Living in a tumultuous political era that caused great upheaval to social structures and devastation to the people, one outspoken Chinese philosopher's response was to create and share a social philosophy for the public good.
A brilliant character, Confucius devoted himself passionately to helping others in spite of hunger, homelessness, unemployment, and life-threatening violence.
What came out of his life was what is now the most-read book of all human history: The Analects.
🌟 The phrase "智者不惑“ or ”the wise are free from confusion” has much relevance to us today. Rather than this meaning that you know everything already, this phrase indicates that the remedy to confusion is to keep developing your wisdom.
With the great speed of change in our lives caused by the pandemic, wars, inflation, climate change, and more, it's very easy to feel overwhelmed and confused.
❓ So what can we do to practically apply this quote's wisdom to our own lives?
1. Develop Cultural Intelligence
We all work and interact with people across national, professional, generational, and many other ‘lines.’
🌏 An increased ability to speak and interact with culturally diverse customers and team members has dramatic results and also feels really great - it creates a positive feedback loop that motivates you to keep learning more.
2. Develop Emotional Intelligence
EQ is a skill that we can keep developing throughout our lives, as our relationship with it will shift and grow as we go. This skill is increasingly seen by organizations as essential to successful collaboration across teams.
On a personal level, understanding yourself better and where you have room to develop is both empowering and inspiring.
3. Develop Empathy
It’s natural that you don’t connect with all lifestyles, opinions, and cultures. Difference is good if you are receptive to it and are able to leave your own position in order to willingly see a situation from other angles.
Standing in others' shoes will automatically improve your ability to communicate effectively and will also increase your sense of well-being as you’ll be more in harmony with your surroundings.
I've seen from my clients who come from very different cultural backgrounds and life circumstances that there is a universality to working on these 3 skills - they have a hugely positive impact on a sense of purpose and resilience - essential to develop in order to have wisdom and be away from confusion.