Better to be caring and show concern than to be clever

No 257 of Living Life Series 1 

We need to be reminded from time to time that for any service by any professional individual or by any secular or religious institution, certain attributes are as important, if not more important than mere intellectual capital, savviness and prowess.

For example, we tend to want our teachers, doctors and priests to be clever and knowledgeable but often forget that other service attributes are even more critical.

We too portray our religions as profound and that may be good. But there is the flip side or the unpleasant side.

For one, others may be impressed but be put off or worse still feel alienated right from the first encounter.

A recipient of service, be it from doctor, teacher, or religion must feel comfortable with the service.

The provider need not be clever and show profoundness.

Concern and caring service attitudes with careful attention to needs of recipients are perhaps more important than the profoundness and complexity.

It is better for the doctor, teacher, leader or pastor to be careful, concerned than to be clever.

A sect or religion should show care to men rather than alienate men through profound philosophy. There is no need to make God and truth of God so profound that we fear and distant ourselves from knowing God and truth. We are not so unworthy to extent that we need stay away from divinity.

God cares and shows concern for all even those who think they fall short of the glory of God. Thus, any sect or religion should show care to men rather than alienate men through profound philosophy. God is not the preserve of elitists and the well-off in intellectual and material resources.

Truth of life and God need to be portrayed in simplicity to be within reach of all. Men in the throes of life with cyclical ups and downs often fail to see the simplicity of truth in God and life.

Many seek the truth of ancient wisdom, yet the truth often appears profound and difficult to perceive though the so-called profound truth of life is actually simple.

Man with passion sometimes stands on moral high ground to the point of  being distasteful.

Men should be caring, show concern and be careful rather than try to be clever and rub people the wrong way round.

There are two 'C's men must have with the third 'C' being good to have. Better to be caring and to show concern than to be clever.

This applies to both men as individuals as well as men as social and religious institutions.

There is need to take heart and stay connected with society and the true nature of life. It is foolhardy to be scholarly and not wise.

The exception however must be made for those at the apex of political or religious institution. They need to be clever, that is, to be scholarly as this is important and constitutes critical intellectual capital. But to be wise, the leaders at the top must not only have  intellectual capital, they must also be street smart. They must be able to connect with the ground and at same time be able to correct social imbalance or inequity.

To put things in nutshell, grey brain matter is required. IQ (Intellect Quotient)  is good but EQ (Emotional Quotient)  and AQ (Adversity Quotient) are also acutely indispensable for them to make the grade. This adds two more 'C' s - connect and correct. 

The greatness of a leader or an institution is augmented by the ability to have the two additional 'C's. He or the institution must be able to connect the different schools of apparently differing thoughts. He or the institution must be able to correct the occasional inclination to the not-so-welcome small talk of others beliefs - talk that divides society and religions rather than harmonise and bring them together

If this ideal cannot be idealised, then it is better to be not clever and to stick to the original two 'C's  - to be caring and show concern and respect for others. There is no need to be clever when cleverness takes on unwise ways and  leader or institution is unable to connect and correct. 

Cleverness is an asset only if the additional two 'C's are there,  that is, the astute abilities to connect and correct. Otherwise , it is better to  be caring and to show concern than to be clever.

To put it bluntly and coarsely, to try to be clever can make a leader or institution look stupid if that leader or institution is not able to connect (with people /other institutions) and correct (social inequity or imbalance) but instead stir up the mud....and widen the divisiveness amongst men and institutions.

This would be contrary to the will of God and His purpose of plurality. The existence of varied religious institutions, nations and even approaches to the same ideology are examples of plurality. Plurality manifested in many aspects of nature and life is the will of God.

The many segments of the pakua depict plurality but this is not the only message behind the segments. These segments of diverse aspects and sections of nature and life come together in harmony to form the pakua. They embrace the yin yang elements - the polarities of life which include the 'up's and 'down's of life.



Pakua



Cheers and praise God and lord.



Lord Bo Tien



PS This post is  motivated by the quotation from the late Senior Bro. P. Philip.

Only the wise seek the fulfilment of ancient wisdom. Yet the profound truth is so simple but difficult to perceive.




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