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Editor's
Note
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A fascinating study about "post-bubble America" appeared in the June 11 issue of Fortune magazine. The article, "Okay, Now What?" asked four corporate CEOs about their strategies for managing change. Each company had a robust plan for addressing growth, merger and expansion issues, but not one could address the possibility of a recession. Our society has lived in the "growth and development" model for so long that any thought of smaller or less is foreign to our way of being. This evokes fear and clutching behavior of trying to acquire more so we can get through the dark night safely. Nursing is such an incredible discipline, a privileged place to be. Yes, the field is noisy and messy at the moment, and if we gaze outward it can be unsettling. However, if we stay focused on our roots, on our mission, on the people we are privileged to serve, we find that we are surrounded with "masters of the simple" who hold lessons for our well-being as well as their own. In short, we are recession-proof. If we reflect on principles of growth and development, we can see how an individual life goes through stages of enlargement and maturity. Each stage dies out and gives way to the next stage, which is filled with even more abundance, challenge and opportunity for growth. No one stage is final, nor is it as complete as the one that follows it. This cycle holds true for all of nature and the life cycles of families, organizations and nations. When I was younger, my role models were people who were "successful." I thought success meant the acquisition of things: money, house and car, career and lifestyle. Today, I realize that the "outward focus" is an important part of youth in establishing a place in the world. However, once established, we suddenly find a richer role model for "success"-and often it is the people we touch and serve each day. I have been privileged to work with a Lakota Sioux holy man for the past 10 years, and each year I watch him move among his people. Reservation life is hard; there is inadequate housing, food, economic opportunity. But as my eyes grew accustomed to the harsher landscape, I started to notice something-many of these people who had so little were living out of abundance. Instead of having "things," they had "essence": solitude and silence in which to reflect, a connection to nature that kept their own rhythms balanced, relationships that were stronger than the forces surrounding them, the spirit of sharing and generosity, a sense of stewardship and service. I realized that the vibrant role models in society today are those who have a balanced spiritual connection to themselves and all of life, rather than just a strong relationship and dependence on material things that can be controlled or taken away by an event or circumstance beyond one's control. Today, I invite you to reflect on your role models. Are they the rich and famous, or the people down the street? Are they corporate executives, or your grandmother? In a balanced
world we would look at both, admire their qualities and contributions,
and take the best of each into our own definition of worth and success.
In that way there is no judgment, no striving, but simply a flow
between who we are and all we touch. Then your balanced, healing
presence promotes peace, and harmony becomes a small ripple that
moves in ever-wider circles, blessing the whole world.
What
do you think? |
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NEWS
AND TRENDS | CAREER
CENTER | EDUCATION
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