Saturday, September 21, 2013

Responding Thoughtfully

"Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment." ~ Lao Tzu


To respond thoughtfully takes intentionality and time, e.g., to calm, find rest, or the collecting of ourselves so as to move beyond reactivity or impulsivity.

  • The cultivation of full human capacity vs. patterns of emotive arousal and reaction (such as dependence on technology, retaliation and war). 
  • Being reflectively thoughtful and collaborative with others 
  • Openness to ambiguity, mystery, and uncertainty resulting in mindfulness and imagination opening up the way to serendipity and hope vs. fixation on concreteness
What might this look like in every-day life?  In the language of human virtue, Emotional Intelligence” is the capacity to be more aware of the motives and feelings of others, and of self, and to respond more skillfully; to notice differences among others, especially with respect to their moods, temperaments, motivations, and intentions, and then to act upon these distinctions; to have finely tuned access to my own feelings and the ability to use that knowledge to understand and guide my behavior. The golden or mean good, the virtue itself might be translated compassion or self-differentiation (family systems) while an excess is being desensitized or emotionally fatigue and the deficiency is poor coping capacity and easily triggered.