In the valley of the blind...

the one eye man is king... Not definitely. It would seem that in all social relationships, the dynamics and fluid (& obscures) exchanges of power, prestige, wants, needs, etc are all inter-mesh with each other resulting in an entangled mess. Brillance or foresight alone is a neccessary but insufficient trait by itself. Suitable but subtle touches are often needed to nudge seemingly minuscule elements into place. It might seem cliche but EQ appears fit the picture here.

Before the various factions with differing opinions about Intelligence start to bicker, let me expound on this term EQ. Not only must the person be sensitive to individuals' motives but also their irrationalities. They must genuinely care for the others as well, while bearing in the mind the overall interplay of conflicts between individuals. And still taking into account of the fact that humans are social by nature.

I still remember a close friend of mine while at training school together with me, one look at the various defence moves taught to us, both of us shook our heads in unison. The look was similar in its disdain and mirth of the lack of technique and usability by the average person. I choose to keep quiet but somehow I was found out (poor acting skills maybe?) and one trainer challenged me "XXXXX, you think you TKD black belt very good ah!". My reply was somewhat sombre but direct "I'm not a TKD black belt. I don't think I'm very good." With that he puffed up his chest and left. To be fair, the trainer is a nice guy but somewhat inflexible and unable to explore alternatives. Of course the system which trained him limits him as well and with all the legal and technical restrictions placed on us, I don't blame him. But I reinterated my stand later, "This will NOT save you in life threatening assualt cases." By the look on their faces, they understood... somewhat. But i felt no elation as I knew that they didn't get it completely or maybe they saw the conviction on my face when I spoke out gently but surely, and that conviction shook their belief.

Today, my superior said something profoundly simple. "XXXXX, you cannot pull others up to your level. You can encourage them to grow to their maximum but you can never pull them up." With that he encouraged me to work on my people skills. Zirconia or Diamond, only a gemologist can tell them apart.

How will I do that? I care but they aren't aware. I don't know but I'm not giving up.