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Curated

Youth as an Agent for Social Transformation

Gandhi’s Views On Youth As An Agent For Social Transformation

By Ms. Preeti Gharse / Mr. Santosh Sharma
Mumbai University

“What is my inheritance? To what am I an heir? To all that humanity has achieved during tens of thousands of years, to all that is has felt and suffered and taken pleasure in, to its cries and triumphs and its bitter agony of defeat, to that astonishing adventure of man which began so long ago and yet continues and beckons to us.

To all this and more in common with all men. But there is a special heritage for those of us of India, not an exclusive one, for none is exclusive and all are common to the race of man, one more especially applicable to us, something that is in our flesh and blood and bones, that has gone to make us what we are and what we are likely to be… an agent… an agent for social transformation!

Today we are here to present our research on Gandhiji’s views on youth as an agent for social transformation. Even as we sit here in this gathering peacefully little do we know that there is a war being waged. A war where the youth of nation will actively participate… a war of good vs evil, a war of virtues vs vices, a war of knowledge of science vs wisdom of soul, a war of material prosperity vs peace of mind, a war of education vs character building, a war of professional management vs social commitment.

The lines for battle have been drawn and this battle will be fought on three fronts;

  • the Environment front
  • the Social front and
  • the Individual front

This will indeed be a unique battle where everyone will emerge as a winner. What are the weapons to be used in this war? Right conduct, love, co-operation, justice, equality, patriotism, non-violence, peace, excellence, and last but not the least, the all powerful weapon of truth. The able-bodied soldiers namely the youth of India are being lead by none else but our beloved Mahatma as the Commander-in-chief.

Let us take a closer look at the various strategies that we shall be using in this war and how we shall tackle the enemy on each front. One important factor to be remembered is that this battle started nearly a hundred years ago when the Mahatma himself fought in the ranks of a soldier and continues till date. It is important to know the history of this war before we decide what tactics are to be adopted in the future. Hence we need to visit each of the warfronts to get a better idea.

The Environmental Front

Let us deal with this battlefield in a Gandhian manner by incorporating the two vital issues of Peace and Patriotism. Right from the beginning of human life, the entire humanity has been craving for peace at different levels such as individual, social, communal, national and international levels. Gandhiji was of the view that peace is a feeling which is to be emotionally experienced by everyone. It is experienced when emotional equilibrium and self-equalization is achieved. It is this superpower, he felt, which if realized, leads to eternal happiness. Attainment of peace should be the ultimate goal of any youthful human emotions and actions. Once their minds are at rest they can concentrate their energies for spreading the message of peace. Youth should know that social harmony is an index of peace. They should strive peacefully to make their and other people’s social lives happy and undisturbed which is the aim of any society. Gandhiji also warned youngsters against misinterpreting religions. All the religions such as Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, etc. have preached peace and harmony. The advocacy of war was for the purpose of saving the religion, performing one’s duty and eliminating the veils so that society can enjoy a happy and peaceful life. Mahatma Gandhi himself made skillful use of Satyagraha to achieve peace and harmony and thus proved his point. He always believed that peace contains a negative and a positive sense; the absence of configuration, elimination of wars, absence of conflicts between different classes, castes, religions, and nations is a negative sense and love, rest, mental equilibrium, harmony, co-operation, unity, happiness are the positive indices of peace.

In broader sense, peace would include social harmony which involves natural resources. Gandhiji believed that natural resources are the primary sources for valuable and useful commodities. They are mainly raw materials and energy resources present in the environment. e.g. minerals, forest, animals, water, soil. Youth should ensure its proper utilization and conservation. This would imply rational use of resources and their preservation from reckless exploitation and destruction. Gandhiji’s love for animals is known to all. He further advocated effective control and management of resources in such a way that they will be useful to man for longer time. He underlined young student’s importance in ensuring uniform distribution of all resources.

