Daniel Goleman addresses the TED audience on emotional intelligence and taking a collateral look at compassion – from global to local.
“There is a direct correlation,” said Goleman, “between self absorption and how much time we have on our hands.” In other words, we are much more likely to help a stranded victim, talk to a beggar on the street or listen to a friend when we simply have more time to do so rather than feeling the ‘need’ to get from Point A to B.
“There is a distinction between helping, thinking of ourselves and helping others. Turn off your blackberry when you are with someone and pay FULL attention.” HERE HERE Daniel.
It is precisely what I have been feeling ever since I moved to the Bay Area. He adds, “the fact that devices compete for a person’s attention leaves people feeling both puzzled and pissed off, equating to a term he makes up on the fly – ‘pizzled.’
Everyone laughs yet it is sad that we have become so accustomed to this behavior as a normal and integral part of our lives. He challenges us to do an exercise whether we are single or married.
He said to the women in the room: “see how long it takes a man to actually ask about YOU in an early conversation with him.” Interesting thought. I’m not sure I’d want to calculate this for fear of the actual results I’d have to report back…..
So what is the correlation between empathy and IQ? “The elephant in the room is the elephant but we don’t even realize it,” said Coleman.
When we pass a homeless person, we often only see that person in our peripheral vision. After visiting a homeless shelter, he started to ‘see’ homeless people in a different way, as if he was somehow shaken out of his urban trance. He challenges us to really think about intelligence in a different way, to access empathy more regularly and recommends the book Stuff.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
