In Search of Living – An Evoked Essence

Part 1: 

Whenever norms, beliefs and faith encounter unexpected upheavals at an individual, organizational or community level, humans have been forced time and again to think and find the purpose of life. The compelling survival needs of the VUCA world leave us gasping for essence. Threat perception has always propelled the survival need that is invariably future focussed. Essence is found in is-ness. The is-ness is easily lost for the worries of unknown tomorrow.

Over the centuries, humans in the form of societies, organizations and individuals have felt the need of faith, belief, purpose, law and order, family, belonging, appreciation, courage, conformity, space, harmony, relationships and eternal living.

The Defining moments of our life are those that seem to threaten our survival.

World wars and the interwar period were marked by political, economic turmoil, physical destruction, environmental degradation, human misery, depression and chaos in the world that led to the following inquiries:   

Why does human existence appear small and insignificant? Why do bad things happen to good people? Is there God? If yes, Why God is indifferent to human misery? What is the meaning and purpose of life? Who am I? What is my real nature and identity? What is my higher purpose? Why was I born? What happens to us when we die?

Similar questions crop up in an organisational context, although these sometimes can be experienced in the forms of exasperations and noises. What do we stand for? Who are we? What values do we sup? Where are we heading?

Existentialism is humanism, arising out of philosophical and literary perspective that focuses on the experiences of an individual person and the way that he or she understands the world.

Thinking minds have inquired, reflected and researched on fundamental questions in order to give a meaning to their existence– in other words to define the  purpose of life.

From Utopian thinking to Individualistic lifestyle, and Faustus’ choice (individualistic) to collective welfare (utopia) – this indicates a dilemma between the choices of individual gain vs collective gain.

Existentialism deals with survival needs that oscillate from fatalistic views to fanaticism, from hope to despair, from blind faith to egoistic doer ship, dilemmas, and paradoxes while managing our experiences, while dealing with the inside and outside.

Earlier on, Thinking minds such as; Kierkegaard, Nietzsche Dostoyevsky, Franz Kafka, Leo Tolstoy, Jung, Freud, Viktor Frankel, Rollo May also have voiced similar transitions and awakening through thought maturity. All these thinkers drove our thoughts towards a society of responsible humans.

“God is dead” – Nietzsche. This was perceived as a denial to any hope during his times was actually an appeal to humans, for being a more responsible human being to make your choices carefully and take responsibility of your actions.   

Aren’t these true in all contexts of social, political, governance, organizations, families, relationships, and business, and as a sane advice to our next generations as well? 

The modern ecosystem of society is replete with complexities, ambiguous and conflicting interconnectedness, and huge interdependencies. The touch points of the current scenarios are; geopolitical shift, technological advances, robotics, depleting natural resources, accumulation of weapons of mass destruction - food and water shortages - and watch out - climatic changes and that is beyond human control.

If not the manmade disasters, then the shift in climatic and seismic conditions can pose a threat to living beings. 

A baptized Faustus in us will have to awaken – and decide what is good for him, rather than what’s in it for me?

Faustian bargain is a metaphor, to depict a trade-off between ‘human values’ and ‘power’.  Faustus is a character in Greek mythology, wanted power and supreme knowledge. In response to his request, Satan offered him a deal. Faustus could have supreme knowledge and power for several years, but in exchange, the devil wanted his soul. Faustus accepted the bargain. Similar is the story of his predecessor Saint Theophilus in 13th century, from Christian mythology.

The complacent Faustus never gives up and this brings me to a narrative from The Mahābhārata, a spiritual dialogue between Yaksha and Yudhishthira deciphered dilemmas associated with existence and essence.  

Yaksha: What is the greatest wonder?

Yudhishthira: Every day men see men called to death, yet those who survive that day live as if they were immortal. What can be a greater wonder?

Some of our living realities of the modern world are ISIS, and Syria with the highly circulated images of children weakened by chronic hunger, brutal deaths and celebrated as well – speak a lot about human tolerance and acceptance to barbarianism, with a net feeling of me being safe. Are you?

“Sartre’s famous declaration that existence precedes essence” - We stand a trigger away from destruction by humans. How far have we travelled? The need is to protect the greatest wonder of this planet – The Life.

The existentialism is back with the same fundamental principle of taking responsibility for our own action, making wise choices with high degree of self-awareness.

The dilemma of ‘to be or not to be’ is not restricted to Hamlet in the Shakespearian play alone but it is decision making process that runs in us with an inbuilt trade-off of a Faustus.

Examples of dilemmas can be experienced in our routine life as: to speak or not to speak, to speak truth or to speak what the other person wants to hear, to have a boyfriend or not to have a boyfriend, disclose a bad news or not to disclose a bad news, to be good son or to be a good husband, to live single or to have a family.

In organizational and business context, the examples can be: to reduce cost or to improve quality, to go for readiness or to go for opportunity, to compete or to cooperate, to go for the market share or go for the safe portfolio, to buy competencies or to develop competencies.   

In The Mahābhārata, Arjuna had a dilemma, to fight or not to fight (value dilemma).The dilemmas are of a variety of natures and invariably have a price tag attached to those decisions.

The trinity of art, science and spirituality have shaped new horizons of opportunities and hence the need for ‘collaborative mind set’ has shaped up an absolute requirement for leaders.

The question that is still being asked – is there God? Or, do we really need a human to solve our problems? The decision making of the Faustian man is at stake while dealing with the dilemmas and paradoxes of the life within and the world outside. .   

The two words that find a specific place in existentialism are authenticity and freedom. Authenticity refers to taking responsibility of our own experiences, and freedom of action. It is all about making choices – a decision point.  And, authenticity and freedom may lead to clearer choices.

The world at large is going to witness more intense survival needs and high pressure bloodshed, betrayals, defects, economic warfare and intricacies of interdependencies will become more complex.  We are all set to see human destruction by humans unless there is a thoughtful response to variegated needs of the consumption wrapped mind of a Faustian man that never ceases to ask for more.

The question is not whether we will grow or not or whether we would survive or not, the question is whether this divided man will stand for a common purpose for the human in us.  Or is it going to be “You too, Brutus” (Shakespeare)? It is difficult to say whether this lies in the past or the future or conspires within us or outside us.

And with this begins the search for the forgotten essence, especially where the needs of collaboration, innovation, interconnectedness, efficiency, productivity, trust, values, celebrating differences, conflict resolution and optimization are high.

It is all about watching out omissions and commissions of our decisions, and mixing the essence needs in equal measure – if not more.  

We don’t fear lack; we fear abundance in us. 

The thinking man – the man of essentials is required to respond to the VUCA world with conviction, authenticity and thoughtful action taking.

The primitive proverb, ‘the survival of the fittest’- The usage of this should be entertained with full awareness that this time we will survive or perish together. So why not survive and live to reach the threshold of essence.  

The nature of leadership insights and practices in a VUCA world mean a thought over approach through systematic content shift in life, and managing those shifts while guiding our way to essence.  This will enable us to develop truly global organizations with defined values and ethics. The thought is to develop as a mature adult while working towards this process of disruptive change that, if managed well, can lead to lasting transformations.   

The perspective that shapes out of this will be - essence- as catalyst for joint gains, understanding, collaboration, new breakthrough while we are sensing the essence. Making choices is to sublime ourselves to a more meaningful life that guides us to living.

"We love life, not because we are used to living but because we are used to loving - “Friedrich Nietzsche”.

Part 2:   In Search of a Living – Sensing the Essence

Earlier published at Institute of Organization Development