How high is your SQ?

Spirituality is often wrongly equated to complete renunciation of desires. Mythological stories reinforce the view that to be spiritual, one needs to sever all attachments and meditate in splendid isolation (in maybe the Himalayas). Since this is neither economically nor socially logical (especially when we are young), most of us conclude that pursuing a spiritual path is at best a "post retirement" activity. In reality, spirituality is all about conquering or mastering your senses. If you crave for an ice cream but use the power of your mind to abstain from eating it, I guess you are exhibiting "spirituality". Going to temples, observing a fast, following prescribed rituals or dutifully listening to religious discourses do not necessarily make you a spiritual person.

Though research has proved long ago that IQ (Intelligence Quotient) is not such an efficient parameter, we continue to use it as a predictor of "success in later life", by designing academic curricula and examination-patterns that basically test the students' IQ. Psychologists have now established that EQ (Emotional Quotient) plays a far greater role in this process of becoming "successful". However it is a persons' SQ (Spiritual Quotient) that seems to determine how successful and happy the person is likely to be.

Which personality traits increase ones' Spiritual Quotient?

1. Flexibility: It is common knowledge that inflexibility is the cause of un-happiness. Haven't we seen flexible plants and trees easily surviving storms? Rapid progress of technology has made many so called "experts", obsolete – so if they obstinately stick to their guns (as inflexible persons are prone to do), they are surely going to be wiped away. The least flexible persons in a society are ironically the religious fundamentalists who claim to be high on spirituality. Secular individuals who admit that there could be other paths to salvation are thus at a higher level of spirituality than those with the "my daddy strongest" syndrome.

2. Ability to ask fundamental questions: True seekers of knowledge should neither be biased in their approach nor afraid of being proved wrong. They must possess an uncanny ability to get to the core of an issue by asking fundamental questions. Contrary to what we would normally believe, an atheist could thus be more spiritual than a religious person. This habit of seeking answers to myriads of doubts that surround us, soon becomes an important aspect of the seekers' personality. We have always known that in the long run, hypocrites and shams achieve little success or happiness.

3. Ability to use suffering as a means of progress: Even the richest and the most powerful amongst us cannot deny that we all get our quota of "suffering" in life. Suffering is of course relative. For a person used to flying business class, the necessity to travel by AC II tier is acute "suffering" (the recession has heaped such financial ignominies on many). For the slum – dog - millionaires, suffering could come in the form of a demolition squad about to raze their shanties to the ground. The type of suffering does not matter – what matters in determining your SQ is your ability to withstand it stoically and learn from it so that you could prevent its recurrence or at least mitigate its effect in future. Those who appeal to the Almighty to deliver them from their troubles & wait for something to happen are thus far less spiritual than the ones who spur themselves to more meaningful action. Don't we say that GOD helps those who help themselves – why do we often forget this maxim when it is time to act?

4. Causing minimum harm: Harm includes infliction of physical and mental pain. It would be foolish to presume that in a competitive environment as we live today, actions will cause no harm. One can surely [a] avoid causing of deliberate or malicious harm; [b] choose alternatives that minimize hardships.

5. Firm belief in the superiority of POWER of the MIND: Are you aware of the weaknesses and strengths of your personality and more importantly are you engaged in the constant process of reducing the former and nurturing the latter? Do you possess the mental discipline to exhibit "humility" in spite of your intelligence and power? Can you forgive? Can you be benignly detached from persons and material luxuries surrounding you?

Do you realise friends that in this process of increasing your SQ, you are predominantly your own trainer?