In the same context of environment another weapon that Gandhiji has provided us with is Patriotism. The nation, he emphasised, is built on the foundation of selfless devotions by its citizens. Young people are vibrant, energetic and enthusiastic. They should show the same enthusiasm when the nation demands for sacrifice of their wealth, their lives, their families etc. Gandhiji often recited a verse in Sanskrit stating that Mother and Motherland are superior to Heaven. He went to the extent of coining his own definition of Patriotism wherein he described it as a sense of loyalty and affection to the soil, the national symbols etc. This feeling, sentiment or attitude of patriotism, he believed would make youth serve the nation selflessly.

The Social Front

History has numerous instances of old and well-established civilizations fading away or being ended suddenly, and vigorous new cultures taking their place. It is some vital energy, some inner source of strength that gives life to civilization or people without which all efforts are ineffective, like the vain attempt of an aged person to play the part of a youth? Such was the vitality attached to young students by our beloved Father of the Nation!

So what is this social transformation that he was referring to using youth as a catalyst?

Society, as defined, is a group of individuals dwelling together who symbiotically carries out various activities to bring happiness and stabilisation. As it is a unique blend of diverse religions, cultures, and races its structure keeps changing with respect to time. After all, nothing is constant but “change”! Gandhiji had stressed upon youth participation in bringing out various social reforms during his struggle for independence in the Sati Pratha, Polygamy, Child marriage, Education of women, Widow remarriage, Untouchability, Caste system, Exploitation and Religious misguidance. And the attributes that make youth swim through were Non-violence, Co-operation, Justice, Equality and Love. Non-violence, Gandhiji advocated, has a religious, social, spiritual and personal significance. Force or aggression leads to a total destruction of society. Violent feelings provoke conflicts which grow in strength and threaten the very society it was initially supposed to protect. As violence or force grows in size it takes a negative and destructive path and affects society. The only force, Mahatma Gandhi proposed was fasting which could be coercive but upright. The path proposed was of Non-co-operation, boycott or Satyagraha. Let us not forget that satyagraha was the subtle force which he used to shake the very foundation of the British Empire! He believed in the destruction of the false and the wicked by non-violence which would eventually result in the ultimate triumph of good over all evil.

Gandhiji described the term co-operation as all individuals coming together to achieve the designed goals and all of them sharing the fruits of the achievements. Nobody is overburdened nor over regarded. Youth should co-operate with elders and children. It should be looked upon as a way of life. “Vina Sahakar Nahi Uddhar” (No prosperity without co-operation). He underlined that co-operation is the basis for peace, love, equality and justice. Mahatma Gandhi advocated joint families and village communities as the co-operation among different individuals, classes, castes and groups in the society ensures growth in all walks of human life from basic needs of food clothing and shelter to more complex requirement of the people like industries, transportation, recreation, finance etc. Gandhiji also proposed the young entrepreneurs concept to achieve primary objectives of growth and equality. Gandhiji wanted youth against the misuse of Co-operation like undue publicization, excessive government intervention, exploitation, promotion of self-interest etc.

Love, as per the Mahatma, is a feeling or sentiment which originates in the soul. Love for young people is a form of energy which would charge them every now and then. The entire structure of society is built upon a sound foundation of love. He advocated love strongly as it develops co-operation and a sense of understanding that makes the entire society happy. Equality, in youth, is a noble, desirable and valuable principle. A comparison between two individuals, groups, societies, natures etc. is against the natural Law, said Mahatma. After all everyone is equal in the eyes of God. Is it logical, leave alone ethical to say that one person is superior to another? Accordingly Gandhiji appealed youngsters to strive towards nullifying the wide gap between various sections of the society. He proposed elimination of all sorts of artificial discrimination, exploitation and oppression to establish equality. Men and Women are equal. They complement each other through the different functions they person in a society. He once stated that, “If we do not efface untouchability we shall all be effaced from the face of the Earth”. Caste, he felt does not connote superiority or inferiority. It simply recognizes difference in outlooks and corresponding modes of life.

He proposed youth to provide equal protection and security to all. Economic inequality implying concentration of wealth and income in few hands is the root cause of political instability and social inequality. He further suggested abolition of exploitation, forced labor, sexual discrimination so as to restore social harmony. Untouchability, according to him was an offense it was one of those evils which plagued society, a crime against not only humanity but against God. Unity and Equality were their core values on which a nation rests.

