Emotional Intelligence


Today's topic is emotional intelligence. Let's look at how the ancient warrior developed it compared to how we might like to develop it today. The term "emotional intelligence" was first coined around the 1940s. Of course, whilst humans of ancient times had emotional intelligence they may not have given it a name or identified it the same way as we do now.
Today's standard definition of emotional intelligence is generally understood as self and social awareness and the regulation based on those awarenesses.
The ancient warrior that lived in a tribe certainly had those awareness within the tribal structure. Their emotional intelligence was most likely developed based on real, sometimes traumatic, experience which deepened their understanding of themselves. They therefore had a natural development of emotional intelligence through the exposed vulnerability to life's grueling challenges.
In modern times we are often sheltered as we tend to enjoy the conventional life and stay within our comfort zones. A modern training of emotional intelligence would be therefore to trigger discomforts and allow us to have realization of what emotions are triggered thereby.
In his TED talk "Why You Feel What You Feel", Dr. Alan Watkins intricately explained how most people stay at the emotional age of 9 for the rest of their lives. Indeed it is the case that most people of modern times do not know how to navigate their emotions very well. For example, angry people often do not identify their anger with a personal dissatisfaction.
As a summary:
How to develop emotional intelligence as an ancient warrior: Go to war and endure hardship and process what has happened to nurture your tribe.
How to develop emotional intelligence as a modern warrior: make a physical practice which deepens your awareness of your emotional content. For example: embodied practices, yoga, tai chi, meditation and mindfulness, aikido. Within the practice, exercise how to respond in a centered way instead of a reactive way to the emotions that come up. Practice individually for self-awareness. Practice in groups to improve social awareness.

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