Spirituality At Work: "All For One and One For All"  

By William and Debra Miller

Spirituality At Work: "All For One and One For All"  

When your values come from a spiritual basis, you'll become a beacon, or a magnet, to draw forth those values in others; that alone will begin to resolve many of the value conflicts you may be experiencing.

From time to time, people ask us, "What if my personal values conflict with the values of the company or person I work for?" After inquiring intently into this question, we've found that when values (whether personal or organisational) come from a spiritual basis, there will always be harmony among them. When values come from egoistic, self-centred intentions, that's when conflicts occur.

Over the past few months, we've been writing about five human values found in all spiritual traditions. When you look closely, you'll see that they are a great example of the harmony of "all for one and one for all." Since all five human values have the same spiritual core - seeing and appreciating the Divinity in oneself and all creation - you cannot express one human value in isolation; each supports the others.

For example, telling the truth will not be done in a way that knowingly tries to hurt someone with that truth. Finding a peaceful time of the day will not be done at the expense of failing to act responsibly. Cooperating with others will not be done in a dishonest way.

In fact, a good test of the true expression of one of these human values is whether all five are present in some way when one is most strongly being expressed:

¥ If you are strong in truth, you can bring out your natural ability to be ethical (righteousness), self-confident (peace), pure at heart (love), and dedicated to equality (non-violence).

¥ If you are strong in righteousness, you can bring out your natural ability to be trustworthy (truth), contented (peace), helpful (love), and cooperative (non-violence).

¥ If you are strong in peace, you can bring out your natural ability to be authentic (truth), disciplined (righteousness), compassionate (love), and forgiving (non-violence).

¥ If you are strong in love, you can bring out your natural ability to have integrity (truth), be charitable to others (righteousness), be equanimous (peace), and respect others (non-violence).

¥ If you are strong in non-violence, you can bring out your natural ability to be honest (truth), dutiful (righteousness), patient (peace), and kind (love).

Sathya Sai Baba, a spiritual teacher that often speaks about these five human values, says:

Righteousness dwells in your heart. When the impulses arising from the heart are expressed in words, that is truth. To put into action your words is righteousness. For all these love is primary. Love in action is righteousness. Love in speech is truth. Love in thought is peace. Love in understanding is non-violence. When you realise that God is in everyone, you will practice non-violence.  

The next time you are feeling a "conflict" between your personal values and the values of another person or your organisation, first take a close look at whether your values are coming from a spiritual basis. You might ask yourself: In this situation, how well am I seeing and appreciating the Divinity in myself and in all creation?

If this approach seems too "lofty," the following questions (using the human values) can also help you discern whether you are coming from a spiritual basis:

¥ Truth : To what extent do I have a clear, objective understanding of "what is" (free from personal opinions, prejudices, justifications, and rationalisations)?

¥ Righteousness : To what extent am I acting in alignment with my inner sense of duty and character (free from unethical actions, insincere obligations and improper use of time, money and energy)?

¥ Peace : To what extent do I have quiet confidence, equanimity and calmness (free from stress, fear, anger, hate, and confusion)?

¥ Love : To what extent do I have compassion, caring and selfless concern for others (free from criticism, self-centeredness and selfish intentions)?

¥ Non-violence : To what extent do I have respect, forgiveness and good wishes for all (free from any intention to hurt, blame, belittle, or oppress)?

When your values come from a spiritual basis, you'll become a beacon, or a magnet, to draw forth those values in others; that alone will begin to resolve many of the value conflicts you may be experiencing. And, you'll have the wisdom, inner peace and compassion to know how to interact with others whose values may not be coming from a spiritual basis.

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More from same authors see: William and Debra Miller

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