All relationships reflect a mirror image projected from ego.The work place represents another facet of the multi-dimensional experience we create for sustainable living, human interaction, and emotional growth. Let’s face it. The environment we work in and hope to thrive in takes on the collective role of our families, both the ones we were born into and the ones we manifest as adults. Our behaviors are modified by a presupposed code of ethics and morality as well as a boundary system set in place by the ruling authority. Human interaction takes place secondary to technology these days. What does transpire if anything, is a modicum of humanity reflective of our need to further develop a level of intimacy in the work place that mirrors what we hope to achieve in all other aspects of our lives.
By intimacy I am referring to the human need to bond. Thriving in the work place has equated to financial success for many. The notion that emotional, psychological or spiritual success is required to thrive is still foreign to most of us. Hence, my own thought that we are becoming an endangered species emotionally and spiritually in the workplace. More barriers are being created to influence this system on a daily basis, barriers which set humanity up to achieve without a personal sense of wellness, self-worth, and an appreciation for failure just as much for success. This understanding or lack there of influences not only a person’s working environment, but the patterns become intertwined with familial patterns as most people tend to take their work home with them. Tensions arise, and we become disassociated with who we are in relationship to work, family, and most importantly, ourselves. The quality of human interaction is dissipated on all levels, as we lose sight of the fact that we are all in this together.
In what together you ask? In this quagmire of emotions, ego, desire, attachment, expectation and oh, yes, the work place. It is hard to place ourselves in the middle of all of this humdrum, albeit much easier to just disconnect and go about our day. So how does one thrive and remember their humanity? A few things to think about to start you on your way.
In Buddhism, a Bodhisattva cultivates compassion to aid their fellow human beings in awakening. They become a witness to the ills of humanity and through this compassionate act of witnessing, other people’s wounds have the opportunity to heal and find balance. Becoming a witness means that they live fully in the present, experiencing life as it presents itself in each moment. They observe the situation and LIVE the experience from a different place within than others do. They are more aware of ego and the power struggles ego engages in to fulfill those desires and attachments. A Bodhisattva will manifest that level of intimacy by virtue of intention alone, thus creating the opportunity to dispel illusion and embrace the human condition anytime, anywhere. By doing so, their internal experience of the work place changes as well as their external one. The need for intimacy as a guideline for success in terms of productivity at all levels becomes the primary motivator. This practice has the power to change lives in the work place and also at home.
Humans have the capability of thriving in any environment. If your definition of thrive embraces a more intimate look at human interaction and emotional growth, I think there is enormous possibility that we might be crossed off the endangered species list.
Image courtesy of Unsplash
Originally published at medium.com