Why should Emotional Intelligence (EI) be part of the national curriculum? Why should it be part of professional training? A Ted Talk by Michele Schnider prompted me to write this article as many educators and employers do not seem to understand the importance E. I. and how it can impact the future of humanity. In her talk, Schnider shares some statistics that beg us to ask the question of what students and professionals really need today that will help them to become more fulfilled human beings in 10 or 20 years. She shared that 65% of students in middle school today will have jobs that still do not exist. She also said that professionals are predicted to have 5 career changes in his/her life. People will have to learn how to become life-long learners as the pace of innovations will take place faster, making continuous learning a necessity. How will humans cope with so many and such fast-paced changes? The answer is by going within. Schnider makes a distinction between intelligence and conscience. The former can be performed by Artificial Intelligence but not the latter (at least in the foreseeable future). Therefore, students and professionals of the future must be able to strike a balance between these two. Intelligence allow us to analyse, argue, organise, etc. Conscience allows us to feel. Such feelings lead us to our intuition, motivation, moods, and compassion. We have been pretty good at developing intelligence, but how do we develop conscience? By giving people space to feel which could be done through self-care practices such as meditation and therapies. Expressing emotions such as laughter and sadness should be respected in classrooms and workplaces. If we want to continue to be relevant in the future, changes must take place now in order for us to adapt and thrive. What changes do you see are taking place at your school or workplace? Leave your comment below! |
AuthorEve specialises in Yoga and Relaxation for students and professionals who lead stressful lives or who are simply looking for a different perspective. She loves to write her thoughts in varied media and genres. Archives
September 2020
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