded and flexible, based on facts and observation, not prejudice
and our own cultural conditioning.
It takes time and experience for a child to learn to understand and control their
emotions, and to take responsibility for their beliefs, their reactions and
behaviors. For this they need guidance and a good example. You.
=====================================
Peter Shepherd is a transpersonal psychologist living in France. He runs the
personal development website Tools for Transformation, which includes many
resources for transformation of body, mind and spirit - including his full book
'Transforming the Mind' available freely online and for PDF download, and a
popular free weekly newsletter. For details of these and much more please
click here... http://www.trans4mind.com/
www.reinventingmyself.com/peter_shepherd.html
----------------------------------------------------------
| Articles by Sonya Green are now available in paperback. Click the book cover to find out more. Or order directly with Paypal secure payment. |