About justice he said that there exists a close relationship between equality and justice. Youth must know that justice is done when equality is established and when equality exists justice is done. Justice is natural or Godly ensuring the balance in the universe through young exercisers. Young people should treat justice in all fronts morel, social, political, economic. Justice is normative connotation depending upon the accepted morals of the society the predictions and customs instituted by the society for betterment of all. What is more important for youth is spreading the light of justice and creating awareness.

Individual Front

The third warfront where the war is being fought is individual level. i.e. the young mind itself !

Here Gandhiji advocated the principles of Right Conduct. Excellence and Truth as the effective weapons with which to fight this war. Gandhiji was himself a disciple of the “BHAGWAD GEETA” and exalted the younger generation to follow it too. The Gita mentions three different qualities viz. Satva, Rajas and Tamas.

In case of Tamas the happening comes from violence and laziness. In case of Rajas it comes from material gains. Gandhiji proposed that the youth follow the Satvik model where happiness is inward development, i.e. it emphasizes the inclusion of basic human values. Right conducts refers to a set of norms or code of conduct accepted by the society on the basis of thoughtful behavior and is displayed when we discharge our duties and various actions such as obedience, etiquettes, fulfillment of social obligations, co-operation, sympathy etc. The youth should take into consideration various dimensions of their conduct such as the social, cultural, religious and the political aspect. Especially in young people, there is a constant flow of energy. They are dynamic, vibrant and excessively energetic. Hence it becomes all the more necessary for them to discharge their energies in a positive manner to attain long-term happiness and goodwill in society and to contribute to the progress of society. Gandhiji often reiterated the Hindu philosophy of Moksha or Salvation. According to him a Sadachari – a person with right conduct is ensured a place in heaven, while it is believed that a sinner will go to hell. He therefore stressed on Truth, Humanity, Sacrifice and Non-avaricas the important element of right conduct. Right conduct, he believed, comes from the right education and education should not only help gain knowledge, but should also contribute towards character building. Gandhiji often referred to that one should do his duty and remain unconcerned about the fruits.

Gandhiji also pointed out that each one of us should strive to attain Excellence at the personal as well as the social level. He implored the youth to pursue this value without any reservations. This would ensure not only holistic development of the individual, but also progress of the society at large. Here Gandhiji makes a reference to our age-old scriptures where Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha have been mentioned as the four Purusharthas, the pursuit of which leads to perfection in all walks of human life. He strongly believe in the adage that if any job is worth doing, it is worth doing well. Excellence in any field brings peace of mind and satisfaction. According to him the age-old concept life being divided into four stages or ashrams, contributed to an individual’s attaining excellence.

Brahmacharyashram – Learning
Grihaprasthashram – Household responsibilities
Vanaprasthashram – Living in forest away from household life
Sanyasprashthashram – Complete freedom from material bondages and Devotion to God

Only if a person adhered strictly to these stages then his life would become worthwhile.

Truth was Gandhiji’s favorite human value which inspired his autobiography “My Experiments with Truth” Satya Meva Jayate was his slogan. This is as human value which leads to non-existence to human race. Youth must differentiate between truth and blind belief. Gandhiji wanted every individual and society to practice truth at any cost. He emphasised that all religions, philosophies, societies have unambiguously advocated truth. According to him truth was God and that truth must manifest itself in the thought, word and deeds. He did accept the path of truth will always be full of hardship, difficulties, sufferings, and sacrifice. To tell the truth one mist be courageous. Youth must note that no society readily accepts any social transformation. Hence the students who are acting as agent for reformation will have to face public censure and the wrath of society. Self determination, strong will power and profound belief in one’s conviction will help the youth to lead the society. Trading the path of truth is a continuous and unending process which has to be followed by every generation.

