What strategy could you offer for cultivating more authentic interactions between people at work?
Why is this important? What behaviors could you suggest that would help cultivate this? How would it feel to be in a workplace that allowed and encouraged this?
Feeling a bit guilty? Spent up large on things you really didn’t need, bought stuff made in sweat shops, roughed up a couple of people? Perhaps you indulged a little, had too much to drink, bet on the match, took advantage of a few people and made a bit of money. People always say sex sells. You suspect your boss is even worse.
Yes, society does have a shadow. A nasty, dirty, ugly side, and it always has. Our society has a shadow. I am in this society. I am this society. Inside of me is a cosmos which relates to the inside of society which is a cosmos. Who you are reflects society, society reflects you.
But how, why, who? Why is there such greed, such waste, such ignorance? Can’t people see this? We are all connected, everyone can bleed, everyone can hurt inside, everyone is born from a womb and then strives for more. Society could do so much better than this. Way better (look into the distance at what is possible). We think ourselves mature?
Society sits on the therapy couch and Carl Jung gives a simple summary from the beginning. So as children, your parents constantly tell you what to think and what not to. Then you go to school where teachers do the same. You graduate to the workplace where this continues. You come here complaining of mood swings, too many voices in your head telling you what to think, and it’s all too confusing. So far your method of dealing with all this truth and rubbish … has varied between very encouraging and disastrous.
You asked -- what strategy could you suggetst for cultivating greater authenticity at work with your colleagues?
In my opinion authenticity never comes from strategising or trying to think of what to say or how to act. It comes from living here and now with awareness. To be strategic about authenticity is an oxymoron and I would say the only way to cultivate authenticity with others is to is through awareness. And it may be very difficult to have authentic interactions with anyone at work especially if many of them would rather not be there or have other concerns they feel inappropriate to discuss at work or certain topics are out of context - though I do realise that this is quite presumptious but in many cases very true.
I agree that "strategizing" to be authentic is a bit of an oxymoron--much like planning how to be spontaneous! I think that the only way is to take the leap--that big jump into finally being willing to be a truthful person, inside and out. To do this it seems that we have to know ourselves and our egoic machinations really well. We even need to see the "fine print" clearly, so that we can be transparent to ourselves and others. We also need to be ruthlessly clear with ourselves about our actual motivation. If there remains any vestiges of fundamental narcissism and self-serving motives, we can never fully trust ourselves to relax and let go--and fully be "ourselves", which is whoever shows up at that particular moment. We will always be worried that something "unsightly" and embarrassing might accidentally pop out of us. We need to be at the point in our evolution when we finally welcome with gratitude the awesome evolutionary responsibility we have been given--to be present here on earth as bodhisattvas, empty of self and deeply surrendered to the greater wisdom of Universal Intelligence. Up to this point, we will still find ourself strategizing about "how to do it". There just ain't no strategy for surrender. And this level of surrender also requires giving up one's lifelong desires to win a popularity contest as well, because one discovers that the truth is not all that popular! But as Suzanne so beautifully explains, at this level, one understands that everyone is on a developmental continuum and is able to find creative "skillful means" for every situation.
I find that everyone actually longs for authentic meetings with others--even those people "in the office" with whom we often have painfully superficial relationships-- but the truth is that most of us are still bound up in our self-image and conditioning that there are not yet enough models for authenticity. But whenever anyone is willing to take this leap and be relaxed, real, and truthful with everyone--something beautifully contagious is transmitted. Even severely constricted people start to relax and have a good time! And mysteriously, us humans discover a way to experience and enjoy our shared humanity--beyond any "prior notions" we may have been holding onto about each other.
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A Lower Right Perception
Posted October 15th, 2008 by Andrew Forest