Patch Aure

We critique the action but dignify the person

We critique the action but dignify the person

Many times I ask myself: do we have the right to grade and evaluate a person? Who are we really to judge?

But maybe the better framing is: we grade and evaluate the deed, not the doer. And what can enable a teacher or a judge to assess another’s work is one’s own body of work, painstakingly pursued; each golden nugget forged through fiery sacrifice.

The moment we conflate our body of work with a feeling of superiority complex may be the moment we are prone to be hypocrites. Because what allows the truly virtuous to remain virtuous is the constant and consistent pursuit of good works.

Matthew 7:1-5. Remove the wooden beam from your eye first

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 171: JUNE 20, 2022]

/0 Comments/by
Patch Aure

Leftovers and rethinking efficiency

Leftovers and rethinking efficiency

For Filipinos, the funny “phenomenon” in buffets is “takaw mata”. A hungry person sees all the yummy dishes, thinks he can finish a huge serving of each dish, then fills his plate as tall as a mountain!

The tragedy is when he realizes that he cannot finish everything, leading to leftovers.

In a sense, the way we eat and the leftovers we leave tell us how much we really know about ourselves – how much we are self-aware.

If we define efficiency as the ability of a person to reduce “waste” in terms of time and resources, then maybe the first step to being efficient is to be self-aware; to look at our behaviors and frankly identify how much we waste.

Luke 9:11b-17. Corpus Christi

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 170: JUNE 19, 2022]

/0 Comments/by
Patch Aure

A system or habit of virtue

A system or habit of virtue

I am a worrier and overthinker. I cannot help but overthink plans and potential outcomes. But what helps me focus on the present is putting faith in a routine, a habit, a system that can take of itself, akin to how an athlete practices and trusts his craft once its game time.

Maybe the invitation is to design systems or habits of virtue, not to overthink the destination too much.

Matthew 6:24-34. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 169: JUNE 18, 2022]

/0 Comments/by
Patch Aure

One Piece and generational wills

One Piece and generational wills

What makes One Piece such a compelling narrative for me is how the pirates begin to look for treasure (or achieve their ambitions), but they quickly realize the importance of relationships and the passing of wills between generations.

Maybe this is an example of a “treasure” that transcends time and life. How can our memories and wills be passed?

Maybe a well-lived life is about maximizing the meaning we create in this world in such a way that inspires generations to keep on passing a piece of ourselves.

Matthew 6:19-23. Treasures of heaven

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 168: JUNE 17, 2022]

/0 Comments/by
Patch Aure

Why do we pray?

Why do we pray?

“Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

With this premise, perhaps a prayer is more about expressing – articulating – our intentions. Prayers are means for us to predispose ourselves towards a greater good, and uttering words we mean have power. At the very least, they clarify our insights for us and for those who hear our words.

Maybe it is like teaching. A teacher somehow begins to know more about what he claims to teach when he articulate or rearticulates the lesson, the theory, the insight, the application.

At the risk of expressing my thoughts through an inappropriate superlative, I think that in a way, the teaching vocation can parallel Jesus as the Word Incarnate. As Jesus teaches us how to pray, He demonstrates that He is one with God through prayer; hence, the Word Incarnate.

On the other hand, a teacher who means what he teaches becomes one with the insight. And maybe, just maybe, at that moment, a teacher can personify being an Insight Incarnate.

—

Matthew 6:7-15. The Lord’s Prayer

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 167: JUNE 16, 2022]

/0 Comments/by
Patch Aure

Good deeds done without spectacle

Good deeds done without spectacle

It’s easy to understand why bad deeds are done in secret, but why should good deeds be done in secret or at least in silence, without spectacle?

Maybe it’s because the doing of good deeds is supposed to be natural and normal, not an extraordinary spectacle. If it’s normal, it doesn’t have to be recognized nor rewarded. In a way, good deeds done this way are most pure; through this, we can have a glimpse of what unconditional love or acts mean.

Perhaps the invitation is not necessarily to celebrate one’s self, because it could easily go to pride and hubris. The invitation is self-awareness and self-understanding; being peaceful about who we currently are and who our best version could be. Virtue is the accumulation of good deeds. If others and God would “repay” us or celebrate us, then so be it.

