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God at work |
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By Dr. Jan Willem Kirpestein Reply to David Batstone's article 'God at Work' Jan Willem Kirpestein reply to David Batstone's article God at work Bad religion does not justify a retreat into soulless materialism David, your comment that the response to bad religion should not be a retreat into soulless materialism, inspired me to bring in the following thoughts. The gap between religion and daily worklife has to do with a comptetition between different ways of conceptual thinking. Religious fundamentalism is as conceptual as the denial of the significance of spirituality and revelation for life. Fundamentalism and its worldly antogonist are tapping from a same source. They are creating there own conceptual worlds which are competing. Others feel intuitively inside that religion and revelation has more to do with the nourishment of personallife and work life by deep natural wisdom than with a conceptual battle. Concepts will help to clarifyanethical way of life, but are not able to replace this way of life. Relational knowing cannot be expressed exactly in conceptual thinking. Good and pure relationship has always its mystery, but is experienced. It is knowing by trust, by experiencing integrity, humbleness, compassion, strength. In Hebrew and Christian thinking forgiveness, reconciliation means to restore connection. Sin means missing ones goal.People who are related again, and conscious of their deep human values, are not passing over and over as ships in the night. This wisdom is universal and is applicable into worklife in order to improve co-operation and concerted action and natural leadership. To preserve our earth for our children we sorely need co-operation, more than competition. The Hebrew verb which we translate with 'to sin' means literally; to miss ones goal. Sin is in its kernel not about the transgression of rules, for which you can be sued, but about the transgression of the natural bounderies of life. When the rules are torn apart from the sources of wisdom, in personal as well as in public life, they create a rule based behaviour which gives room for hypocrisy. I didn't transgress the rule is not the answer for decent behaviour or good corporate life or leadership. The question is: What can I do to create a great company fór the world and not only ín the world. How can I become a co-creator who can look back on his activities and who can say: it is good, it is whole, it served everybody. What attitude serves life? What attitude creates sustainable relationships and value based networks and products? These questions which are corporate questions are religious in their core. Religion however is no goal in itself. The challenge is to know to discern whether religion fosters the wisdom which improves life, economically, ecologically and in civil society. Best greetings, Jan Willem Kirpestein Sestertiusstraat 2 4007 MK Tiel The Netherlands +31 (0) 344 662535 +31(0) 6 20492723 |
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