Weathering with you

John 11:45-56. “One man should die instead of the people so that the whole nation may not perish”

Why should a young lady be sacrificed to normalize the raging typhoon that may be caused by man’s collective disregard for nature? Why should a Man who does and preaches good be sacrificed for the sake of a sinful society?

We’ve been too accepting of consequentialism and ruthless cost-benefit analyses to justify systemic injustices. Do we even deserve to pin our hopes to innocent messiahs when we already have the agency to make our society better?

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 99: APRIL 9, 2022]

Words don’t die

John 8:51-59. Whoever keeps my word will never taste death

Words, stories, and insight – these accumulate into a culture and wisdom that do not die. In a sense, this could be how we could approximate an understanding of God’s immortality, omnipresence, and omnipotence.

The words, stories, insight of organizations shape their culture and collective wisdom. Employees and stakeholders can detect in the long run if businesses are just machines for greedy profit maximization rather than a sanctuary of human relationships.

Our physical bodies may pass away, but our friends, loved ones, and descendants can remember our stories and defining moments of our lives. We are flawed, but our struggle to be better despite our imperfections is what could inspire others to live a more virtuous life.

How do we want to be remembered? Maybe, at least, we can take comfort in trying to be a better or being the best version of ourselves, so that the next generation can imagine more possibilities towards authentic flourishing and integral human development.

In a sense, we are the authors of our lives. How should we punctuate it? Conforming to convenient societal expectations, or daring to harness our freedom to experiment until we live a life of love and vocation?

We may die but our words don’t. And hopefully, whoever listens may gain insight to who we are and how we became our best version.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 97: APRIL 7, 2022]

How do we know that we know someone?

John 8:21-30. I belong to what is above

In a sense, we can never fully know someone. Come to think of it, fully knowing one’s self is already a task of a lifetime, what more of others? We only have traces, impressions, and memories as means for us approximate who the other is. We can never have full access to another’s thoughts and feelings.

We can only know another through authentic shared moments, that is, events where no one is inauthentic or merely projecting an impression. There needs to be dialogue and exchange. In this sense, we better know another because we somewhat begin to contribute a bit of ourselves to the other’s identity. We can know a bit of each other through each other’s vulnerability.

In a sense, a rational way of knowing a person will always be incomplete. This is where faith and faithfulness come in. As we share a piece of ourselves with another, we try to be transparent and authentic to each other. We direct ourselves yet entangle ourselves with how others expect us to behave; and this dance is both reason and faith harmonizing with each other. We think that we know, we have faith that we know, and we iteratively correct what we know.

Thus, to have faith in God means to seek Him and trust that He will reveal Himself somehow in unexpected ways. The formulas and traditions provide some guide, but ultimately, a personal faith requires a personal encounter in a personal context.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 95: APRIL 5, 2022]

What should cancel culture cancel?

John 8:1-11. “Let the one among you without sin throw the first stone…”

Why did cancel culture come to be?

The sad reality is that no justice system is perfect. Perhaps the democratization of social media made it easier to be hyperaware of another’s wrongdoing, and there seems to be a kind of exhilaration or catharsis even to put justice into our hands by cancelling a wrongdoer.

In a sense, cancel culture or mobbing someone has been around since human society began, and this is perhaps what Jesus invites us to think about. When we “cancel” someone, what do we really mean?

In the gospel, the adulterous woman was caught red-handed, and she seemed to have accepted her fate already. She knew what she did was wrong. The mob also had clear guidance from the law: the punishment for an adulterous woman was stoning her to death.

What did the words of Jesus mean when He said that whoever has no sin be the first to throw a stone?

I look at this both from a pessimistic and optimistic perspective. The former highlights the fallibility of humans. In a sense, since we are flawed and our judgements are imperfect, do we really have the capacity and entitlement to judge another? Maybe the reason why no justice system is perfect is precisely because no human insight and judgement is perfect too! To put a life into the hands of a judging people is a grave responsibility, and our biases may directly lead to unnecessary and unnatural losses of lives.

On the other hand, a more optimistic view of His words may highlight humanity’s infinite potential to repent, do better, and ultimately flourish. Robbing another of one’s life strips away this potential.

It is important to make wrongdoers accountable. However, perhaps the message of the gospel for today’s context is similar to how Jesus views sin and sinners:

Condemn the sinful act but preserve the dignity of the sinner.

In this sense, maybe the invitation for us as a society is to direct cancel culture not to people, but actions.

In short, cancel the sin, not the sinner.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 93: APRIL 3, 2022]

Destiny vs. Willpower in Shounen Heroes

John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30. I know Him because I am from Him and He sent me

For those reading the One Piece manga (don’t worry, no spoilers!), it is evident that we are at the final stages where Luffy is taking huge steps towards his dream of being the Pirate King. The recent chapters have made fans reflect: is One Piece about a story of destiny, a “chosen one” saving the world; or is it about the story of personal agency and willpower, a commoner going against odds to realize his dream? (I recall watching a One Piece YouTuber Mr. Morj discussing this topic.)

I’m not necessarily saying that the shounen hero archetype should be applied to Jesus, but I’d like to reflect on how His being human allows us to make sense of destiny versus agency.

Manifesting a desired goal requires a total buy-in from the doer, as well as huge amounts of “luck” going one’s way. In this sense, this mysterious luck seems to parallel God’s will, because only He can influence what we could not.

Suffering and challenges are mainstay tensions in the story of life. They are not necessarily punishment; they are mere unfortunate elements of our journey.

Thus, to be whole and authentic and to flourish requires alignment with God’s will (destiny) and willpower (agency). It’s not an easy task; it’s a road filled with suffering and challenges. In a sense, one cannot blame another for seeking a more comfortable life.

But isn’t it more exciting and adventurous for us to choose to fulfill our destiny? Be it in the story of Luffy or the passion of Christ, my insight on destiny is that it is not a linear and comfortable journey. Fulfilling one’s destiny is not necessarily a given.

And maybe this is why it is about the journey, not the destination. The journey is what makes us human, and the destination is an inspiration of tasting a bit what it means to be divine.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 91: APRIL 1, 2022]