Bill's question and survey on this topic are timely. I haven't seen much
research into why people are gravitating to this topic. It seems
especially interesting to me that businesses are open and accepting of
this phenomenon, even if only a few companies here and there. Theories
abound that folks (primarily in industrialized nations) are even more
disconnected from their community than ever before and need to satisfy a
basic human urge to feed their spiritual self. Certainly within my circle
of friends, neighbors, and associates, I see less involvement in civic and
social activities than I think existed a generation ago.
One argument for this is the growth of 2-income families. By the time
people attend to business and family, there is no time left to reach out
to a larger social or spiritual community for mutual support and
enrichment.
Among groups I have talked to in the U.S., there is also a converging
issue of human rights, dignity in practicing one's religion, the growth of
alternative (nontraditional) religious beliefs, and a need to guard
against discriminatory practices based on one's religion.
kind regards,
Vana Prewitt
Praxis Learning Systems
Chapel Hill, NC
--Vana Prewitt <vana@PraxisLearning.com>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>