Christopher Papadopoulos is a collaborator on The Awakened Company and is the author of PEACE and Where to Find It. Here are some of his comments, which reflect the truth of The Awakened Company. Enjoy!
Personal awakening involves a fearless search for the truth of who we are beyond the roles we play and the things we believe. It is the essential work that everyone is born to do. One of the most important realizations we have on the path to awakening is that there is no part of our lives that can remain hidden in the shadows and unevolved for too long. We may be quite composed and graceful in one part of our lives but lament that another part of our lives is a “train wreck”, suffocating us, and bringing out our worst behavior.
A business person who is growing in self-awareness knows that there is a point that a kind of spiritual stagnation can set in unless this fearless quest for authenticity and truth includes all aspects of their life including their business life.
A fundamental feature of awakening is the palpable sense that all of life is sacred and that we are all interconnected. It is from this felt realization that we begin to expand our definition of ‘self’ to include more people, more living things of every sort and even objects. Correspondingly, we begin to see the organizations we are involved with as living and sacred entities as well.
This is the natural progression from personal awakening to fostering an awakened company. Awakening executives know their personal evolution, their personal quest for peace and fulfillment, cannot advance unless they include their companies as a whole in the awakening journey. And just as the awakening executive relentlessly and honestly looks into every shadowy corner of their own life, the awakened company must be equally relentless and fearless in facing the truth about how humane and evolved it is.
The feeling of sacred connection that emerges with greater awareness contains some very familiar sentiments: gratitude, reverence, joy and love. Does your corporate culture and workspace reflect these sentiments? Do you revere, and yes, love your coworkers? Do you appreciate your employees and clients not just as “resources” or “assets” but as human beings? Is joy a priority?
Are you unabashedly honest about your marketing and advertising strategies? That is, do your campaigns showcase your products and services without deceiving and manipulating your target audience?
Can you say with confidence that your products and services are developed without exploiting vulnerable people or polluting the environment?
Is the company aware of its symbiotic relationship with the surrounding community and planet and does it resist using its power to lobby governments to neutralize the voice of citizens?
If you are earnest in your quest for organizational awareness answering “No” to any of the above is not a sign of failure but of success. To fearlessly question all of a company’s practices no matter what the truth is means the process of awakening has begun.