Namaste
Spirituality in the Workplace
Those of us committed to spirituality sometimes feel tempted to abandon secular life, and follow the footsteps of famous saints who renounce the world in their spiritual quest. Perhaps we yearn for the peace we find so readily during spiritual retreats, secluded from the workaday world.
Yet it is at such times that we must question our motives, and ask ourselves whether we actually long for a convenient escape from the hardships of secular life. For me, the workplace is a spiritual training ground. It is an obstacle course that continually tests my capacity to live a spiritual life.
The highest common factor among the world's religions is the emphasis on conquering personal ego. Attaining this spiritual ideal results in:
Workplace dynamics can reflect harmony, cooperation, and teamwork. But there are also times the workplace seems a battleground where heads butt and inflated egos engage in a tug-of-war. It is a continually changing landscape that challenges the individual to skillfully negotiate each obstacle.
Despite the appearance of endless variety, workplace issues are merely different faces of a single culprit. In the absence of personal ego, tensions melt and we become free to practice an internal alchemy that transforms pain and disappointment into peace, insight, clarity, and compassion -- in a word -- Grace.
