Sanjiwan Pradhan

We are hardwired to listen to stories – attentively. 

Our brains love it. 

 

 I strongly believe that one of the great attributes of a great teacher is his ability to simplify complex concepts. He often does it through storytelling. 

This has been well understood by Danial Goleman, who simplified the concept of Emotional Intelligence in 1995, 

He begins his book “Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ” by recounting a simple yet very powerful incident that took place in New York City on an August afternoon.

In a very vivid fashion, he talks about a driver who, by his unique way of caring for his passengers, left an impression of him. And he was sure to be remembered for a couple of decades. 

According to him, a transformation had happened then. And that was stirred by the generous act of the driver.

 He further says, “The memory of that encounter has stayed with me for close to twenty years. When I rode that Madison Avenue bus, I had just finished my doctorate in psychology—but there was scant attention paid in the psychology of the day to just how such a transformation could happen.

 

What an amazing way of starting a book!

 

There is more there:

 It is a great tome for all those seeking personal development-developing one’s sense of worth, Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ by Danial Goleman gives a magnificent view of the inner working of the human brain.

 In the book, he talks about how our sensory perception, at the sight of danger, is formed and how emotional reaction takes place, preparing us for a Fight or Flight situation.

 Furthermore, he talks about how a human can fall prey to his overwhelming emotions and how his own emotions can highjack him.

 He terms it as “Emotional Hijacking.”

 He explains that it is during this phase heinous crimes are committed.

 Lucid and vivid in his approach, almost like Beethoven who created Settle Symphony, granting a picture to both our desire and destiny, Danial Goleman makes all those emotional intangibilities into tangibles that you can do something about.

 Weaving tales through real-life stories, he talks about the pulling and pushing that happens in the neocortex, a part of our brain where the key to emotional intelligence lies.

 

 I can go on and on. But it is not required.

 After reading the book and after applying the techniques in your own life, you can change your game of life upside down.