Human beings throughout humanity have always been in a constant search either to achieve paradise, eternal life, material and economic well-being that provides a better quality of life or to achieve happiness, self-realization and self-transcendence..
This search has led us to establish a series of actions aimed at satisfying it, from the proliferation of religions, scientific and technological developments, to alternatives that provide the capacity for transcendence of the physical and everyday world to have a higher perception of oneself and of the surrounding world.
In this search, intelligence has always been manifested as the maker of everything that allows us to achieve what we are looking for, as this is an inherent capacity of the human being.
Through this essay, the evolution and performance that intelligence has had will be exposed, from the conception of Binet and his concept of IQ or logical-mathematical intelligence, through the multiplicity of capabilities or Howard's Multiple Intelligences and Emotional Intelligence theory. Gardner and Daniel Goleman respectively, until reaching Spiritual Intelligence, clarifying its foundation, its principles, characteristics and its importance as an integral educational alternative capable of carrying out a development of consciousness to form integral human beings and with a high degree of wisdom..
Intelligence has always been closely related to education. This has always considered logical-mathematical intelligence, proposed by Alfred Binet, as an infallible means to measure the performance of students.
Even though this postulate dates back to 1900, today it is still predominant in most educational institutions, which determine that whoever has a high IQ should be considered the best student and whoever lacks this aspect simply does not meet the requirements. educational guidelines, being relegated, rejected and labeled as inefficient.
Education has been nourishing itself with this postulate, thus turning its mission into something uniform, measurable, standardized, memoristic, etc. without giving the opportunity to demonstrate that human beings have a wide range of potentialities.
Later, in 1967, this concept was considered too limiting and new possibilities for understanding intelligence were opened.
As an alternative, a new project arises, in which Howard Gardner appears as a central figure, through which a plural vision of intelligences was developed, resulting in the Multiple Intelligences Theory, which endorsed that all human beings have inherent capacities to our human nature and that there is not just one way to learn but several.
For Howard Gardner, this project was a great contribution to education, since he considered that the overvaluation of logical-mathematical and verbal intelligence has led to committing many injustices with students.
Thus, this author vindicates the potential of students, ensuring that all students are geniuses in at least one of these intelligences, thereby making a significant transformation to school curricula, giving through this perspective, the opportunity for students to better develop their capabilities.
Thanks to this theory, new investigations aimed at intelligence were opened. This is how Daniel Goleman continues Gardner's work, developing it in a significant way.
Goleman proposes the concept of emotional intelligence from the work with Gardner's interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence, defining it as the ability to know and control one's own feelings, dominating impulsivity, the cause of most conflicts.
Likewise, Goleman points out that this intelligence better ensures success in life than logical-mathematical intelligence or CI.
It is not to deny that the multiple intelligences proposed by Gardner represent an important advance in the understanding of intelligence, but human beings can develop more than creative thinking, control of emotions or development of skills.
Dr. Ramón Gallegos Nava, considers that the aforementioned intelligences, although increasingly complete, continue to be outside what would be a comprehensive education, because they are within a framework of achieving efficiency, strategic use and control of the world, without consider that the development of any ability in students should have as a fundamental principle that it be directed for the good of all beings.
It also proposes that a true intelligence is one that allows the individual to honor life in all its manifestations. For this, said intelligence will integrate the aspects indicated by the intelligences described above, but will also include virtuous behaviors, the transcendence and the relationship that spirit and matter have, since if the intellect forgets the spirit, it degrades the environment, it breaks the harmonious relationships in the family and misuses both natural and material resources, etc.
In this way, Spiritual Intelligence is proposed as a new alternative that recognizes the basic potentialities rooted in the body, up to the higher ones rooted in the Being.
This intelligence goes beyond the mere instrumentalization or technical control of the world because it goes to the processes that entail the evolution of consciousness, revitalizing the human spirit and developing the wisdom, so necessary to constructively face the serious dilemmas that afflict us.
The deep and significant development of this intelligence goes hand in hand with spirituality, an inherent aspect of human beings and therefore capable of updating.
It is important to make it clear that spirituality should not be understood or related to religion, dogma or belief, but as a direct, internal and immediate experience to achieve the evolution of consciousness, the experience of the whole and the recognition of our true nature.