But purely good deeds don’t seek recognition nor validation, because the doer has gained insight that the deed is indeed good, and that in itself is the reward already.

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18. Your Father who sees in secret will repay you

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 166: JUNE 15, 2022]

/0 Comments/by
Patch Aure

To focus on hating enemies is to be defeated

To focus on hating enemies is to be defeated

Our differences can naturally lead to having enemies. But the greater question is: is defeating the enemy the goal, or is it just a side quest, or worse, a distraction?

The word “enemy” is laden with meaning; a dictionary affixes the feeling of hatred towards another in defining what “enemy” means. But if we let hatred and emotions occupy our attention, we deprive ourselves the bandwidth to generate insights that would allow us to flourish.

To focus on hating enemies is to invite defeat, because at that moment, we distract ourselves from growing. But maybe if we love our enemies, or at least find a way to love the challenge they provide, we ultimately become better – one step closer to being the best version of ourselves.

Matthew 5:43-48. Love your enemy

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 165: JUNE 14, 2022]

/0 Comments/by
Patch Aure

For now, choose where we can give infinitely

For now, choose where we can give infinitely

Turning the other cheek is such a difficult principle to practice. It could be impractical especially in contexts where the law of the jungle is upheld.

The way I am making sense of this is to manifest my agency and self-determination; that is, to choose for myself a space where I can keep on turning the other cheek and give infinitely without being devoured by predators.

And that space is in the academe. For us educators, when we feel we are being taken for granted by students, we turn the other cheek and teach them anyway. When peer reviewers reject our research, we turn the other cheek and resubmit anyway.

In a way, the ideal is to make a world such a place where we can easily forgive another. But if it’s hard to put into practice, then maybe the more feasible invitation is to choose and mold spaces where there would be an unrelenting ecosystem of support, where failure is forgiven and put into appropriate perspective.

For now, let’s choose where we can give infinitely.

Matthew 5:38-42. Turn the other cheek

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 164: JUNE 13, 2022]

/0 Comments/by
Patch Aure

Some reflections on action research for transformation (ART)

Some reflections on action research for transformation (ART)

We are fortunate to have Dr. Hilary Bradbury be our Distinguised Visiting Professor for the past weeks. She has advocated action research for transformation (ART), and I find that the ART metamodel, which I try to simply describe from learnings as a researcher managing the relational, conceptual, and experimental spaces to effect a desired improvement in socio-ecological well-being.

While listening to the homily today, what stood out to me was how the Catholic view of the Trinitarian God can be aligned with ART.

The Trinitarian relationship between the three persons but one God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) can serve as an anchor for how improving the quality of relationships (relational space) among the action researcher and other stakeholders is vital to attempt the pursuit of what is Truly Good.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit, particularly knowledge and wisdom helps inform the conceptual space and theorizing in ART.

Active works of faith and virtue is encouraged by the experimental space in ART. Furthermore, under the general empirical method, decision and action are the culmination of insight that is manifested in the real world.

The gospel for today speaks about the Spirit of Truth, and I find solace that there is a research orientation and methodology like ART that can help approximate what supporting the Spirit of Truth means. Thus, we embrace the challenge transcending our ego and adopt a mindset and “heartset” that is self-with-others.

John 16:12-15. The Spirit of Truth

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 163: JUNE 12, 2022]

/0 Comments/by
Patch Aure

Rethinking YOLO

Rethinking YOLO

The first thing we ever receive and that without cost to us is life. And maybe that’s why a life that is self-centered instead of self-with-others feels ironically empty, like overeating.

The stomach is beyond full and the palate is beyond tickled; yet at that moment, all we want is to vomit.

Thus, living a full life is more about finding someone or something to dedicate our lives to. That moment when we are most ready to give our lives for others is also the moment when we can say that our life is worth it.

Maybe YOLO should not be thought as a reckless and selfish embrace of pleasures. Rather, it is about an uncontainable excitement, borne out of discernment, that we have a life worthy of being given for another.

Matthew 10:7-13. Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 162: JUNE 11, 2022]

/0 Comments/by