I am not much for politics and bantering political sides…I prefer to be an observer, recognizing where the real issue is. For me, it seems it is deep-rooted in the human conscious…..encumbered by the past, feelings of injustice, unfairness, separation, hurts, pains and fears of the future.
I am thinking the children of today could benefit from teachings of tolerance, emotional intelligence, growth mindset and the concept of “how may I help you.”
Perhaps a new paradigm can be created where this is taught in the schools systems as a requirement…..and reinforced in the self-help/growth field.
It could be a bridging of the younger and older generations who seem to be at odds with each other. UNITY is uniting and working together. I wonder how many people need to die, businesses need to be destroyed and processes dismantled before we wake up and find a way to be at peace being human.
Teaching Tolerance
“Laws alone cannot secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population.” Albert Einstein
Lessons in the following can help to disperse the tension in society of today:
Move away from stereotyping
Appreciating and valuing differences
Recognizing how words can hurt or heal
Know that actions have consequences and choosing your actions wisely
Transform hate into acceptance
Develop empathy towards others
Listen to others perspectives to gain a better understanding of their view
Learn to use statements such as: In my experience, it seems, from what I have learned
Use solution finding techniques
Acceptance of uncertainty and the unknown
Learn about cultures as a positive addition to your knowledge
Understanding your own intolerant feelings and challenge them
Fostering self-esteem and confidence
Practice thinking a difficult thought – this helps to handle difficult situations
Teaching Emotional Intelligence
“Emotional intelligence is when you finally realize it is not all about you.” Peter Stark
Self-Awareness – the ability to recognize and understand your own moods, emotions and what drives you along with their effect on others.
Self-Regulation – the ability to control and redirect impulses and moods that can be disruptive or damaging.
Motivation – a passion to work for reasons that rise above materialism, money or status.
Empathy – the ability to understand other’s emotional makeup.
Social Skill – proficiency in relationship management.
Problem Solving – harness emotions while applying them to difficult situations.
Emotional Range – the ability to cheer up or calm down another person.
Positive Influence – the ability to have an influence on others that leads to positive outcomes.
Intuition – the ability to sense the emotional needs of others.
Listening – the ability to actively listen to others, directing or redirecting the experience as needed.
Teaching Growth Mindset
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t – you are right.” ~ Henry Ford
Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset
Avoid challenges Embrace challenges
Give up easily Keep going when things get difficult
See effort as a waste of time See effort as the path to mastery
Ignore criticism Learn from criticism
Feel threatened by the success of others Learn from and find inspiration from the success of others
Leads to the desire to look smart Leads to the desire to learn
Gives up easily when faced with obstacles Persist in the face of setbacks
“I am either good at it or not” “I can learn anything I want to”
“If I fail, I am no good” “I learn from my failures”
“ I feel feedback is negative” “I feel feedback is constructive”
“My abilities determine everything” “My effort & attitude determine everything”
These mindsets shape our lives. A fixed mindset assumes our character, intelligence and creative ability cannot change and success is a result of avoiding failure while maintaining a sense of control over these attributes. A growth mindset thrives on challenges and does not accept failure, rather looks for ways to grow and stretching oneself beyond his/her comfort zone.
Teaching “How May I Help You”
“How may I help you?” is a request for action. The first to help you up are the ones who know how it feels to fall.
A hand up is better than a pointing finger.
Helping others brings you to your heart center and out of the head.
The other person feels valued when asked, how may I help you.
Extending an invitation to help, you are engaging the other person to respond.
Helping others increases the happiness meter in both people.
Giving can provide a sense of meaning, of feeling like you matter, improves your mood and reduces stress.
Kindness towards others connects individuals and meets one of our basic needs – relatedness.
Caring along with kindness is contagious and inspires others to do the same.
Developing a program that would instill these basics ways of being and treating each other from a young age to apply them to life, can possibly allow children to grow up to be compassionate adults. The results would be measurable and can filter into all areas of life.
We all want happiness and happiness, as well as peace, it depends on our mental attitude. Compassion is the true cause of our mental peace, while anger is only a source of trouble. As human beings, we can broaden the range of our good heart and kindness by appealing to our intelligence: we take care of our neighbor simply because we are dealing with other human beings, like us. Compassion can therefore be taught. From the moment we are born, we are loved and nurtured by our mother and it plants in us the seeds of compassion. However, once we get older and start going to school, less attention is being paid to inner values and we are taught to worry about money, career, power, social status. Education should instead pay great attention to values such as kindness, tolerance, compassion. The key to everything is to cultivate the most authentic human values, starting from a reform of the educational system that introduces methods that allow us to cultivate positive emotions and reduce negative ones.
So true Aldo! It seems somewhere along the road of life we lose the ability to connect with others from that place of compassion. Fortunately, it can be found again and put to practice for a better world. Thank you for your input….