Re: Earthquake and value systems

["Sanjai Kukreti" <skukreti@home.com>]

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Please help make the Manifesto better, or accept it, and propagate it!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Bharat Pardasani <bpardasa@sun.iwu.edu> wrote:
> Sanjay dude I think you r seriously mixed up! I dont understand your
> definition of EQ but you are mixing up everything on earth under the EQ
> umbrella (corruption, short sighted ness, not being able to progress etc
> etc). Under this magic word you go on to claim that Indians lack EQ -
which
> I think is total bull!

Again, I am not equating EQ with those other things, I am saying that higher
prevalence of those other things is symptomatic of lower EQ. Again, you can
see how in the developed countries, that there is a much greater tendency
for orderly and calm behavior, as compared to the chaotic India. The fact is
that group interaction skills are much more critical to how far a society is
able to advance, as compared to how many individual geniuses it produces.
Like I said before, a group of average IQ people who can collaborate well,
will far outperform a group of clever people who squabble a lot.

> I dont think you can even support your own example but I bet the American
> child is more likely to eat the candy right away than the Indian child.
But
> does that mean you have failed the test? Exactly what is being tested
here?
> American households have the lowest savings rates- They spend all (and
more
> than) they earn! So is that low EQ too?

Again, EQ is a measure of ability to restrain one's passions and impulses --
whether it is greed, lust, anger, discouragement, etc.
Clearly, the more that members of a group are emotionally volatile, the more
their ability to cooperate harmoniously will be adversely affected, and the
lower their collective achievement will be.

> Do you think we build better houses and better quality goods beacuse we
have
> "EQ" here? Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

EQ can certainly be the basis for which path is chosen as a value system.
Perhaps it is then necessary to deliberately choose and promote a value
system and culture which compensates for EQ deficiency, rather than our
adopting an ostrich-like mentality of denial. This might achieve better
results in the end.
Of course, it requires the humility and introspection to prevail over ego.
But one would hope that  Indians have sufficient IQ to prevail over lower
EQ. That would be the dividing line between success and failure, as a
society.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the National Debate on System Reform.       debate@indiapolicy.org
Rules, Procedures, Archives:            http://www.indiapolicy.org/debate/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------