Thoughts on Conscious Leadership
/If you choose to live consciously and possibly become a conscious leader, these words of the great mythologist and philosopher, Joseph Campbell, ring especially true:
“This, I believe, is the great Western truth: that each of us is a completely unique creature and that, if we are ever to give any gift to the world, it will have to come out of our own experience and fulfilment of our own potentialities, not someone else’s.”
These days, the world seems to be stuck in a dilemma and a question: Faced with violent actions by irresponsible people, how should we respond? The wisest people and teachings that I have come across always emphasize, in different ways, the wholeness of the human experience and human race. Sharon Salzberg, in her book, 'Lovingkindness', says this:
“Completeness and unity constitute our most fundament nature as living beings. That is true for all of us, no matter how wonderful or terrible our lives have been, no matter how many traumas and scars we may carry from the past, no matter what we have gone through or what we suffering now. Our intrinsic wholeness is always present, and we can recognize it.”
I would add to that, the need for each of us to consciously choose to be a whole human being.
One question that sits with me is, as we look out at today's world, what can we, each of us, do to have some positive impact? Each of us has to make that conscious decision, coming from the best of who we are. But we have must avoid this tendency:
“The real enemy is fuzzy thinking on the part of good, intelligent, vital people, and their failure to lead. Too many settle for being critics and experts.”
Whatever our experience, background, or skill set, let's put them to the task of building a family, team, community, country, and a world that serves us all. Remember:
“Within each of us, there is a silence as vast as the universe. And when we experience that silence we remember who we are.”
“Your beliefs become your thoughts; your thoughts become your words; your words become your actions; your actions become your habits; your habits become your values; values become your destiny.”