Gandhiji advocated that education was the means to attain virtues. Basic education was every person’s right. Children should not only learn to read and write, they must also learn some family skills, usage of which will make them independent and self-reliant. Basic education should be made compulsory for all Children upto the age of fourteen. The medium for education should be one’s mother tongue, so that they can easily grasp it. Education should not end with childhood and adult education plays an equally vital role in the development of an individual.

Conclusion

Thus on all fronts Gandhiji believed in creating from youth a cadre of inspiring and competent role models and change agents with the courage of conviction who in turn will trigger off the process of building a healthy nation. The war started over 100 years ago and remains incomplete as we fight it even today. Social transformation must be undertaken on apriority and this is nothing less than a revolution. Longterm fundamental changes and not merely outward changes are required. Civil cleansing and mass action is the key to this change and the youth are the catalysts who will bring about the change. The entire system needs revamping and the young people will play an instrumental role. The challenge before us to build a good society out of bad individuals.

The weapons he gave were not just meant to overthrow the British but to be used at all times. Today we require these weapons more than ever to build a better society. Even after 50 years of freedom we are still struggling to gain independence in the true sense; to pull ourselves out of the clutches of violence, crime and corruption which have rendered our entire society sick. Although free from foreign rule, we are still enchained by foreign influences which are corrupting our youth and driving them astray. The very agents of social transformation are engulfed by the fatal diseases of poverty, illiteracy, over-population and unemployment. The time is ripe for an uprising & we must all awaken and revolt; a non violent but effective war needs to be waged keeping in mine all that the great Mahatma taught us years ago. As we progress into the next millenium, we need to carry forward his ideologies with us.

What better tribute can give the Father of the Nation, than pledging to build a nation of his dreams? We shall end this presentation with a small verse in praise of a man so great that his greatness is unfathomable!

His is the One Luminous, Creator of all, Mahatma
Always in the hearts of people enshrined,
Revealed through Love, Intuition and Thought
Whoever knows Him, Immortal becomes !!!

Bless us O Bapu, so that we may attain Success in all that we do!

Filed Under: Curated

Preparation for Meditation Practice

Before you meditate or engage in any spiritual practice, take 10 minutes to reflect on the profound significance of your practice.

Ask yourself:

  • Why do I need to awaken for myself?
  • Why do other people need me to awaken?
  • Why does God/evolution/humanity (your choice) need me to awaken?

Allow yourself to feel deeply into the most authentic answer you can find. Then, invite that deeper answer to come forward as a clear and present intention to engage your spiritual practice from authentic presence. Engage and cultivate your practice from this deeper intention and sacred place. Notice how this exercise impacts the quality of your spiritual practice and the quality of your emotive responses.

When you encounter a challenging and emotionally charged situation in your life, before you respond, take a few minutes to ask yourself:

  • What is the most enlightened or evolved response I could have in this situation?
  • Why is it important for my own evolution for me to respond in the most enlightened, evolved way I can?
  • Can I let this person off the hook?
  • Why does God/evolution/humanity (your choice) need me to respond in the most enlightened, evolved way I can?

Allow yourself to feel into the larger significance of your response to this challenging moment.

Ground yourself in an intention to show up as an exemplar of humanity’s potential and allow your response to express itself from this deeper intention. Notice how your perspective on the situation and your ability to show up changes when you approach it in this way.

Filed Under: Curated, Freedom From Anger, Soul Food, Spiritual Development, Spirituality

Powerful Resources for Continued Personal Growth

An Invented Life-Reflections on leadership and change, by Warren Bennis
Study of 60 successful leaders revealed 4 key skills: (1) Management of attention involves the ability emotionally to draw others; (2) Management of meaning through creating and communicating a vision; (3) Management of trust through relationships; (4) Self-awareness, self-knowledge and management of self, including knowing one’s skills. Also by Warren Bennis, On Becoming a Leader.