Dr. Ramón Gallegos Nava points out that spiritual intelligence leads us to clarify our conscience to perceive that there are better and worse ways of doing things, as well as to understand the existence of the lower, the higher and the fundamentally true.
This discernment will lead us to enter into a process of deep knowledge of reality, developing the ability to identify the false from the true, the ephemeral from the lasting, the good from the bad, love from hate, prudence from folly, the compassion of selfishness, the peace of violence, and of all those false perceptions that have us mired in unconsciousness and suffering, preventing us from living an equanimous, peaceful life, of love of truth and spirituality.
To achieve a true development of spiritual intelligence, holistic education considers the educational process an art, therefore it integrates different fields of knowledge that are beyond the limits of science and frames them in a relationship directed towards the achievement of a meaning human and an ethical-spiritual orientation, based on perennial philosophy and expressed in three general epistemological relationships.
The first relationship is the one established by the objects and processes of the material world and the biological world. It is called reactive because there is no conscious symbolization, since there is no subjectivity or intersubjectivity. It is perceived with the eye of the flesh.
Here emotional intelligence finds its reason for being, responds to the What? since it focuses on the body, on feeling, on the sensory, on the flesh, on physical survival, on the biosphere, therefore it is prerational and prepersonal.
The second epistemological relationship is the one that occurs between human beings and the natural world, it responds to the How? It is a subject-object relationship and has the characteristic of being monological, since only on one side there is consciousness and consciousness. subjectivity.
Intellectual intelligence is framed here since it is governed by the mind, by the eye of reason, by the control of the world, the ability to reason, it is circumscribed in the noosphere, it is rational and personal.
The third relationship is the subject-subject relationship to establish a human, cultural and meaningful relationship between subjects. Subjectivity exists in it, which we cannot measure or verify because it does not have a simple location, but this does not mean that it does not exist, since that is precisely where values, compassion, love, solidarity, meanings and spirituality.
This relationship is dialogic, that is, there is a recognition of consciousness and language for mutual understanding through dialogue with the interiority of the other, in order to agree on the rules and common meanings that make coexistence possible., justice, goodness, common righteousness, etc.
It is precisely through this relationship, where spiritual intelligence develops because it is based on the eye of contemplation, it responds to the Why? It moves at the level of the theosphere, it achieves wisdom, happiness and Being.
Dr. Ramón Gallegos Nava tells us that the development of spiritual intelligence will allow us to put into practice a series of actions, which at the same time will be a reinforcement, which consist of:
- A correct understanding of reality to see things with equanimity, to differentiate the false from the true, to understand that our real problem is suffering and that this is caused by the attachments that we create and that the only way to free ourselves is to through the will of self-knowledge, distancing ourselves from any speculation, rite, dogma, etc. Because all they do is stop our process of spiritual development, righteous thinking to cultivate generosity, compassion, universal love, the well-being of ourselves and others and avoid hatred, greed, jealousy, envy and bad intentions. The cultivation of right thinking allows human beings to be conscious, healthy, with integrity and orderly thoughts.The right word, which implies speaking consciously, in a kind way,listening carefully to what they tell us and reflecting on what we are going to say Righteous action implies putting into practice good behavior, self-evaluating our behavior and then redirecting it and being agents of trust, peace, harmony, doing good through selfless service We can put into practice the right way of life by taking care of the activity that we are going to carry out professionally or to earn a living, allowing that work or occupation that we perform is an opportunity for spiritual development. The right effort will allow us to achieve the capacity of inner inquiry and the strength to continue on the spiritual path, putting ourselves above laziness or discouragement, which are the main enemies of a constant practice on the spiritual path.Here it is very important to take this effort within what the Buddha called "the middle way" so as not to fall into exaggeration. Right attention allows us to be understanding with ourselves when carrying out our process of self-inquiry. This allows the development of arreactive equanimity so as not to judge or evaluate. In addition, it will allow us to be attentive to our body, our mind, the events to know them better and integrate them, since on many occasions we see them only as a means to achieve our desires.Right concentration will allow us to carry out meditative practice, which is the medium through which we will achieve enlightenment.Righteous attention allows us to be understanding of ourselves as we go through our self-inquiry process. This allows the development of arreactive equanimity so as not to judge or evaluate. In addition, it will allow us to be attentive to our body, our mind, the events to know them better and integrate them, since on many occasions we see them only as a means to achieve our desires.Right concentration will allow us to carry out meditative practice, which is the medium through which we will achieve enlightenment.Righteous attention allows us to be understanding of ourselves as we go through our self-inquiry process. This allows the development of arreactive equanimity so as not to judge or evaluate. In addition, it will allow us to be attentive to our body, our mind, the events to know them better and integrate them, since on many occasions we see them only as a means to achieve our desires.Right concentration will allow us to carry out meditative practice, which is the medium through which we will achieve enlightenment.It will allow us to perform meditative practice, which is the means through which we will achieve enlightenment.It will allow us to perform meditative practice, which is the means through which we will achieve enlightenment.
