Surviving the Workday

Nightfall tonight marks the beginning of Tu B’Shevat, a Jewish holiday for the celebration of trees and the bounty that we receive from them. The holiday may be celebrated by planting trees, or tithing for trees in Israel. More recently, a seder has been introduced, like the passover seder, to link wine, food, and words.

The global ecological crisis — from burning rain forests and clear-cutting ancient forests. Holes in the ozone layer make clear that our nibblings from the Tree of Knowledge have indeed brought an urgent need for terrestrial healings of cosmic proportion.

In Tu B’Shevat we find an affirmation of the necessity for caring for trees, and by extension, the entire garden in which we live.

And we find a connection between our consciousness, our consumption (eating), and the health of the world around us.

Excerpted from Trees and Justice

More about Tu B’Shevat

Two meditations from Christian Scripture (Jeremiah 18 and 2 Corinthians 4) are found in Resting in God.

I’m placing links to audio guided meditations in the side column underneath the spirituality and religion links.

And, no, I wasn’t talking about sex, though I suppose I could be.

In this article, Glimpsing the Divine Through Sports, Craig Beardsley, a former Olympic swimmer reflects on how he connects with his sense of God as an athlete:

I’m also reminded of this “flow” when I’m surfing or snowboarding. Whether I’m dropping into a nice wave or carving up the mountain, I experience the strength of my inner core and I feel very complete. In that moment, I realized there is a divine spark that can be harnessed and drawn from.

I think this is what most highly accomplished athletes feel–strength through grace, the divine through the physical.

Dear Tire Godess,

I am conflicted as to whether or not you have a personal concern with my tires.

Sometimes I think that you hear me talk to you and that you deeply worry about me and my tires. Other times, I think the universe is a chaotic place and the Tire Goddess has no time for me.

Please allow me to appease you in some way.

I have had three totally flat tires in six years of living here. Lest you forget, there was

1. the flat after yoga class that resulted in a AAA phone call and a truck driver who told me I better take care of my tires because I couldn’t get by on my looks forever. Bwahahahahahaha, was my response;

2. the flat after therapy, which was conveniently (and suspiciously) located next to a tire store;

3. the flat on Tuesday before I left for breakfast with a friend.

In each case, I was fine, but had to completely replace the tire because it was so entirely holey and flat.

And then there are the literally countless times when I’ve noticed the tire was leaking, refilled it, and then taken it to be patched. Countless times in the past six years. I have entire relationships with tire men. They know me by name. They love my credit card.

I’ve analyzed my driving patterns. Do I pull off onto the shoulder too often when tailgated? Do I drive off road too much entirely? Do I simply visit Home Depot too much? I’m not sure.

With all due respect, Tire Goddess, how can I make you happy? I do not want to spend my life repairing and replacing the tires on my car. I simply can’t go on this way. It’s expensive and one day I’m going to get a flat in the wrong place or even blow a tire on the freeway. That’s a nasty accident waiting to happen.

Placing my life in your warm rubber embrace,

Stephanie

Centering Prayer is a type of meditation. But whereas Buddhist meditation focuses on breath, centering prayer (particularly in the Christian or Jewish traditions) focuses on opening yourself to the presence of God.

It probably goes without saying that there are tons of health benefits to centering prayer and meditation in general. Your blood pressure decreases, your pulse decreases, your mind can remain focused. In the long run, you will get sick less often and recover quickly when you do. Rates of depression and suicide are lower in those who pray regularly.

Find a time and a space to do centering prayer during the workday. You might close the door, if you have an office, and post a sign saying what time you’ll be available (in five minutes, say), you might sit in a nearby park, you might lock yourself in your car in the parking lot, you might lock yourself in the bathroom stall. Do whatever you need to in order to find a safe space to give yourself five minutes. Do you see what I’m saying? Take desperate measures to secure five minutes alone to center yourself, even if it means locking yourself in the bathroom (aka meditation stall).

1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within you. Examples of possible sacred words are Abba, Jesu, Mary, Love, Yes, Shalom, etc.

2. Sit comfortably with your eyes closed. Settle briefly and silently, to yourself, introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.

3. When you become aware of thoughts, sensations, feelings–any perception whatsoever–return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.

4. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

Excerpted from Guidelines for Centering Prayer

To listen to a guided centering prayer, click here

An interview with Thomas Keating, the “Johnny Appleseed” of Centering Prayer

So many days, I’m trying to answer a couple emails at the same time, talk on the land line, and manage our dog, who always thinks that I’m talking to her. Add text messaging, cell phones, and planning dinner and my mind is spinning. And I didn’t actually mention real work, which is apparently going on simultaneously with these actions.

