What Is Emotional Intelligence?

The idea that there is an emotional intelligence, one that can be measured, EI vs. IQ, is widely accepted today, even though there is not complete agreement about how to define it or how to measure it. Emotional intelligence is often spoken of in connection with or even identified with social intelligence.

Here is an open question about emotional intelligence:

How can we compare the emotional intelligence found in our open-hearted childhood with the emotional intelligence that comes with age?

I would like to know what you think about this.

If you feel like it, leave a comment.

Thanks for checking in.

Preparing The Heart To Learn

Interior of Rashi's Shul

Based on a Commentary From > Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum > Azamra Institute, Jerusalem
See my comments below each verse > MCK (Max Carl Kirk)
View on my Yahoo Pulse blog
Mellow Wolf Publishing

PROVERBS CHAPTER 16: 1-7


V 1: "The preparations of the heart are man's, but the answer of the tongue is from HaShem." When we arouse ourselves from below (HIS'ORERUS D'L'TATA) and strive to order and better ourselves, this evokes an arousal from Above (HISORERUS D'L'EIYLA).
MCK comment > By His design, God "responds" to the level of our preparation.  For example, He answers our prayers.  When our prayers are more advanced in understanding the answers can be more advanced without hindering our progress in learning and development.
V 2: "All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but HaShem weighs the spirits." It is very hard for a person to acknowledge that his attitudes and behavior may be wrong. But God knows the truth as to who is good and who is not (Rashi), for He is INSIDE the spirit/soul of each person. The Hebrew word rendered as "weighs", TOKHEIN, is from the root TOKH, which means "within" (Metzudas David).
MCK comment > We may understand that God is the Parent and Teacher who through love and deep understanding is "inside" the mind of the child, the pupil.  If we understand the verse in this way we can get a glimpse of how it is that God is "inside" everything He made with the power of existence without violating its existence as a creation distinct from Himself.  Because He is "inside" the heart and mind through love, He knows where every heart and every mind stand in need of correction, even when we do not know ourselves.

V 3: "Commit your works to God" – pray to Him about everything you need, and this will give a sound basis to all your thoughts, ideas and plans (Rashi).
MCK comment > Begin all thought with God.  Know that God will guide you.  However you need to orient yourself to learn and to think, with a narrow focus on the facts, or from a vantage point that overviews the whole picture and puts everything into context, know that your Creator desires to accompany you in your effort, to help to give you a clear mind.  Stay with God.  When you reach your conclusion or finish your project, entrust the outcome to Him.  He will lead you forward.

V 4: God made everything to reveal His might and glory – even the evil day that befalls the villain reflects glory on God.
MCK comment > On the day of the last evening we will come individually before our Maker and we will also stand all together as one Humanity before our Maker, and we will learn what we finally need to learn in our correction in the knowledge of good and evil.  Then we will know the extreme joy of that correction, and in all our knowledge we will worship our Creator.

V 7: "When God is pleased with a man's ways, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" – including his own wife! (Bereishis Rabbah 54). If a person wants domestic harmony, the key is for him to serve God.
MCK comment > When the man and the woman rebelled against their Creator the first enemies they made were one another.  As soon as they began to repent toward God they began to be reconciled with one another. Had they not repented toward God at all, where would have their children been?  As their children, we ought always to learn from the consequences of the their wrong choice and follow their example in repenting.  If we all have a life of repenting toward our Creator for the wrong that we do in common, we will live in peace with one another and learn from one another.

via springpadit.com

ThinkingDialogue is a mental attitude that can be generated through the human conscience. It can be most easily generated through an attitude of returning to communion with our Maker.

What Is Privacy, Anyway?

The Private Room by Stuck in Customs via Flickr

Is the meaning or definition of privacy really changing today?  Here is today's Open Question:

What does privacy mean to you?

If you are interested in spending a few minutes with this subject, you might want to check the post called, To Be or Not To Be Private, on this site, or click the post title.

Please comment on the question if you would like.

Thanks for checking in.

To Be or Not to Be Private

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein

We, the people, seem to be shooting by the whole issue of privacy on a bullet train.  I know, some people are out there labouring in the fields of the issue of privacy on behalf of us all. But then again, privacy is not just a legal issue or a software issue.  Let's slow down the train for a few minutes.  Here is an excellent reflection on the issue of privacy today that all of us can benefit from taking the time to read.  It was written for those within the Orthodox Jewish community but it is applicable to anyone who has a mind to learn something about this question from our common heritage of ethics.  This brief pdf article has the potential to empower us to start thinking about this in an effective way.  This is certainly a safe site from which to download a pdf file.  Here it is > Do We Need To Know Everything?

If you are interested in this subject, you might want to check out the latest Open Question post about this on this site - or click here > Thinking Dialogue.