· Reflect (do not post) on Freud's view of happiness and why he thought it was/is illusive. Reflect (do not post) on how Freud and Lewis's views of love differ? Write/post about how your worldview affects your ability to experience happiness, satisfaction or fulfillment on the job.
A. "What is more natural than that we should persist in looking for happiness along the path in which we first encountered it?" -Freud
My philosophy of life is to live every day to its fullest. You never know when it will be your last day, when it will be the last day for a person with whom you associate with, or if you could have made a difference in someone's life had you been more kind and less selfish.
I live every day to make a difference, to help create light where there was none. I live every day because that is what my Savior would have me do. He never once shrunk from a challenge, He loved every one, and He did good continually. I live every day to one day become and emulate the perfect example He set forth for me.
Because of God I have what I have in my life. He is the center, my life, and my Light. And because of these things it is easy for me to be optimistic. My happiness comes from a source that is "the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow." In the end, it is my choice to accept what God has given me and to be happy or not. I cannot blame anyone but myself if I am not happy.
My ability to experience satisfaction comes in sharing. I am not a perfect human being when it comes to being selfless (unfortunately). But I feel my best when I am lifting others. I identify with Lewis who said that when he was converted, he lost himself. It parallels with the scripture, "when ye are in the b service of your c fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17).
Fulfillment in my job is attached to both of the previously mentioned experiences. I mentioned in my first post about what my worldview is that I have been praying to see people how God sees them. When I include God in my commitment, my days go better than when I don't. It has helped me to be more kind and less short tempered when things don't turn out how I want them to. We are all children of God and we need to feel that; and sometimes, we feel that through other people.
There are so many things we can be negative about in life. That is easy. The difficult step is to not only look for the good, but to make it a consistent habit in our everyday lives. I know that some day I will have to answer for some of my decisions, but I would rather be living a life where the good ones will outweigh the not-so-good ones. When I am living in accordance with those things I know to be true and right, I have no reason to be unhappy.
· Do you agree with Freud that the precept of "love your neighbor as yourself" is impossible to fulfill? Please explain. Do you agree with Lewis's assertion that the key to understanding the precept "to love your neighbor as yourself" lies in the understanding of the phrase "as yourself." How would this apply to the organizational setting, servant leadership and your role in the organizational setting.
A. Playing devil's advocate, the statement " love your neighbor as yourself" all depends on how much you "love" yourself. I do not believe it is an untrue / impossible statement. We have a tendency to treat others within the same realm with which we treat ourselves.
It is easier to love others when we first love ourselves. I love the analogy about the condition of our hearts. In life there are people you can approach and around their heart is a nice, white picket fence. You can walk up to it, open it and walk right in. The person is that accessible. On the other hand, there are people who have 10-foot razor-wire fences, gun towers, block walls, and it's pretty uninviting.
When we "feel" love and understand how it affects our lives, it is easier to share it with others. In large measure, I believe it depends on the condition of our hearts. The parable of the rich young man teaches us a lot about this. In Matthew 19 we are taught:
16 ¶ And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have a eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none a good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into b life, keep the c commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no a murder, Thou shalt not commit b adultery, Thou shalt not c steal, Thou shalt not bear d false witness,
19 a Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt b love thy c neighbour as thyself.
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be a perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and b give to the c poor, and thou shalt have d treasure in heaven: and come and e follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had a great possessions.
His love for his possessions was greater than his desire for eternal life. It may not be our riches, but there are "possessions" we have in life we aren't willing to give up in order to have the blessings we want. That being said, I believe Lewis was correct in saying that the key to understanding the precept "to love your neighbor as yourself" lies in the understanding of the phrase "as yourself." What is it that holds our desires hostage? Do we really love ourselves? Do we really believe the positive things people say about us? Or do we say a polite 'thank you' and run the comment over in our mind?
My personal belief is that the best leaders know who they really are, love themselves, love the people around them, and desire success for the whole. In all of my studies about leadership, those who are most effective have experienced formative moments where they have had to learn to love themselves for who they are, weaknesses and all.
One of the best experiences I have had is talking to others about how they see me as a leader and person. It is not that I want to hear the "good" comments, but I talk to people who will be honest with me. I ask them what I can to do improve; and I ask them what they see my faults to be. Whether I agree with it or not, I believe it is an opportunity for me to learn and grow.
There is a new show about CEOs going undercover to learn more about the inner workings of their company. Many have had eye-opening moments that have helped them to improve their company. It is unfortunate that CEOs should have to go undercover, but I think we all need to come down sometimes and learn if we are "loving" others as much as we think we are.
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