IQ, EQ, SQ

IQ tests have been around for a while. We prize intel­li­gence, espe­cially when it leads to tech­no­logic dis­cov­er­ies and the gen­eral improve­ment of life through the sci­ences. In fact, we may even be guilty of wor­ship­ping intel­li­gence. You can­not argue with the results. The best and bright­est have brought us a won­der­ful but not com­plete world. It is one thing to be smart, it is quite another to be adjusted to life. Enter EQ, Emo­tional Quotient!

Emo­tional sta­bil­ity is as much to be admired as being intel­lec­tu­ally bright. We need peo­ple that can laugh and cry appro­pri­ately. We need them to write books and pro­duce movies that will help us do the same. It is one thing to think, it is quite another to feel. It is not that one is supe­rior to the other, or that they can be totally sep­a­rated. Ideas can be pas­sion­ate as well as accu­rate, but is there any point to all of this? Enter SQ, Spir­i­tual Quotient.

There is some­thing we call spirit. It seems to stand out­side of ideas, analy­sis, and feel­ings. It weaves them together. It rises above them in humor and in other tran­scen­dent ways — like cre­ativ­ity. We call it heart or soul. There has never been a word that fully describes this phe­nom­e­non. “Spir­i­tual” will have to do. It is both mys­te­ri­ous and prac­ti­cal. It is the direc­tor of the inter­nal play. More than that, it may well be the writer too.

Covet the man or woman that has a work­ing rela­tion­ship between IQ, EQ, and SQ. Call them saint, or guru, or shaman. We rec­og­nize them for their wis­dom. We feel at peace in their pres­ence, for they are at peace with them­selves. They have a ther­a­peu­tic essence. It feels good to be around them. They may not say much, but what they say is worth con­sid­er­ing, record­ing, and pon­der­ing deeply. Jesus pointed us all toward our saint­hood of “lov­ing God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.” He was not recruit­ing mere philoso­phers. He was and is seek­ing whole­ness in all of human­ity. SQ = Love, joy, peace, patience, kind­ness, good­ness, gen­tle­ness, faith­ful­ness, and self con­trol — at least that is what the Apos­tle Paul con­sid­ered it to be. Good list! There is more, and you will find it because you know to look for it.