One way to deal with this is to stop, several times a day, and cultivate a practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness means that you are totally present in what you are doing. And, that you are only doing one thing intentionally at a time. It’s paying attention to that thing as fully as you can until the completion of the task.

What does it mean to be mindful?

A Moment of Calm (scroll down to click to listen to a meditation)

Dear Ms. Theologian:

-Loathing the workday

Dear Loathing,

Consider why you hate your job for a moment.

Do you feel alienated from your coworkers? I certainly have and it’s led me to hate my job.

Do you need more of a community than you are getting in the workplace? I’ve worked at places where it’s every (wo)man for himself and that made me feel awful.

Do you feel judged as inferior? We won’t get into my inferiority issues here.

Do you loathe all of what you do or some of what you do during the workday? Often I’ve found that I enjoy interactions with people, but anything resembling data entry will have me plotting ways to escape.

Identify what exactly you hate (I’m not letting you say, “Everything!”) and you will be able to find a place to start.

Have you ever felt this way before? Think hard, think back to your last job. Did you feel like this too?

Often we get into a rut. Perhaps we’re in a career that doesn’t suit us. Perhaps we keep taking the first job that comes along without any sense of higher purpose. Perhaps we didn’t get the education we need to pursue the job we dream of. For whatever reason, you need to address the deeper issue. Without that addressed, you may be in the same situation, just with a different boss, different commute, and different coworkers. Identify what isn’t working here.

I see you as having three options:

a. quit your job immediately;
b. quit your job soon;
c. completely change your attitude so you don’t hate your job.

For short-term coping, try prayer, meditation, and exercise. For long-term coping, make a life-change for the better.

–Ms. Theologian

Open Our Minds and Hearts

I pray that we may at all times keep our minds open to new ideas and shun dogma; that we may grow in our understanding of the nature of all living beings and our connectedness with the natural world; that we may become ever more filled with generosity of spirit and true compassion and love for all life…

I pray that we may learn the peace that comes with forgiving and the strength we gain in loving; that we may learn to take nothing for granted in this life; that we may learn to see and understand with our hearts; that we may learn to join in our being.

- Jane Goodall

Are there more Pagans than Sikhs in the United States?

How many Christians are there in the United States?

How are numbers about religious preferences reported?

Are there more atheists than Jains in the United States?

Don’t be afraid! Numbers won’t hurt you. You can find all these answers at Statistics about Plurality in the United States

Here are some simple yoga poses to do at your desk during the workday.

They really help to relax your shoulders and open up your chest–all important exercises when you are hunched over a computer most of the day.

Desktop Yoga

You probably know that meditation is good for you. It quiets your your mind, it lowers your blood pressure, it leaves you feeling quieter and more refreshed.

But sometimes it is difficult to find a particular type of meditation that fits your personality or your mood.

I prefer walking meditation when I count my steps. I also try to close my eyes and count my breaths before starting a project.

A World of Mindfulness has great information on different types of meditative practices. There are so many more than you might be aware of.

If you’ve read the Bhagavad-Gita, you’ll know that the quote below comes from a conversation between Arjuna, one of five Pandava brothers, and the god, Lord Krishna. Arjuna is deeply troubled because he is about to go into battle and fight some of his relatives. He does not know whether to renounce fighting altogether (and be killed) or fight. The entire Gita is about this dilemma of what exactly is right action in the world.

You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of the work. You should never engage in action for the sake of reward, nor should you long for inaction.

-Bhagavad Gita 2:47

For Arjuna, this is part of what encourages him to understand that this particular battle is part of his karma and an obligation. He must complete this work, but he must not expect certain results.

In other words, the fruits of your work (money, fame, popularity, paying off your credit card) should never be the goals of your work.

A Commentary on 2:47

The Pluralism Project also provides funds for other research, including Rachel Antell’s film, Acting on Faith: Women’s New Religious Activism in America. Her filme examines the lives of three women: one Buddhist, one Hindu, and one Muslim.

You can watch clips here.

Did you know that 12% of the people in the U.S. are atheists or agnostics?

Diana Eck leads The Pluralism Project, which gathers and disseminates materials on religious diversity in the United States.

They gather statistics, which give insight into the real diversity in this country.

Check out your own tradition. Anyone find a tradition that is missing.

An Islamic Funeral

and for those of us who don’t read arabic, an Islamic funeral Prayer

Egyptian Ferry Sinks in Red Sea

Dear Ms. Theologian:

Not a Thief

Dear Not a Thief:

One of the tricks to evaluate ethical dilemmas is to ask yourself,

“Self, what would happen if EVERYONE behaved like this?”

