MORE NOTES ON SPIRITUALITY AND THE WORK PLACE

For The Bohol Tribune

In This Our Journey

NESTOR MANIEBO PESTELOS

For this week’s column, I will continue sharing my notes on a subject which has enthralled me since joining the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP), the quest for a spiritual work place. I will report on some notes I took in reading “Transformation and the World of Commerce” by Jacqueline Haessly, included in the book “The New Bottom Line,” I cited last week.

The opening lines in the article immediately drew my attention and keen interest. She describes what is happening in the world today:

“The world around us is hurting, crying out in anguish for relief. The news media overflows with the sounds of this pain and affliction. We hear parents crying for the loss of their children due to gaor drug-related gunfire …

“We hear young ones whimpering from too many beatings, too many drugs, too little food, and too few playgrounds to renew their spirits. We hear women, men and children yelling in fear from domestic abuse.

‘We hear women, men and children yelling in fear of domestic abuse.

“We hear the elderly and the disabled weeping in loneliness, deserted by those they love.

“We hear the homeless moaning as they lie shivering at night.

“We hear women and men in offices, universities, factories, and the streets of our cities calling out against sexual and gender abuse.

“We hear children sobbing in shame from the exploitation of their young bodies.

“We hear lovers howling for partners maimed or dead in someone’s war.

“We hear prisoners in war-torn countries screaming in agony from battering and political torture.” (Paragraphing ours.)

The author notes the situation is known by many people:

“As corporate leaders, managers, workers and ordinary citizens, we grieve at this pain and at the pollution and desecration of this planet which we know sustains us. We agonize about these abuses and the complexity of the problems that confront us in this world, in this space, and in this time.”

Many of us “want to stop the pain and bring an end to the suffering.” We ask ourselves two questions:

-How is this suffering related to spirituality and business, or the work place; and

--What can we do as business people (and professionals) to address this suffering.

To rephrase it another way: what does this suffering have to do with commerce and our professional work?

Commerce has been defined since the early days as the “free and mutual interchange of goods, property and services in a way mutually beneficial to all parties…”  In the current economic, social and political situations through the world, however, commerce or the conduct of business does not work this way.

Author Haessly, who contributed this article and wrote the book “Rediscovering the Soul of Business,” observed:

“It is hard to engage in the interchange of most forms of commerce in communities racked by gunfire or other acts of violence or terrorism. It is impossible to engage in mutual exchange of goods, property and services when one is destitute and one’s children are starving. And it would be a travesty to think that children, torn from their families and forced against their will to engage in services that benefit a growing sex industry, are willing participants in any form of reciprocal communication.”

Hence, the answer to the key question about the relationship of current human suffering throughout the world and commerce or business is that  “… this suffering, and our ability as business people to address it, has everything to do with commerce and the work of our lives!”

The key operational question is this:  “How can we, as business leaders, attempt to blend commerce with consciousness in a way that brings both healing and wholeness to a hurting world? What does it mean to use our corporate power for the good of our society? To transform it for the benefit and well-being of the whole of humanity?”

To answer this question, which actually revolves around the issue of power and its relationship to soul, the author draws not from the business world but from “the wisdom and experience of … feminist theologians and spiritual leaders from diverse cultures and continents who not only address the question of soul, but also offer examples which express soul in commerce.”

She asserts:  “These women cross cultures and reflect the religious, economic, political and social experiences of women from widely differing geographical regions of the world: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, India, the Pacific Islands, Central, North and South America. Each has contributed immensely to a discussion of power in the community and corporate setting. Each has given voice to the ways that business leaders use their power to help heal a hurting world.”

The first issue to consider is the exercise of power and its relationship to soul either in the business organization or the community: “What is power? How do we understand it? How do we use power in our personal life? How do we use power in our business? How is the use of power experienced by others in the corporation? What is our corporate culture in regard to power?”

Power itself is a neutral term “meaning simply to be able; to have potential.” The women theologians understand power, like everybody else, from personal and social experiences with political or economic power.

The author adds: “Some feminist theologians, describing past or current cultural, economic, political, religious, and social relationships between women and men, or between groups within or among societies, refer to the writing of others who link power to control and domination.”   Their views of power have less to do with ability or potential but rather with the exercise of power in terms of control and dominance.

Indeed Machiavellian interpretation of force, control and domination over another has for centuries formed a basis of training for government, military and corporate leadership. “Machiavelli urged the Prince to act in ways that limited the freedom of others and to acquire that which was not properly his. In this paradigm, neither the Prince – whose need for dominance over his subjects led to all manner of manipulative behavior, nor his subjects – who were left without the freedom to make decisions affecting their very lives- were free to reach their full potential, the very essence of the word power. Indeed, under the model suggested by Machiavelli, the Prince must live in a state of perpetual distrust and fear lest he be overtaken by enemies seeking conquest.”

Here is a key issue:  

“In the world of commerce, a corporate culture based on a Machiavellian model of dominance and control can lead to mistrust and suspicion between workers and managers, foster internal competitiveness between workers and departments, and drain energy which could be directed towards achieving corporate goals. Communities, corporations and governments that follow this model find themselves faces with widespread dissension and even rebellion as citizens and workers seek to exercise a voice in the workings of their life.”

The author observes further:

“Business leaders who want to succeed in today’s business environment know they need a different understanding of power. They acknowledge that when control is imposed from without, workers are less likely to sustain personal effort to achieve quality in either performance or service. They recognize that when power comes from within, it is reflected in an individual and group commitment to quality in achieving both personal and corporate work goals. They understand that today’s corporate setting requires a new leadership style, one based on cooperation, team building, and openness to shared decision making.”

This indicates a new concept of power which has nothing to do with control and dominance, one that is based on equality and justice. In this new context, power becomes a “blessing to live in love, in peace with justice, in community.”

“This power is never violent or destructive, ego-centered or domineering. This power is understood, motivated, and exercised by one’s set of values. It serves to foster, enhance, and nurture all of life.”ou

This is a power based on “a spirituality that sees a connectedness between oneself and all others who share life with us on this small planet we each call home. Such a spirituality affirms the diverse ways that women and men express their connection to each other, to their universe and to the Spirit God force Who gives life meaning.”

The book asserts it is this awareness that gives rise to spirituality programs in the work place. 

“People hunger for a sense of connection with a Spirit Being higher than themselves. They also long for a sense of connection to others and for a way to address the complex issues that impact on life … Spirituality, especially a global spirituality that affirms the diverse ways that people express this interconnection with each other and to a Higher Spirit or Power, satisfies this hunger and generates the spiritual power necessary to transform the world.”

For future columns, we will research on specific experiences dealing with this vision to bring spirituality to business or the market-place and in the conduct of one’s professions. For any guidance or suggestions on how best to proceed with this journey, kindly email me at: npestelos@gmail.com.

NMP/23 Dec. 2015/4.43 p.m.