Spirituality in Education and Management

Picture courtesy: Life Positive

Most of the issues we observe at workplace and in general life ultimately translates to the lack of spirituality in our day to day life. (More about spirit and spirituality at Wikipedia.)

Did you ask these questions to yourself? – a) What is the meaning of your life? b) What do you want to do with your life? c) What motivates you to work? d) Are you able to differentiate personal life from work life? Our current system of education does not help us find the right answer to these questions.

Today materialism is a great influence in our lives. Wealthy people are getting obsessed with accumulating more wealth in spite of knowing deep in their hearts that the wealth does not create happiness. The poor, are trying hard to become wealthy in spite of knowing that the wealth alone cannot create happiness. The race for materialism is depressing. Human consciousness and values has taken a back seat in this race. Our basic needs have expanded to owning posh villas, enjoying foreign food, costly designer clothing, hi-tech entertainment, pubs, clubs, etc.. Personal ambitions are around individual achievements, power and position. Social consciousness and values does not get into the list of personal ambitions.

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With our current system of education, the possibilities of self discovery or self realization get severely limited. In our commercial world today, these qualities do not have any market value. You cannot make a living by being self-realized. Our education system does not give an insight into the nature and other worldly knowledge.

It is said that people who are more spiritually involved achieve better results in organizational performance. They are innovative and motivated. The time has come to encourage spirituality in workplace. It is time to reclaim India’s own spiritual heritage by returning to our arsha bharatha spiritual ancestry after reshaping it to suit the present situation.

In modern management professional and personal lives are considered two separate entities. Nowadays the “tough” and “aggressive” managers who order things to get done are looked upon as “good” managers! The competition and aspiration for a higher lifestyle eliminates any possibility of genuine compassion, ethics, social welfare and integrity in management.

During the period of Gurukulams, the gurus at schools were also spiritual teachers, taking responsibility for an overall development of a pupil. It was the guru-shishya relationship which moulds the pupil. The gurus were capable of guiding the pupil. Today management students go abroad and earn their MBA degree to manage basic human problems in India, without having any exposure to real life problems. The meaning of education has become to get a job and earn money. And if there are any serious students they get caught in the system that is not designed for them.