Beyond Egocentrism

 

Roles and Relationships

 

No individual is, of course, simply a product of the roles which we play. A wife is not just a cook, or a mother, and a husband is not now seen to be the main breadwinner, whose primary role in life is to provide security for his family. Whilst there have been significant social changes that have, to some extent, altered the stereotypes into which many people try to fit themselves, the roles which men and women currently play in modern organisations, and their motivations for doing so, are ripe to be re-examined in light of the changes brought about by the communications age into which we have now moved, and the current situation which we are all facing around the globe. In developed, industrialized nations, which have the potential to act in very different ways, we need to reappraise how we spend our time, in an age which could yield more enlightened activity, so that our advanced needs, relating to our spiritual development, can be attended to.

 

      With a forward looking view, there is an opportunity to create caring environments that are less stressful places to function within, and which can be built upon some of the moves that have already been made to balance home and working life. There really is no need for anyone living an executive’s existence in an office, for example, to be bound to a desk, and be occupied with activity that has been generated from error-driven processes. The stress that arises from pointless tasks, and misguided actions, which have been fed by an undue cultural emphasis upon morally wrong considerations, can be replaced with clear-sighted action that is focussed upon the issues which both public and private organisations will need to face in the future. Starting with Truth, rather than corrupting what is initiated, would enable people to engage in organisational activity that does actually address what needs to be done, and in a manner which focuses upon the effects that those actions will have upon other people. Corporate executives, working in leadership positions, whether based in public bodies or in private organisations, do make key decisions which affect all of us, directly or indirectly, and their corporate decision-making must be firmly based upon a set of appropriate functional and moral considerations that look beyond the fiscal. When implementing or executing policy, employed individuals must also be mindful of the wider effects of their own actions, on those people in the wider community who are affected, and also on the environment.

 

 

 

     

     

 

Living in Truth

 

How people will adapt to living in Truth, which should be the watchword for any major organisation that takes information seriously, is the challenge of the age. We have got used to governmental and corporate propaganda in the media, and a capitalist bias in reporting, as well as the glossing over of dire problems in the management of healthcare services, and within the police force, for example; and we have become attuned to accepting that the inadequate outcomes which current decision-making has brought to society, and the suffering which has also been wrought, is simply part and parcel of ordinary human existence. It need not be so if people would have the courage to see beyond themselves, and their own petty concerns and prejudices, and would look forwards rather than backwards for answers to the current set of problems.

 

      A forward looking perspective uses will rather than force to direct activity. In Love, decisions are made that always hold in view the well-being of people who will be affected by the actions that are taken. All actions that are done in Love are Dharmic, and Dharmic action is established in Truth. Living according to Dharma is the stage of development which human beings, driven by karma, are working to achieve, and such personal fulfilment, in divine law, is eventually experienced by each individual soul through faith in God. Action which is done in harmony with the eternal law of the cosmos would deliver an age of peace and prosperity for all mankind around the world. The apparently small actions done in the home, or at work, as well as the large decisions that are made by world leaders which profoundly affect security and international relations, all contribute to the current state of health, within nations. Our spiritual development as individuals, living together in close harmony with other individuals, could become the real focus of organised endeavour in the future. Natural care, combined with a vibrantly healthy and intimate association with the Truth of our nature, would release the wellspring of energy that could transform everyday life. Picturing such a life with awakened consciousness, and with the feeling of joy that comes from a keen sense of fulfilment, would move society to an era of real love that we are ripe to experience. The roles that we will play need not be bound to the stereotypes of yesteryear. We do not need to fashion organisational faces that are attached to job functions that limit our ability to use our judgement and our creative potential. Our scripted, tired occupational performances, tied to predetermined situations that are often set by error and false demands, can be replaced with less routine, bluff and bluster, and infused, instead, with calm and intelligent foresight.