The Art of Living Consciously, by Nathaniel Branden
“Living consciously has its roots in respect for reality—a respect for facts and truth” Says Branden. And in fact the old adage of ‘the truth shall set you free” still applies. In becoming conscious we free ourselves to act with conscious intention rather than based on automatic conditioned triggers. Other books by Branden (“the father of the self-esteem movement”) are: The Six Pillars of Self Esteem, “Of all the judgments that we pass in life, none is as important as the one we pass on ourselves, for that judgment touches the very center of our existence.” This book examines the essentials of high self-esteem (awareness and self-acceptance) and its impact on happiness and effectiveness emotionally and professionally; and Honoring the Self – Personal integrity and the heroic potentials of human nature; Self-Esteem at Work (touches on the relationship between self-esteem and productive work); and Taking Responsibility.

Working with Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
Leaders are not defined by their IQs but by their ‘emotional intelligence’ This book explains what emotional intelligence is and why it counts more than IQ or expertise for excelling on the job. It details 12 personal competencies based on self-mastery (such as accurate self-assessment, self-control, initiative, and optimism) and 13 key relationship skills (such as service orientation, developing others, conflict management, and building bonds). Also by Goleman Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ.

Change the World: How Ordinary People Can Accomplish Extraordinary Results, by Robert Quinn
Offers transformational leadership lessons from the world’s great leaders such as Gandhi and applies them to every day leadership challenges. Among the first lessons is that transformational leadership begins first and foremost with deep change and transformation within ourselves. As Rishi Vyasa said in 1000 BC “His own self must be conquered by the king for all time; then only are his enemies to be conquered.” Transformational leaders are inner directed (do things that are inherently rewarding for their own sake) and other focused (practice empathy.) Paradoxically, they are both task AND people focused.

Leading Out Loud: Inspiring Change Through Authentic Communication, by Terry Pearce
Terry offers practical and profound insights on how to connect and inspire through authentic communication. Authentic leadership communications is built on: (1) going inside to discover what matters; (2) deciding to lead; (3) connecting to others; (4) giving voice to values; and (5) applying courage and discipline. Terry also shows how to apply these building blocks in communications through the use of analogy and metaphor, stories, and personal experience.

The Leadership Challenge, by James Kouzes and Barry Posner
Study of several thousand leaders reveals 5 key practices supported through 10 behaviors of effective leadership: (1) Model the way supported by finding your voice by clarifying your personal values, and setting an example by aligning actions with shared values; (2) Inspiring a shared vision through envisioning the future by imagining exciting and ennobling vision, and enlisting others in this common vision by appealing to shared aspirations; (3) Challenging the process by searching for opportunities to seek innovative ways to change, grow and improve, and experimenting in taking risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes; (4) Enabling others to act through fostering collaboration in promoting cooperative goals and building trust, and strengthening others by sharing power and discretion; and (5) Encouraging the heart through recognition of contributions and showing appreciation for individual excellence, and celebrating values and victories to create a spirit of community.

Primal Leaderhip: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence, by Daniel Goleman, Annie McKee, and Richard Boyatzis
This book argues the importance of developing ‘resonant leadership’ since the actions of the leader account for 70 percent of employee’s perception of the climate of the organization. The best leaders maintain a style repertoire, switching easily between “visionary,” “coaching,” “affiliative,” and “democratic,” and making rare use of less effective “commanding” styles.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Powerful lessons in personal change, by Stephen Covey
Presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. Other good books by Covey are Principle Centered Leadership, and First Thing’s First on effective time management.

The Fifth Discipline -The art and practice of learning organization, by Peter Senge
Uses systems dynamics and feedback systems theory to analyze and solve problems more holistically and facilitate organizational learning.

Creativity in Business, by Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers
Based on famed Stanford Business School creativity course that has inspired the likes of Jim Collins (author of From Good to Great) and Jeff Skoll, founder eBay, this book is draws on various spiritual traditions and teaches us to look inside in finding the essential source of our creativity. The book also teaches how to pay attention, destroy judgment, create curiosity, and ask dumb questions, all are great sources of fresh perspective and increasing creativity. Also by Michael Ray The Highest Goal: The Secret that Sustains You in Every Moment..

Built to Last: Successful habits of visionary companies, by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras
This book argues that not all visionary companies were founded by visionary leaders. However, they tended to have core values and ideology that guided them in times of crisis and served as constant benchmark for key decisions.

