The insight experience depends on our inside conditions

There are times when the hint or the answer may be in front of our eyes but we do not realize it. And maybe that’s the irony of the information age – terabytes of data right before our eyes, but are we ready to make sense of them?

Or the more appropriate question, can we even pay attention in the first place?

What if God appeared before us? Are our inside conditions ready to gain the Primary Insight? Or would we be distracted and unprepared, for we direct our attention to something else?

Luke 10:13-16. Woe to you; whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 273: SEPTEMBER 30, 2022]

Suikoden and recruiting the stars of destiny

The allure of the Suikoden game is how the best ending requires recruiting 108 stars of destiny or companions. If the hero completes the recruitment of the 108 stars before a crucial part of the story, the collective powers of the stars can prevent death or mend relationships that were otherwise destined to break. I’m especially fond of Suikoden II.

Each star of destiny would have their own dreams that they would either abandon for the sake of the hero or align with the grand vision of the hero. Some allies would abandon their lucrative careers (like Shu giving up being a businessman to be the strategist of the army), give up dreams of a peaceful life (like Nanami being tempted to convince the hero to run away and live a normal life), or bury their grudges (like Jess acknowledging that it is not the hero’s fault that the mayor of Muse City died).

In a way, the game allowed me to appreciate that there is indeed cost to discipleship, a certain sacrifice needed for the pursuit of the grander goal – a peaceful and unified nation. Even the hero had to lose friendships (due to differing ideologies) in pursuit of peace.

From a meta perspective, even the player has to sacrifice time and repetition to replay events or even replay the entire game just to recruit all 108 stars of destiny (I easily ran through Suikoden II at least 10 times!).

Indeed, there are costs to getting things right. It is through faith that we believe everything would be worth it.

Luke 9:57-62. The cost of discipleship

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 271: SEPTEMBER 28, 2022]

Goodness is not an exclusive club

Sometimes, in an effort to differentiate ourselves and our groups or to make ourselves stand out, we tend to accentuate what makes us unique. Marketing and strategy refer to this as differentiation and positioning.

The tragedy is when we embrace an “us vs them” perspective, drawing lines, and adopting a mindset of exclusivity.

Wouldn’t it be more worthwhile if instead of focusing on competing for a piece of the market share pie, we grow the market, the category, the industry?

Wouldn’t it be more worthwhile if we differentiate ourselves not merely for competition or exclusivity, but to find our niche and improve how we can complement and harmonize?

Luke 9:46-50. Whoever is not against you is for you.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 269: SEPTEMBER 26, 2022]

To freely flourish is to not be afraid of inquiring

What is a dumb question? Oftentimes, students or people in general are afraid to ask questions because we might ask “dumb questions” – questions that reveal our lack of knowledge and understanding of a subject matter.

Now that I’m on the other side of the classroom as a teacher, I realize that dumb questions are perfectly fine especially at the introductory phases of a module. What is frustrating is what I would call “ignorant questions” – questions that reveal a person’s deliberate ignorance over the topic. Maybe the student did not read or watch a pre-assigned material. Maybe the student did not actually try to understand a subject matter; they merely wanted to rely on being spoonfed what and how to think.

A fulfilling dialogue in a classroom, whether physical or digital, is when we clarify our (mis)understanding. In good faith, there are attempts from all parties to understand a subject or a phenomenon. And the invitation is for teachers to cultivate a psychologically safe space and for students to have the courage to understand and to inquire.

Luke 9:43b-45. Its meaning was hidden… And they were afraid to ask

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 267: SEPTEMBER 24, 2022]

Taking a stand breeds natural opponents

I recall someone expressing that if a person has never encountered an opponent, then that person likely never took a stand in any contentious issue.

Maybe this is why suffering is not necessarily punishment; it is a natural by-product of pursuing change for the good.

Luke 9:7-9. Herod the tetrarch

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 265: SEPTEMBER 22, 2022]