The ideal way to disseminate spiritual intelligence is through a comprehensive education and holistic education, as it is a "pedagogy of universal love."
It is the only alternative that can carry out a process of development of spiritual intelligence in students, since conventional education is still trapped in the separate intelligences of the spirit, creating, as mentioned above, predatory human beings of the environment, incapable of establish harmonious relationships with themselves and with others.
Holistic education allows the development of spiritual intelligence, since the models, epistemological relationships and philosophical support on which it is based, allow the development not only of the abilities of the body and mind of the students, but also of their interior allowing them to establish a constructive and well-structured life project that not only involves them, but also the community and the planet as a whole.
With spiritually intelligent human beings all areas of life can have true transformations.
We will have comprehensive politicians, who will manifest a compassionate and disinterested leadership towards social welfare, away from violence and confrontations, capable of dialogue to build shared meanings.
We will be spiritually intelligent human beings, the environment will be considered as a complementary part of each one of us, establishing a harmonious relationship with GAIA, considering sustainable development as part of their spiritual practice.
Business will be generated based on spiritual intelligence, where the win-win-win relationship (worker-employer-environment relationship) is the compassionate policy that guides companies.
Spiritual intelligence is therefore the will to achieve enlightenment, which will allow us to go beyond technological or scientific interest to achieve true wisdom.
Enlightenment will allow us to direct the course of our lives, wisely determining what is best for each of us, entering into continuous and endless learning about ourselves and about the constant evolution of the universe.
These learnings will allow us to find valid reasons to make the passage through this world a more pleasant and calm way, accepting the future of each day with love and with true intelligence.
Spiritual intelligence is our primordial intelligence that allows us to manage our other intelligences with efficient functioning and thus achieve a complete understanding and vision of transcendental reality, consequently increasing our abilities to generate compassion, unconditional love for others, putting wisdom into practice spiritual in all our relationships through impeccable and consistent behavior before our words.
Bibliography
- Gallegos Nava Ramón (2000) The spirit of education. Integrity and importance in holistic education. International Foundation for Holistic Education, Guadalajara.Gallegos Nava Ramón (2001) The education of the heart. Twelve principles for holistic schools. International Foundation for Holistic Education, Guadalajara.Gallegos Nava Ramón (2001) Holistic Education. Pedagogy of universal love. International Foundation for Holistic Education, Guadalajara.Gallegos Nava Ramón (2001) A comprehensive vision of education. The heart of holistic education. International Foundation for Holistic Education, Guadalajara Gallegos Nava Ramón (2001) Holistic Dialogues. Holistic education and perennial philosophy I. International Foundation for Holistic Education, Guadalajara.Gallegos Nava Ramón (2003) Aprender a ser.The birth of a new spiritual awareness. International Foundation for Holistic Education, Guadalajara.Gallegos Nava Ramón (2003) Learning Communities. Transforming schools into learning communities. International Foundation for Holistic Education, Guadalajara.Gallegos Nava Ramón (2003) Pedagogy of universal love. A holistic view of the world. International Foundation for Holistic Education, Guadalajara.Gallegos Nava Ramón (2004) Wisdom, love and compassion. Holistic education and perennial philosophy II. International Foundation for Holistic Education, Guadalajara.Gallegos Nava Ramón (2004) The Path of Perennial Philosophy. Holistic education and perennial philosophy III. International Foundation for Holistic Education, Guadalajara.Gallegos Nava Ramón (2005) Education and spirituality. Education as a spiritual practice.International Foundation for Holistic Education, Guadalajara.Gallegos Nava Ramón (2007) Spiritual intelligence. Beyond the multiple and emotional intelligence. International Foundation for Holistic Education, Guadalajara.
