IQ, EQ, SQ || Acharya Prashant, at Delhi University (2023)

Acharya Prashant

‍♂️ Want to meet Acharya Prashant? Be a part of the Live Sessions: https://acharyaprashant.org/hi/enquir...   Want to read Acharya Prashant's Books? Get Free Delivery: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/books?... ➖➖➖➖➖➖  Video Information: 31.01.23, Hansraj College, Delhi  Context:  ~ Thought vs Emotions.  ~ Is EQ stronger or IQ? ~ How emotions dictate our life? ~ Is thought better than emotions? ~ Should one listen to the mind or the heart?   Music Credits: Milind Date  ~~~~~

Transcript

00:00Hello sir, I am Utkarsh. I am pursuing my Masters in Philosophy from the Department

00:12of Philosophy itself, Delhi University. And my question dates back to the perennial debate

00:19between the concepts of EQ and IQ. And to expound my question, I would like to elaborate

00:25that this dates back to the philosopher David Hume, who made the distinction between the

00:33reason part of the human brain and the passion. And in modern times, in modern cognitive science

00:40and psychology, people like some psychologists like Gardner and Goldman have made a distinction

00:46and they've tried to establish that EQ is just as important as the IQ. And bringing

00:53it back to practical terms, pragmatic terms, I would like to ask that if I am to make a

01:01very important decision in life, how much weight should be given to the emotional part

01:06of my brain? Because emotions do play a role. Even before I make a decision, I have an emotion

01:12attached to the decision already. So how much of my attention or weight should be given

01:19to the rational part? How much of it should be given to the emotional part? Or is it a

01:24combination of both? See, what you call as intelligence pertains mostly to your thinking

01:45self. So your IQ has a very strong relation with your thoughts. What you call as EQ has

02:03a strong relationship with your emotions, feelings. And whenever it will come to a

02:14tussle between thoughts and feelings, feelings will win hands down. Even if it appears that

02:25you are choosing thought over feeling, even that choice would be a feeling. Because feeling is the

02:34very source of thought. We may not realize that. But emotions always take precedence over thoughts.

02:46Emotions dictate thoughts. And you will not know where your emotions come from. Emotions

02:59will simply change your thoughts. Emotions will very successfully construct arguments

03:06in their own favor. So if emotions are indeed more powerful than thoughts, then obviously

03:16EQ is more important than IQ. A person who can think very sharply, logically, but is

03:26totally ignorant of his emotions is a dangerous person, dangerous to both himself and to others.

03:35Because he will have a great power in his hand, the power of thought. And that power

03:48will actually be in the hands of his dark emotions. Why do I call them dark? I am calling

03:56them dark because they come from an unknown place, a place you cannot see. So I am calling

04:01them dark. For example, I construct a powerful, a great technology. I am a great researcher.

04:13I can think. I can go into material. And I come up with a wonderful technology. But within

04:23me, I am full of hatred, jealousy, anger. And these are emotions. What will I use that

04:33technology for? That technology is not a product of hatred. That technology is not a product

04:38of anger. That technology is a product of thought. I kept thinking, thinking and my

04:44thinking self gave birth to that technology. But what will I use that technology for? I

04:53will use that technology in the service of my hate, my revenge, my anger, whatever it

05:00is. So EQ is definitely more important than IQ. Now, what is it that can overrule or supersede

05:12EQ as well? Obviously, that is your spiritual quotient. The great thing about spiritual

05:20quotient that makes it very different from both IQ and EQ is that it is a choice. Your IQ,

05:31you can hardly change. Even if it will change throughout your lifespan, it will be to a minor

05:36extent. Similarly, your EQ is something that is given to you by your birth, by nature itself.

05:48Some people are born too emotional. Some are born terrified. Have you seen that? Even when

05:57kids are born, they have a personality that moment itself. Some kids are very energetic.

06:06Some are very lethargic. Some are very outgoing. Some like to keep to themselves. So IQ and EQ

06:17they both in a sense are governed by your physical structure, your birth itself. Whereas,

06:25SQ is a choice. You cannot do much when it comes to IQ or EQ. But when it comes to SQ,

06:36you can do everything. What is SQ? Spiritual quotient is actually the choice, the decision

06:44to know yourself. If you can understand yourself, you will know where your emotions are coming from.

06:50So if you have a high SQ, you will be able to control your EQ. And we said EQ controls thoughts.

06:59Your emotions control your thoughts. And what can control your emotions? Your SQ,

07:10your self-inquiry. In the language of spirituality, this is how it is put.

07:17Atma Gyan or Atma Jigyasa is what can bring light to your vritti. Your vritti, which is your

07:27fundamental biological tendencies, your vritti shows up in your emotions. And if your vritti

07:36can be shown some light, then your thoughts, that is vichar, change. So vichar, vritti,

07:48Atma Jigyasa. If you find that you are unable to control your emotions, if you find that you have

07:57sudden mood swings, if you find that in spite of knowing that you should not get hurt or that you

08:04should not hate, you still get hurt or get hateful, then what you require is self-knowledge.

08:14When you see where your emotions come from, you will find it easier to stay at a distance from

08:24them. And if you do not power your emotions, then your emotions will not be able to control your

08:34thoughts. Getting it?

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