Who are You? - 5: Peaceful Phlegmatic

When you see something remarkable happening, like India winning cricket match your sister tops in school examination, your dad gets promotion, or some kids are having great fun in the rains, or your mom has cooked excellent food for you; Do you feel excited, happy, elated, joyous and expressed love and emotion? You would say sure of course, I would feel excited if such good things are happening around me, and you might say – “Who wouldn’t?” Well, probably Peaceful Phlegmatic would not. Yes, these souls might not feel excited, elated, happy or moved. Phlegmatic is the temperament of content, in fact extreme content, even to the extent of rendering one inactive.

Peaceful Phlegmatics are the easiest of all temperaments to get along with. The peaceful Phlegmatic person does not offend, does not get offended, does not call attention to himself, and quietly does what is expected of him without looking for credit. No, no its not a fact that all men of whatever temperament get transformed into a phlegmatic temperament after marriage. 😊

Peaceful Phlegmatics are so pleasant and inoffensive to have around that every family should import a few, if they didn’t happen to give birth to any. One of the most admirable traits of Peaceful Phlegmatic is his ability to stay calm in the eye of a storm. Where Popular Sanguine screams, Powerful Choleric lashes out, and Perfect Melancholy sinks down, Peaceful Phlegmatic rides cool. He backs up and waits a minute and then moves quietly in the right direction.

Peaceful Phlegmatic is never in a hurry, and he doesn’t get disturbed over situations that would bother others.  Peaceful Phlegmatic doesn’t start out with great expectations and is, therefore, more easily reconciled to the vicissitudes of life. He has a basic pessimistic nature that does not depress him as it does Perfect Melancholy, but that keeps him ‘realistic.’

Peaceful Phlegmatic doesn’t expect sunshine every day, or a pot of a gold at the end of each rainbow or the other end of tunnel to have light.  You may also call them doomsday soothsayer. If you are still picturing in your mind and trying to find a phlegmatic to fit into that definition, our home minister Rajnath Singh would be a perfect phlegmatic candidate, you would never see him too elated or excited when BJP wins or too distraught even when BJP loses 4 parliamentary seats in UP, he mostly speaks the language of an old man, who is about to die and doesn’t have any complaints from anyone.   

A Phlegmatic employee would not react if his boss shouts at him or even humiliates him in front of his colleague, he will coolly pick the papers that his boss has thrown at him, and would get back to his desk and in the evening, won’t have any story to tell his wife, when she asks, "how was your office today?"

Those of you, who have seen Rocket Singh movie, the character Rocket Singh played by Ranbir Kapoor was predominantly phlegmatic, so were most of the Hindi film moms, who would stop their sons from acting against the tyrant Zamindar, saying “rehne de beta wo hamarey maalik hain”.

In any area of life there is conflict: parent/child, teacher/pupil, boss/employee, friend/friend. As the other three temperaments strain and strike, Peaceful Phlegmatic tries to keep peace in the ranks. As men struggle on choppy waters, Peaceful Phlegmatic lifts his head and calms the seas. Remember Rajnath Singh’s attempt to calm the sea by calling off action against terrorist during Ramzan. But yes, there is a flip side also for this temperament, as others fight for their own way, Peaceful Phlegmatic can sit back and give an objective opinion. Every home and business need at least one Peaceful Phlegmatic to look at both sides and mete out a calm, cool and collected reply.

Phlegmatics would make excellent counsellors, consultants, psychoanalysts, shrimps; what other temperament could sit quietly all day, listen to other people’s problems, and give an unbiased prescription?

Peaceful Phlegmatic are the “turning the other cheek Gandhian”, the biblical “blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke...”. The Peaceful Phlegmatics come the closest to filling this requirement. They don’t cause trouble; they get along with others, and they don’t have enemies, at least they think it that way. They are the characters of Bharat Bhushans and Raj Kapoors in the real world.

Other temperaments can work hard to win friends and influence people, but this unique ability is the chief gift of Peaceful Phlegmatic. A Powerful Choleric, a very efficient and competent employee complains, despite doing all the good and creative work, taking initiative, getting business for the company, why was he passed up for a promotion? And the man who got the “big job” and a “great raise” was “a dummy” he’d never even noticed and had absolutely no credentials. What he overlooks, that “the dummy” was a steady Peaceful Phlegmatic, who did his work well, got along with everyone, and caused no trouble. The Powerful Choleric had dynamic ideas, had forged ahead, and had many enemies along the way.

Peaceful Phlegmatic is the greatest friend of all, because his total assets add up to positive human relations. He is easy-going, relaxed, calm, cool, well balanced, patient, consistent, peaceful, inoffensive, and pleasant What more anyone ever ask in a friend. Do they exist in offices? Yes of course they do, I have a colleague in my college, the Head of Computers department, who is predominantly Phlegmatic.

Another reason Peaceful Phlegmatic have many friends is that they are good listeners. As a group, Peaceful Phlegmatics would rather listen than talk. Peaceful Phlegmatic can keep quiet. He doesn’t have to say a word, and other temperaments love to have people they can spout of to, in time of need.

If you visit a Powerful Choleric, he is arranging his books, running around in his office, shuffling the papers, making notes on his notebook giving you occasional glance, while you both are conversing, giving you the feeling that his time is too valuable to spend on you alone. The Peaceful Phlegmatic friend will drop everything, sit down, and relax.

India as a society always respected Phlegmatic, that respect reached to the level of veneration, I don’t know if I am taking this logic too far, but I suppose, India did not resist much to invaders and allowed it to be ruled by them for so many years and even lived peacefully under tyrants without any uprising, is because of this Phlegmetism. The "Sanatan Dharm" karma theory, the good and bad deed of earlier lives theory, which I believe further encouraged Peaceful Phlegmatic thought.

With this “Sanatan Dharm” temperament, this series on discovering the self – “Who are you? “is complete. Next post, new ideas. Hopefully.