How does one introduce spirituality in one’s work arena? How does one be spiritual in a materialistic world? This question arises out of a common misunderstanding- that there are two lives we live: a materialistic one and a spiritual one. Human beings are not so compartmentalised. Infact there are no two worlds to inhabit. We all get the same world. Spirituality is not so much a matter of where one is but what thoughts one entertains. Per se, going to the temple is no more spiritual than going to the disco. The reason it is considered so is because of the thoughts the two places generate. If one were to think those divine thoughts in the disco, it is as good as being in the temple.
Bringing spirituality in the workplace is bringing those thoughts to the workplace. We are materialistic when we believe and act as if gaining material success is all that life is about. To earn money for me and my family is the mission of life. A spiritual person is one with a greater vision. He may be doing exactly the same work but he conceives of a higher ideal, a broader perspective. He dedicates his life to the attainment of something beyond himself. His interest and attention is on more than himself and his family. A higher ideal is something which encompasses a wider circle of identification. It can be the organisation, the industry, the economy, the country etc. A peon may conceive of this but an MD may not. Whoever can work for something higher than his paypacket is working for a higher cause.
Such work generates huge energy. One feels motivated and enthused to do the work. Hence the work becomes highly productive without taxing oneself. If one examines the life of anyone thus engaged one finds they are most cheerful and hard working. They are peaceful, they achieve more. See a Mahatma Gandhi or a Mother Theresa. Their life stands testimony to the power of working for the higher. Working for the higher does not necessitate our leaving whatever we are doing and doing social work. It requires our continuing what we do but changing what we think. The same work done for the welfare of all is spiritual. The same work done for only myself is materialistic. When I can do the same work for the cause of enlightenment or Self Realisation, this work attains to the highest Divinity. It gives joy in ones heart, prosperity in one’s life and above all, unfolds the divinity inherent within.
