Schopenhauer (Early 1800’s) was known as the Philosopher of Pessimism with a famous quote:
“The point or purpose of life is to suffer”
– Schopenhauer
The idea around the time was formulated in the second law of Thermodynamics – essentially boiled down to
“Order gives way to Chaos”
Another of his quotes have been taken up in corporate wellness doctrine and converted to what Simon Sinek refers to the strategy of “Fire Fast” – Get rid of the bad elements. Get rid of your problem children in the team to keep the efficacy high and the profits rolling in.
It is based on this quote:
“If you put a spoonful of wine in a barrel full of sewage, you get sewage. If you put a spoonful of sewage in a barrel full of wine, you get… sewage.”
― Schopenhauer
Any negative person will poison the whole team. Any mistakes will slow down progress, and bad habits will destroy profits.
(A Network Technology group claims that in 2025, the US will lose approx $16,9 Billion in revenue due to workers watching porn in their place of employment.)
Can you imagine what is the figure for people just playing on their phones?
Anyhoo… Schopenhauser was of the opinion that the laws of entropy, the laws of Thermodynamics, prove that you can never get ahead. At best you can break even in life.
Now… there is some value in Shopenhauer’s wine and sewage example… for instance, set boundaries, do not let bad friends pull you into bad habbits, Watch out for sexual immorality
“Stay away from her!
Don’t go near the door of her house!
If you do, you will lose your honor
and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.
Strangers will consume your wealth,
and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.”
(Proverbs 5:9 NLT)
So there is even a bible verse that seemingly substantiates this way of thinking.
…but…
As Christians… should our goals in life not be more than trying to do less things wrong? Should we aim and actively pursue doing the right things?
Paul faced a similar scenario, and wrote to the church in Colossae to specifically point out the wrong teachings that was being promoted in the church in favour of the virtues and Fruits of the Spirit.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
(Colossians 3:12-14 NIV)
I think that God cares about people, more than profit margins, So this makes me wonder what the virtuous Christian looks like in the workplace? Being above average, but still balanced?
Compassion:
Should we as Christians perhaps step into anger and annoyances? If we have true compassion, our intentions will be with the wellbeing of the persons involved, and our sincerity and non-judgemental care could actually difuse and correct situations…
Personally I want to avoid conflict. But “blessed are the peacemakers”, said Jesus…
Kindness:
I imagine a granny with a sweetie as “kind”, but that’s not really it, is it? We can be kind in the workplace by, for instance, not pointing out mistakes publically, but guiding a co-worker to a better solution without them losing face. Being considerate and caring builds up another person. (well, it will probably have a better chance than simply pulling the rug from under them!)
Humility:
This one tricked me!
Being humble is not to make yourself less, or even to act incapable.
Being humble is serving your team with exceeding excellence and competence and profesionalism without drawing attention to your work, while allowing others to shine in their contributions.
I think being humble is also trying to continuously improve youself constantly for the purpose of serving better, (As opposed to a worldly, getting more)
Gentleness:
Have you ever seen an animal rescue?
It takes a considerable amount of determination and strength to be gentle with a co-worker.
Being Gentle is an active and strong response… It’s not a matter of saying “It’s ok, here, here… have a cookie” or worse, being negative. Being Gentle means you are actively guiding a problem solving solution and allowing for growth to take place. In control, creating a safe space.
Patience:
Patience is NOT a “Free Pass”
Patience simply means you allow time for corrective measure to be put in place by your team mate or co-worker. We respond in patience. It’s an active action, not passive ignorance.
Forgiveness:
How many times did God forgive me? How many Chances did He give me before giving up?
I don’t know… I DO know, that He NEVER GAVE UP!
The only way I could get past myself and into forgiveness was to do like Paul suggested, and wrap all the virtues in LOVE.
If your actions are driven by the love God feels for the people in your team, your attitude will automagically also shift.
Can you look God in the eye and say “That one is not worth saving” after God saved you with all of your …erm… sewage?
Looking at this verse in a work context, make sme think that our life in a workplace cannot simply be a 9-to-5 survive to the end of the week, but an active involvement with the people God has entrusted into your Spiritual Authority.
