Judith Weiss wrote:
"Any attempt to take spirituality into the workplace (or schoolplace) will
cause many to feel that their particularities are being threatened, and
there has been enough cultural genocide in this world that these fears
cannot be dismissed."
I have read on and off the thread on Religious Discussion. Frankly,
probably not enough of it to understand all that has been said.
Re-reading Judith's comments, I felt compelled to respond even though it
is against my intellectual judgement.
I have been on a spiritual journey for some 4 years now. It is exciting,
joyfull and filled with wonder. It is not a religious journey (I agree
that the term religious means "being bound up" if I remember another post
correctly.) However, if one has had a spiritual awakening how in the
world would we not take it with us into the workplace or where ever we
would go.
IMHO religious discussion is not spiritual discussion. Just what is
spirituality? I think we tend to try to intellectualize it, in my
experience it can not be. It is a feeling of oneness with a higher power
and one of the key factors for it is humility. I for one would never try
to tell another person how to experience that higher power, I would pray
for all to experience it since it is full of joy, love, forgiveness and
bliss. The experience cannot be verbally expressed but I can not take off
the spirtual robe when I walk into the work place. It is a part of me and
it tells me to be happy, joyous, free, to love others and to ask my higher
power each day "his" will is for me and to give me the strength to carry
it out.
I believe we should have more spirituality in the workplace, in the
schools and in our society. I won't try to define it. I don't think it
can be defined. Dr. Deming used the term Metanoia. AA uses spiritual
awakening. Once it has happened to you, you need not discuss it, you feel
it inside of you and you can feel it in others and you have an acceptance
of others and of yourself.
I wish we could look more for our similarities instead of our differences.
"The great religions of the world all preach the necessity of finding god,
of brotherhood among men; and all have a moral code, such as the Ten
Commandments. What, then, creates the differences among them? It is the
bigotry in men's minds. Not by concentrating on dogma may we reach God,
but by actual soul knowledge. When men perceive the universal truths
underlying various religions, there will be no more dificulties over
dogma. To me there is neither Jew, nor Christian, nor Hindu; all are by
brothers. I worship in all temples, for each of them has been erected to
honor my Father." ( From Man's Eternal Quest by Paramahansa Yogananda.)
Respectfully,
Linda Ortberg
--Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>