The purity of unconditional actions

It is in the purest of actions that we can get a glimpse of God as Pure Good or Pure Insight. This is because when we do things with expectations of what we would get back, we draw our attention to the reward, not towards the supposed purity of our good works.

But when we do something for its own sake – like loving a child before the child is even conceived or born, or an artist expressing the purest forms of art – we emulate what it means to create and love like how God did for and to us.

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Luke 14:12-14. “Do not invite (those) who may invite you back and you may have repayment.”

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 304: OCTOBER 31, 2022]

Being comfortable with paradoxes

It is fascinating that profound life lessons of parables are presented in terms of paradoxes. Why can’t lessons of parables be as simple and straightforward as possible?

Maybe it is a reminder that life is not a linear journey. It is messy and iterative and full of frustrations. But the more at peace we could be amidst the ambiguity of our context and the paradoxes of our life, the more we are prepared to welcome insight to our lives.

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Luke 14:1, 7-11. He who humbles himself will be exalted

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 302: OCTOBER 29, 2022]

Where does our will come from?

Yet again, my reflection revolves around the importance of insight. The strength of our will or our resolve emanates from our ability to gain insight or create meaning even if we feel stuck like Sisyphus.

What’s fascinating is that gaining insight or meaning-making cannot be forced; nor is it as easy as snapping one’s fingers and letting insight or meaning appear like magic.

A person has to wrestle with their context and make peace with the constraints seemingly imposed by macro-structures and cultures. At the same time, a person must ask questions and seek answers. These iterative processes is the very journey of virtue and flourishing. Multiple cycles of iteration serve as opportunities to fortify our will.

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Luke 13:31-35. I yearned to gather you… But you are unwilling

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 300: OCTOBER 27, 2022]

Heaven is about becoming

What is a “winner”? Is being a winner the destination?

It is NBA season once again, and it is always a pleasure for basketball fans to discuss and pick which team will win the championship. The Golden State Warriors look to defend their championship.

And “defending the championship” is an apt phrase; winning or being a winner is a constant process of playing as best as possible. Being crowned a champion is such a fleeting moment in the greater scheme of things; what matters more is the consistency and track record.

In that sense, maybe heaven or perfection is less of a destination but more of a process. Since perfection is impossible, perfectionism is a futile and unnecessarily stressful activity with insurmountable standards. What is more reasonable is excellencism – a disciplined pursuit of better, whether incremental or innovative, built on good habits (virtues) reflected upon and acted on, with the humble acknowledgement that we are limited but we can always strive to be better.

If heaven is like the mustard seed, the inspiration is not that heaven is a big tree; the insight is that we humble mustard seeds can choose a virtuous (but difficult) process towards our thriving. That challenging (but engaging) process is what heaven is about.

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Luke 13:18-21. The parable of the mustard seed

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 298: OCTOBER 25, 2022]

The antecedent and outcome of insight is humility

The tragedy of Solomon is that he let his gift of wisdom and insight take a backseat to his urges and emotions. Did he let his successes get to his head and heart? Did he develop a kind of hubris due to being heralded as a great king for a long time?

The fascinating condition of the insight experience is that it can only arise from a person’s acknowledgement of the gaps in his abilities and understanding. Furthermore, the acquisition of insight allows the person to know how little he knows.

Maybe, the true hallmark of humility is not when the person claims that they are humble; it is when the person soberly and reasonably understands how little they know and how powerless they really are given certain conditions…

… But still keeping faith that they have the agency and the opportunity to thrive and flourish.

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Luke 18:9-14. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 296: OCTOBER 23, 2022]