Obama wants to create unity in his country and throughout the world, unity and cooperation. He began his government with a policy to combat polarization and asks if a gay pastor at his inauguration to the prayer. He celebrates his inauguration for a party where representatives of the most opposing groups to participate. He creates space for contradictions and so wins confidence. Quite obviously he realizes that opposites can enrich and complement.
The crisis is mainly caused by lack of confidence due to polarization and sharpening of contradictions in the social, cultural, political, ethical and even religious. Without trust and cohesion organizations ungovernable. Obama realizes that.
The power of spirituality lies in the fact that on a deeper spiritual level creates room for contradictions. At his level, each being unique, every event and every single organization is authentic. Someone from one part of a business is transferred to another department experiences this difference in environment. Opposites are not depletion, but rather an enhancement because they are different and can complement and reinforce each other.
A family starts with man and woman, the greatest contradiction that there exists naturally. A family begins with a contrast of sex and also a contrast of generation, because one is absorbed by marriage into a family with parents, grandparents, stepparents, aunts and uncles. Then there are children, grandchildren, yet another generation with its own identity. Despite all these contradictions is a family is a unit that can sustain life. How is this possible? The contradictions enrich each other on a deeper level and they are a spiritual force to the diversity to unity.
That is also the power of spirituality in business, using contrasts to enrich each other and not to polarize. Obama demonstrates this point in the greatness of his spiritual strength to America to make a cohesive unit and hence the world.
| Sincerely, Paul de Blot Professor of Business Spirituality Nyenrode Business Universiteit |  |
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Dear Mr. de Blot,
Last Tuesday I had the right under your ear to find me during the lecture "Mysticism of doing business" in the Odd Fellow Lodge Emmeloord.Ik am so free to your site via a single question in response to this, a question that perhaps that night a little too far forward.
Even though you hardly hurried or not, but I could not help feeling that your thinking is very close to, or strongly influenced by the thinking of Levinas.
Question 1.: Or is it that Christianity (you are indeed Jesuit) and Levinas in essence very close together, you Tuesday expressed as (paraphrased): "Responsibility for the other is the power and essence of life" and as: "There is only one dogma (the Jesuits?): incarnation of God in creation. All other derivatives dogmas only led to religious wars. "
Question 2: About you accountable to said: "If you only help someone, you humiliate him." Related to this, "There must always be reciprocal and that applies to both doctor-patient-nurse relationship as in the example (with emphasis on understanding" relationship ") teacher-student.
A statement I am in Levinas never encountered. The reverse is made by him: the responsibility for the other is endless and the relationship is inherently asymmetrical. So instead of the something in the fair congruence of Martin Buber), stands at the reciprocal nature of the relationship. On what basis you choose this? Or have I misunderstood?
With interest I see your comment response.
Sincerely and thanking you in advance for the effort,
Leen van Duivenboden
@ Leen van Duivenboden: Thanks for your comment Leen. Levinaz writes about an ethics how God can meet. Martin Buber speaks of the love and that is reciprocal. Both I have studied and have influenced me.
Nice to wisdom to read and see, to experience, to match, join fit to enjoy, learn and especially to share with each other.
Thanks Paul for us at your beautiful and wise way of me recall the words of another wise man!
Portengen @ Petra: Petra thanks for your comment
Tell everyone who polarizeert:
"The World is One"
If everyone does that, he will soon learn
Kalff @ Hans: Hans you're right
Someone who is rigid and stiff, it is easy to unbalance. Someone who is flexible and supple, remains unaddressed.
From the 81 poems Tao Te Ching of Lao Tse.
QUOTE
Rigidity and power occupy the inferior position;
Smoothness, softness, weakness and tenderness
occupy the strongest position.
Unquote
@ Ronald Molendijk: Thanks for your quote from Lao Tse: it is very true