Readers' Forum
Gathic principles
The Gathas, said to be propounded about 3,000 years ago, are the undiluted message of Zarathushtra. Expressed simply, they tell us that there is only one God. We need to treat all people, rich or poor, black or white, man or woman, with respect and dignity, particularly those less fortunate than ourselves. We need to think good thoughts so that we speak good words which then help us perform good deeds. It is not sufficient to perform good deeds alone, we need to fight evil wherever it exists; we need to be humble, modest and compassionate. We have freedom of choice, but we need to be aware that we and we alone will face the consequences of our choices and need to be righteous. Being righteous is its own reward.
When I started my professional career in 1959, Peter Drucker, Austrian-American management consultant and author who many believe laid the foundation for the study of management, had made his mark in America. His thoughts started drifting towards India where people and organizations, including Tata Steel where I worked, took notice. Management training institutes were being set up. Indian Institutes of Management were being planned.
It was, however, not until the late 1980s that the American writer and science journalist Daniel Goleman coined the term Emotional Intelligence (EI). He argued that the concept of the Intelligence Quotient (IQ), hitherto used to measure the ability of an individual to perform jobs effectively, did not adequately measure the level of intelligence of an individual to do so. EI is nothing but the use of empathy to carry out interpersonal interactions. People, he argued, are the focal point of not only performing tasks to achieve the goals of an organization effectively but also what we expect them to do on an individual basis. Empathy entails the ability of one to creep into the skin of the persons one is interacting with, to make them effectively perform the tasks set out by the organization. It was earlier thought that if we thumped the table and ordered others to do our bidding, it would be done. Goleman and others state that if we can persuade people to do what we want them to do, the tasks would be performed not only willingly, but also more efficiently.
Ever since dementia took my dear wife of almost 60 years away from me, I am keen to find out what causes mental illness and what can be done to avoid/minimize its impact.
A while ago I read about a study undertaken by the US Armed Forces on the incidence of mental illness in their ranks. The study reached the conclusion that such patients need to be socially active and interact with other fellow beings. These patients need to be treated with respect and dignity if they are to recover. The report expects mental illnesses to rise exponentially in the future. In fact so worrisome is the problem that it was felt that the country would not be able to bear the cost of the treatment of all those afflicted with mental illnesses!
More recently Time magazine, writing on the same subject, painted an extremely scary scenario where it envisaged people with mental illnesses roaming the streets uncared for, if the problem is not tackled early enough!
Recently, I came across a book by German Prof Martin Korte who specializes in research on the human brain, titled Jung im Kopf (Young in Mind). Within the first 10 pages the author mentions EI, which can be seen to help one understand others better, gives one confidence and greater self-awareness and makes one a kinder person, thereby reducing stress levels.
So how do we assess whether we have lived a life according to Gathic principles? Drucker tells us: "I do not wish to be the richest in the cemetery!” Nor does he consider having succeeded if he has received high ranking titles. However, he does feel he has lived life meaningfully if he has earned the respect of his fellow humans.
Zarathushtra was certainly not aware of the term EI at the time he lived, but surely he perceived of the advantages of treating others with respect and dignity?
YEZAD KAPADIA
Delhi
yezad.kapadia@gmail.com
When I started my professional career in 1959, Peter Drucker, Austrian-American management consultant and author who many believe laid the foundation for the study of management, had made his mark in America. His thoughts started drifting towards India where people and organizations, including Tata Steel where I worked, took notice. Management training institutes were being set up. Indian Institutes of Management were being planned.
It was, however, not until the late 1980s that the American writer and science journalist Daniel Goleman coined the term Emotional Intelligence (EI). He argued that the concept of the Intelligence Quotient (IQ), hitherto used to measure the ability of an individual to perform jobs effectively, did not adequately measure the level of intelligence of an individual to do so. EI is nothing but the use of empathy to carry out interpersonal interactions. People, he argued, are the focal point of not only performing tasks to achieve the goals of an organization effectively but also what we expect them to do on an individual basis. Empathy entails the ability of one to creep into the skin of the persons one is interacting with, to make them effectively perform the tasks set out by the organization. It was earlier thought that if we thumped the table and ordered others to do our bidding, it would be done. Goleman and others state that if we can persuade people to do what we want them to do, the tasks would be performed not only willingly, but also more efficiently.
Ever since dementia took my dear wife of almost 60 years away from me, I am keen to find out what causes mental illness and what can be done to avoid/minimize its impact.
A while ago I read about a study undertaken by the US Armed Forces on the incidence of mental illness in their ranks. The study reached the conclusion that such patients need to be socially active and interact with other fellow beings. These patients need to be treated with respect and dignity if they are to recover. The report expects mental illnesses to rise exponentially in the future. In fact so worrisome is the problem that it was felt that the country would not be able to bear the cost of the treatment of all those afflicted with mental illnesses!
More recently Time magazine, writing on the same subject, painted an extremely scary scenario where it envisaged people with mental illnesses roaming the streets uncared for, if the problem is not tackled early enough!
Recently, I came across a book by German Prof Martin Korte who specializes in research on the human brain, titled Jung im Kopf (Young in Mind). Within the first 10 pages the author mentions EI, which can be seen to help one understand others better, gives one confidence and greater self-awareness and makes one a kinder person, thereby reducing stress levels.
So how do we assess whether we have lived a life according to Gathic principles? Drucker tells us: "I do not wish to be the richest in the cemetery!” Nor does he consider having succeeded if he has received high ranking titles. However, he does feel he has lived life meaningfully if he has earned the respect of his fellow humans.
Zarathushtra was certainly not aware of the term EI at the time he lived, but surely he perceived of the advantages of treating others with respect and dignity?
YEZAD KAPADIA
Delhi
yezad.kapadia@gmail.com
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