In answering the first question above, I suggested that the recent COVID-19 pandemic offers us an opportunity to harness the time and space that has been afforded us to pause and reflect on the global decline in Emotional Intelligence (EQ), before moving to action in first halting and then reversing this decline. I shall now seek to expand upon how I believe that we can capitalize on this opportunity in ways that transcend genders, generations and geographies.
We are not all doctors. We are not all scientists. We are not all anti-vaxxers. Yet we are all human-beings with human emotions and we each of us have our own responsibility for these emotions. What I offer here is, I hope, ambitious in breadth, yet it is also likely only the tip of the iceberg and intended as an opening of the conversation rather than a conclusion.
I believe that creating fertile environments within which individuals and collectives can grow greater EQ can save our species and our planet. Such a crucial undertaking should be enacted at every possible occasion and should aim to reach the greatest possible number of people, worldwide. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us to reengineer how we engage with one another: the advent of physical restrictions has created and enhanced methods of virtual communication, virtual connection. It is now far more possible, likely even that ordinary citizens can join others across national borders, across time-zones in real time. I believe that public and civic institutions now have the opportunity to collaborate with and harness such technical advances to empower people both publicly and privately to take responsible action for their own EQ. This can be achieved through offering people the time and space to become self-aware and the choice to become self-directed as a result.
A key environment within which to carry out this important work will be the classroom, both physical and – where necessary – virtual. Children are natural learners and while we have succeeded in teaching our children how to pursue and to acquire discreet knowledge, we have some distance yet to travel regarding preparing our children for the world beyond the classroom. A dedicated position on the national curriculum for cultivating EQ from the earliest school-age would be a firm step in this journey. Children should be encouraged to harness EQ to engage with themselves and thence with their classmates before then being offered opportunities to connect with other children from other classrooms, worldwide. There are numerous charitable and not-for-profit initiatives with rich experience within this space: steps should be taken to join with such select partners in providing curricular and extracurricular opportunities – as just one example, the power of Zoom, Skype, MS Teams and the like could be utilized to join classes in story-telling exchanges that offer transformative potential for connecting deeply with self and with others, bridging seemingly impossible divides.
I see much truth in Aristotle’s observation that we are what we repeatedly do. If we are to cultivate habitual EQ practices then we must make such practices obvious, easy, satisfying and rewarding. In placing EQ definitively upon the national curriculum in our schools we seek to make the practice of EQ obvious. In harnessing current and soon-to-be-current technical advances, we seek to make it easy; easy for students to engage and easy for schools to enact. The uplifting nature of such self-exploration and the realization that we each have it within our power to take control of our emotions aims at the element of satisfaction and also at reward. This latter element could also be covered more extrinsically; perhaps by way of credit that contributes towards a student’s grades.
Carrying forth this practice beyond the classroom, there is a growing trend towards workplaces offering reward schemes as a perk for employees: my own employer offers Vitality packages, which seek to encourage my colleagues and me to take tangible action to improve our mental and physical wellbeing. I suggest that such initiatives be encouraged to expand to take into account an individual’s EQ as well as their BMI, blood pressure et al. For example; mindfulness seminars, guided meditation, emotion-centred workshops could all be offered with points rewarded for attendance (such points can then be redeemed against real-world purchases such as a cup of coffee or a holiday) Provision could similarly be made for private individuals who are not employed by such organizations, but who still wish for such opportunity – paid membership could adopt a sliding scale dependent upon an individual’s income or similar. A key points reward option should centre on the individual finding ways to bring EQ to their communities; for example, by way of events held locally in person or virtually as discussed above.
Greater opportunities should be sought for engaging with the elders of a community. The COVID-19 pandemic has made many more mindful of our elders even as we feel wary of risking their health. Virtual opportunities could be harnessed until such a time when physical meetings are considered safe once more, in which EQ is placed front-and-centre as diverse members of the community engage with these elders. Again, story-exchanges offer a rich environment within which to practise such connection. For school or working-age individuals, such activities could merit credit (in grades or in reward points) as an extrinsic motivator atop the intrinsic good one feels when connecting with another. For our elders, these would be opportunities to share wisdom and dispel the loneliness that so many people feel as their years advance.
These are just some of the ways that I see us being able to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic to cultivate a greater global EQ. I am sure that however imperfect these suggests are, they hold within them kernels of potential. Thank you very much for reading these proposals and indeed for presenting the opportunity for me to share them with you in the first place.
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