As far as I can tell, everyone in your workplace behaves like this anyway. You are taking something from a discard room. And you’re not even permanently taking it, you’re borrowing it. This is totally fine with me.

You might make a point to return it in better condition than you borrowed it (wipe the screen, get out the Q-tips and clean out its insides). That should alleviate any guilt.

-Ms. Theologian

If you would like to ask Ms. Theologian a question, email her at ms DOT theologian AT gmail DOT com.

Dear Ms. Theologian

–Gary

Dear Gary:

Good question.

My grandfather worked for the post office until he retired. He loved it! He tells all sorts of stories about supervising guys in Chelsea on the overnight shift when they locked each other in the post office van and then shipped each other to Worcester. Doesn’t that sound like a lot of fun? I’m kidding. He did love it, but it doesn’t sound like fun to me.

The Center for Disease Control tells me that there are 20 workers murdered a week in the U.S. and 18,000 a week are victims of nonfatal workplace violence. That is a lot of workplace violence.

Furthermore, much of the violence is “hidden” and directed at women, according to a study by the University at Albany. They offer the following chilling statistics:

Homicide is the leading cause of death for women on the job.

The rate of nonfatal assault against African-American women in the workplace is twice as high as against white women.

Two-thirds of the nonfatal attacks on women are committed by patients or residents in institutional settings.

Husbands, boyfriends and ex-partners commit 15 percent of all workplace homicides against women.

260,000 women are victims of workplace violence annually, according to a U.S. Justice Department survey. These include 178,400 simple assaults, 55,500 aggravated assaults, 17,400 robberies, and 8,800 rapes.

Some occupations are higher risk than others including the taxicab industry, which has the highest risk, nearly 60 times the national average rate. The taxicab industry is followed by liquor stores, detective/protective services, gas service stations and jewelry stores. No mention of the post office at all.

What does this tell us?

There is a LOT of workplace violence, but when we hear about it on the news, it is usually only in reference to the post office. I’m overwhelmed by these numbers, Gary.

Ms. Theologian

If you would like to ask Ms. Theologian a question, email her at ms DOT theologian AT gmail DOT com.

Dear Ms. Theologian,
I am a pacifist and I work for a software company. One of our new clients is in the defense industry. While I love my job and the money I make, I am struggling with working for a company that provides tools for those who help make war. –Ethically Challenged

Dear Ethically Challenged:

How can we earn money when the economy seems to have shifted in a defense-oriented direction? Many a good scientist has pondered this question. And I reckon, many a good software engineer.

You might expect that I advise you to quit your job. I’m not going to do that for two reasons:

1. Supporting yourself and your family are important. You are of no help to other pacificists or the peace movement if you are starving and have to give up your home.

2. Change from the inside of an organization can be much easier than change from the outside.

What does this mean? It means that you may be in the position to begin a dialogue in management about what sorts of clients you take on. It means that you may be able to refine your company’s mission statement so that it stays away from the big three (alcohol, tobacco, and weapons of any sort). You are in a position to act for change.

So you may keep your job and keep fighting the good fight. But, if you find yourself softening, if you find that you are not making a consistent and strategic effort to refine your company’s mission to one that is more in keeping with your own, then, my dear, you must quit.

And, in the meantime, I do think you have a responsibility in your time away from work to also honor your pacifism. You may wish to learn more about socially conscious investing or pacifism organizations.

-Ms. Theologian

If you would like to ask Ms. Theologian a question, email her at ms DOT theologian AT gmail DOT com.

Does it feel like spring where you are? It must be 70 degrees and it’s not even noon. My bulbs in the garden are emerging from the mulch and the grapevines are beginning to develop green nubs.

Mara Freeman writes in Emerging Into Light that spring is really about the return of the soul to the conscious mind. She believes that when we listen to the voice of our soul, rather than the voice of consumer culture, our souls will emerge from deep hiding and reconcile themselves in our bodies. This happens as we prepare for spring.

So light your own candle this season, and as you do so, see this tiny flame as a spark of the One Light that shines through all the worlds. Then sense your own inner flame within your heart and know that you, too, are a spark of the Divine. Breathe in the peace of this knowledge, and listen to your soul telling you how to fully awaken into Light in the emerging year.

Oh won’t someone ask Ms. Theologian a question? She has finished her work for the day and is bored. She even has new clip art to illustrate her responses to your questions. She has her own email address (so you don’t have to deal with Stephanie!). Just email her at ms DOT theologian AT gmail DOT com.

You can ask her questions about anything that goes on in the workplace and she will reflect on the deeper theological significance of your query (and possibly suggest a solution). Preference given to questions relating to Celtic fish, but all queries welcome.