Re: Leon Conrad's thoughts on spiritual safety. I'd like to offer a
little different slant. Safety is something different in the eyes of the
each beholder. Safety could be a refuge from the harsh nature of reality,
or the sense of personal freedom to free-fall through life, safety being
interpreted as self-determination. Let me give you an example.
At a church in which I was a part a number of years ago, a crisis emerged
around the pastor. Various groups sought to toss the rascal out. He
finally relented and at the congregational meeting at which he resigned,
one member stood up and announced that he didn't like all this conflict in
the church. He had enough conflict during the week, and he came to church
to be reassured and safe from conflict. I remember my own response to
that perception of safety, as being anything but safe, because he was
essentially hiding out from the real world. I always felt more safe when
I was testing the edges of my work and experiences.
Spiritual safety, IMHO, is also a reflection of the relationships we share
in community. Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, whose writings have had a
remarkable impact upon our times' perceptions of spirituality and the good
life once wrote the following about love, which I think relates to this.
"A happiness that is sought for ourselves alone can never be found: for a
happiness that is diminished by being shared is not big enough to make us
happy....Yet there can never be happiness in compulsion. It is not enough
for love to be shared: it must be shared freely. That is to say it must
given, not merely taken. Unselfish love is that is poured out upon a
selfish object does not bring perfect happiness: not because love requires
a return or a reward for loving, but because it rest in the happiness of
the beloved. And if the one loved receives love selfishly, the lover is
not satisfied. He sees that his love has failed to make the beloved
happy. It has not awakened his capacity for unselfish love."
from No Man Is An Island, Thomas Merton.
Now what does this have to do with our interest in spiritual safety. I
think, and this is the rub for modern corporate settings, that the safety
we seek may only come as a gift from others with whom we share that same
concern and commitment. This is part of what I see genuine community to
be.
I see in so many of the groups with whom I work, that their problems are
not primarily related to their work, as it is to their relationships. I
led a workshop this past week on strategic planning for a diverse group,
who do not normally work together in their businesses. All have strategic
plans which sit on shelves, and are referred to once a year. The
consensus of the group is that their planning is never done as if their
relationships mattered. In other terms, their's was a mission without a
clear vision. While Merton's ideal may be beyond most of our
organizations, it isn't beyond us to use it as a benchmark for measuring
our quest for spiritual vitality in our work.
If you desire a more complete version of the Merton quote, and I'll supply
it.
Together in Learning to Lead,
Ed Brenegar
Leadership Resources
Hendersonville, NC 28791
704/693-0720 voice/fax
brenegar@bulldog.unca.edu
--Edwin Brenegar III <brenegar@bulldog.unca.edu>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>