Stress Free for Good, by Fred Luskin and Kenneth Pelletier
Easy to learn and implement skills that can be incorporated and practiced in a few minutes each day at the office that lead to less stress and burnout and improved life satisfaction and job performance.

Improving Organizational Effectiveness through Transformational Leadership, by Bernard Bass, and Bruce Avolio
Transformational leaders go beyond transactional rewards (raise, promotions, bonus, praise, etc.) to inspiring followers to transform themselves and reach their true potential. They do so using the 4 I’s of transformational leadership: (1) Individualized consideration reflects the leader’s concern about developing followers as individuals; (2) Intellectual stimulation based on an open dialog around the process of vision formation and implementation; (3) Idealized influence that sets high self-behavior and standards for emulation; and (4) Inspirational motivation which provides meaning through work that engages followers in inspiring goals.

Reclaiming the fire – How successful people overcome burnout, by Steven Berglas
This book was written by someone who has coached and worked with many executives and provides good advice on how to cope with pressures of work.

Whole Brain Thinking – Working from both sides of the brain to achieve peak job performance, by Jacquelyn Wonder and Priscilla Donovan
On how to combine left- and right-brain thinking for greater effectiveness.

You’ve got to be Believed to be Heard – Reach the first brain to communicate in business and in life, by Robert Decker
If you are interested in becoming a more effective communicator and reach others both conceptually and emotionally, this is an excellent book.

You are the message – Getting what you want by being who you are, by Roger Ailes
How to become a more powerful communicator.

Supe-Leadership, for every manager, new or experienced…, by Charles Manz and Henry Sims.
“Today’s most accomplished leaders are self-leaders-those who use their skills to teach others to lead themselves.”

The Oz Principle, Getting results through individual and organizational accountability, by Roger Connors, Tom Smith, & Craig Hickman
“Like Dorothy and her companions in the Wizard of Oz, most people in corporate America posses the power within themselves to get the results they need.”

Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun, by Wess Roberts
“Reveals the leadership secretes of Attila the Hun-the man who centuries ago shaped an aimless band of mercenary tribal nomads into undisputed rulers of the ancient world… offers timeless lessons in win-directed, take-charge management.”

The C Zone – Peak performance under pressure, by Robert Kriegel and Marilyn Kriegel
“Is type A behavior killing you – but you’re too ambitious to be type B?” Also by Robert Kriegel: If it Ain’t Broke…Break it! -Unconventional wisdom for changing business world
Strategy vs. Tactics From a Venture Capitalist, by Arthur Rock, Harvard Business Review Nov/Dec. 1987
Arthur Rock is the lead venture capitalist behind Teledyne, Fairchild, Apple and Intel. “Good ideas are a dime a dozen. It is great people that build great companies.”

Customers for Life – How to turn that one-time buyer into a lifetime customer, by Carl Sewell
Serving the customer pays off in the long run.

The Customer Comes Second – and other secrets of exceptional service, by Hal Rosenbluth
Treat your employees well and they will take care of the customer.

The Sources of Innovation, by Eric von Hippel
Managers who fully understand how the innovation process in distributed among users, suppliers and manufactures have a significant advantage.

Positioning: the Battle for Your Mind, how to be seen and heard in the over-communicated world, by Al Ries and Jack Trout

Flow – The psychology of optimal experience, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Summarizes research on the positive aspects of human experience – joy, creativity, the process of total involvement with life – flow.

Creative Visualization, by Shakti Gawain
Teaches how to use visualization and affirmation to bring into reality that which is imagined internally or mentally inside.

Getting to Yes – Negotiating agreement without giving in, by Roger Fisher and William Ury
Use win-win approach to reach mutually satisfactory agreements.

Filed Under: Community Soul Food, Curated, Pathways to Wonder

Exploring Qigong

I have explored many exercise systems and Qi Gong offers tremendous benefits. It is subtle but the energy changes you feel are palpable. Most of the time I don’t learn very effectively from instructional DVD’s but this series by Lee Holden was easy to learn and it helped me work through back soreness from overdoing it with free weights.

