Sensitivity & Sensibility- Two sides of the same coin

 

I had a writer’s block today. I had no idea what I was going to talk about today, and then my daughter came to my rescue. I was explaining to her about sensitivity and gave example of being sensitive towards environment and pat came the reply, oh so that’s sensibility. And I thought, isn’t it obvious. Sensible sensitivity or sensitive sensibility, all appeal to our sense in pretty much the same manner.  In a way, one is the extension of another. But this is not an English lesson, so I am not going to go into the meaning of terms.

In most of my discussion about sensitivity, I have deliberated upon the role of the state or government machinery to create a cohesive atmosphere to develop sensitivity. I think my effort is to appeal to people’s sensibility to be sensitive.  

I have been a fan of politics and history, ironically so because as a student I couldn’t make sense of it and that is why I went for something that made sense, business, HR, Organizational Development and Strategy. There was something that fascinated me across my career span, the role of power in changing behaviour and by that extension, sensitivity.

To cite a simple example, I joined an organization to head its HR department. I had a couple of people with me in my department. On my first day, as we sat for our lunch, I opened my box of cut fruits that I used to take and offered it to my colleagues. Some of them picked it up without second thought. A girl looked at a colleague, hesitantly. I wasn’t sure if she was uncomfortable with eating cut fruit or just shy. She picked one nonetheless. I was amazed. Even though it would have been absolutely acceptable if she had said no, if she wanted to, she felt the need to go against something that she believed in. She eventually started saying no, once the burden of ‘supposed to do’ was gone.

My learning, power makes people act differently.

As I say this I am thinking, so big deal, it’s no epiphany. Of course not, time immemorial has taught us the power of authority and isn’t that what our entire system about, to be able to influence people’s sensitivities. The election manifestoes are based on appealing to those very sensitivities.  A party that appeals to our sensitivities most takes the cake away.

I haven’t used the word sensibilities. The reason for that is that sometimes, our sensitivities can be harnessed to yield a result which might result in the greater good and at other times the personal gain for few. It is then at the behest of the people in power to decide the fate of focused sensitivities of masses.  

The idea is to use a rational approach to following your beliefs. I proudly claim to be a feminist but I don’t think all men are against women empowerment.  We need to change the mindset of those who are, and it is a long road, but worth the journey. All the prevalent biases which are often cashed for the individual benefit are an outcome of this sensitivity displacement.

Does that mean we stop being sensitive? No, but be open-minded about it. I am fat and I have felt biases working on that count, does that mean that everyone I meet will only see me for it? Furthermore, maybe a time has come when I don’t really need to be sensitive about it at all. I need to be okay with it irrespective of what others think. That transition will only come when I see the world through a different lens, a lens which says change is possible.

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