Qigong or Chi kung (气功 or prana force) is the philosophy and practice of aligning breath, physical activity and awareness for mental, spiritual and corporeal health, as well as the development of human potential. It includes certain forms of martial arts and the spiritual awakening to one’s true nature.

Filed Under: Curated, Spiritual Development

Why does spiritual development matter in our personal and business life?

Mitchel Groter Interviewed by John Ellington of Moments of Clarity Press

24 Jan 2011

How does our spiritual development relate to our personal and  business life?

Many people I know and work become perplexed when the word spiritual or spiritual development is mentioned in the context of their professional or even personal life. I have been advised I not mention the S word when I am talking to a new potential client.  I have chosen to bypass that bias. I don’t think I can support the need to comparentalize who we are into little boxes and cages and deny the simple truths like, “your handshake is your contract” and if it doesn’t mean anything all the contracts and agreements your lawyer draws up will not protect you from being burned in a business deal.

If we live long enough we will experience a betrayal in a personal and business relationships. These things will happen. Spiritual Development is the alchemy that makes living through these life experiences valuable on many levels and reinforces what I heard Jean Houston say,  “all things human this is part of our human homework.”

It isn’t important that we are able to define our spiritual life in linear terms or be able to describe it all in words. What is important is a sense of awe. And this can come from experiencing a sunset, a sunrise, focusing on the perfectly formed fingers and fingernails of an infant or the feeling in your heart when your experience compassion or empathy. It is grace to allow the mystery of creation to infuse our body, mind and spirit.

How do we define spiritual development so it fits into our life and doesn’t cause confusion?

A sense of awe doesn’t feel relevant at first. To experience the sunset, you have to leave work. To watch the sunrise, wake up early. What awe can do for you is keep you present. And being present allows you to make the choice not to displace your frustrations and impatience on an unsuspecting barista at Starbucks or resist the impulse to be the first driver to make it to red light. It brings the precious awareness that you really aren’t listening to a coworker or a friend and need to shift your awareness and bring your best to that moment or decide to tell the truth when spinning your wheels.

These are often experiences of the divine within me that that altered my experience, changed my neurochemistry and give me a new pair of glasses to look at the choices, and how I choose to behave in the myriad of difficult life transactions and interpersonal scenarios.

Words, sounds and images can be rich and valuable ways to explore, express and experience the mysteries of spiritual energy.

There are different dimensions to our human experience that become exposed as we enter the dark room and start allowing ourselves to experience a change in heart and risk working and living from a place of honesty, integrity and justice. This doesn’t suggest that negotiating and making agreements to get things done magically eases the challenges of satisfying each party’s self-interest. What it does suggest is that resisting the temptations to manipulate, obfuscate and spin our responses to get what we want will help us avoid the inevitable negative consequence of strained and broken relationships. It also drastically reduces the possibilities of building and co creating successful and profitable professional and personal outcomes.

A big lesson learned. There are many facets to penetrating the beauty of a diamond or the various dimensions of spiritual development.

I am reminded of a powerful lesson I learned from my greatest business mentor Lee Golinello. I was selling high digital media systems and storage to Nickelodeon Studios. At the time it was a leading edge shared network solution from an innovative technology company that was the forefront of bringing this technology to marketplace. My client was Nickelodeon’s Larry LaFave. He was the VP of Engineering and a very brilliant broadcast engineer who also had real business acumen my other client was their gifted VP of Production and Post, Chris Silveira.

In the course of the pre-sales process, I arranged for demos and a simulation of his existing environment to test out the new-networked storage system. It seemed to work and met the testing and mission critical success criteria we and developed which would serve as the key condition for satisfaction.  With my team we did as much due diligence and testing as we could. Larry was the VP of Engineering for last three Summer Olympics decided they wanted to become an early adopter. We set realistic expectations and he knew there would be some challenges and technical problems but the manufacturer assured him they would support him with us being the first three levels of support.

Our team integrated and installed the system into a post-production team working on a new TV series. It worked well for about two or three weeks and then it started (as new technology will) to develop strange problems that required support and troubleshooting. We solved the initial issues and then new ones developed that we needed the software and hardware engineer who designed the solution to address. The Manufacturer stepped up and sent an engineer from California and two weeks later and more problems developed. The technology company balked at sending their engineers again unless Larry paid them and reimbursed them for all their travel expenses. Larry blew a gasket and called to tell me what happened. I told him we were in support of his position and do our best to facilitate a solution. We were as unsuccessful as Larry was in getting a reasonable response.

This went on for about 4 weeks until I met with Larry, Chris, General Manager, and their General Counsel. We reviewed the facts, minus blame, minus interpretations and minus assumptions. The next day Larry sent me a copy of the scathing letter they sent to Technology Manufacturer. To net it out, the letter said, “back up a truck to our loading dock, pack up all your crap, send us a refund check and never even attempt to sell us or group at Viacom even a paper clip.”

The Manufacturer still refused to accept accountability and negotiate.

The Business Theater – Act 1: Let the blaming begin

They accused me of incompetence and our company for misrepresenting the capability of their technology poorly servicing Nickelodeon. They  continued to draw the hard line ( driven by fear) and refused to comply with the good folks at Nick request to divest themselves of their stuff and issue a full refund.

The Business Theater – Act 11: let the war of the $450.00 dollars per hour lawyers begin

“And they roared a terrible roar and gnashed their terrible teeth”

Larry and Chris were justifiably upset and stressed. Post-production deadlines were missed and a host of other negative consequences were piling up. After the last of a series of difficult meetings with Larry, Chris and the executive team at Nick, Lee called me into her office and said “ Mitchel, we did the best we can to resolve their technical issues and try to persuade the Technology Manufacturer to do the right thing. They have refused and made it our problem and positioned us as the scapegoat.  I have decided the only ethical thing we can do to make this right and preserve our relationship with Larry and Nickelodeon is to refund them all the money they paid for the hardware, the installation services and this also includes your substantial commission.” Ouch…. I had already spent the commission money…Ouch…. This was a substantial six figure transaction…Ouch-Yes this was spiritual development for me and sometimes it hits you right in your pocketbook.

Larry dumped the gear and two weeks later invited me for a cup of coffee at the studio. “I spoke with Lee after she mailed me the check for what we paid you. She told me it included your commission. This was a hard situation and I want to give you a large order for new local storage docks. I guess we keep it simple and use a few terabytes of removable storage. Send me a quote and I will fax you the PO.”

He didn’t rehash the situation he looked into my eyes. “I want to thank you and Lee for not allowing greed to break our business relationship.”

While I felt a surge of excitement knowing I would make a good commission on the sale, something more valuable happened. It was another experience of the inherent goodness in life in people. It emerges in a flow of divine energy when simple honesty and justice is becomes the choice in a business or personal relationship.

This changed my neurochemistry and give me a new pair of glasses to look at the how I would conduct business in spite myriad of difficult transactions with difficult people.  It taught me not be victimized by mine or anyone’s security fears.  It takes courage to have our old programs for happiness dismantled. I don’t always remember but I know in the core of my soul that feeling safe has nothing to do with whether people, places or things are fitting into my movie and reading the lines I have written for all the players.

Filed Under: Curated, Executive Development, Important Conversations, The Opportunity is NOW, Transition & Transformation

Spiritual But Not Religious

Filed Under: Curated, Pathways to Wonder

Guide for Transformative Change

Catalysts for Effective Transformative Changes

  1. Review current reality — internal and external
  2. Build on current strengths and assets
  3. Identify what is most important to you
  4. Create a person SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)
  5. Identify old painful sources of conditioning and conflicting beliefs
  6. Create a list of goals and priorities in life and work domains
  7. Create a personal plan of action
  8. Determine possible obstacles and possible solutions
  9. Determine your daily practices from there

Filed Under: Curated Tagged With: Adventurous Projects, business life cycle, Improv & Yes and, Sacred Journey

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