One thing is quite worrisome about us, humans: how we react to issues of spirituality. We are more often driven to the physical, especially the carnal, forgetting that everything that our eyes can see, and hands can touch came from the unseen. Man was first made a spirit before he was given flesh. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Perhaps you want to tinker with that thought a while?
Finding a balance between how you feel within you and how it is expressed and received outside is at the kernel of your delivery and productivity. This is the strength of true resonance. It goes from your acceptance to the external. To collaborate with others or get anything worthwhile done through cooperation, we must find a balance between our personal ideologies, beliefs, and the causes we pursue and theirs. Both must be married because two cannot walk together except they agree.
Humans are the most complex of all creatures and they will stay so for a very long time, yet, if not forever. How do you work with a skillful atheist or agnostic in your space? The only way you can get anyone who embraces a different belief from you to work with your idea to attain innovation is to find a balance.
You do need their skills and you must shut your eyes to other things. That's wisdom. It's the depth of collaboration. This wisdom is in humility and acceptance of the reality. Acceptance does not mean sharing their belief or being plunged into their practices. Acceptance means knowing that is who and what they are, and you may not be able to do anything to change that. This allows you to focus on what is important to the two of you: the purpose of engagement.
If you believe truly that your God is the God of all flesh, then you understand that He lets His rain fall on all and His sun to shine on everyone, whether they serve Him or not. They enjoy His goodness. If He who owns all things does, why not you? Discovering this is like discovering a huge treasure. It is uncommon wisdom.
The only reason you may not be able to collaborate with such persons is when or if you have an express instruction not to deal. Now, that is a question of revelation, and it is subjective. The truth is that the wheat and tares must grow together till a certain time of separation. You need the skill, virtue and fruit of humility to live together within defined limits and at the same time be separated from every other thing that offends.
This is a hard place for the carnally driven mind. It's where many of us are burdened and so confused that we don't know how to navigate through the complexities of life. That great apostle wrote: “I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then ye needs go out of the world.” Can you ponder that a minute?
Is the Uber or Taxify guy of your faith persuasion? What about the BRT driver and conductor or ticketing officer? Is the pilot of the plane you board and the cabin crew believe what you believe? What about the PHCN people? What of the bank cashier and even your accounting officer? How about your different customers at the market? Do you even imagine the security man in charge of your gate? Obviously you have not thought about it.
Two things that are primary to this is first the idea that you are dealing with humanity and creation, and the second is, to focus on the purpose of and rules of engagement. Focus on the why and you will not have an issue. If any other thing would develop from the primary purpose of engagement, it should be as a result of the fact that humility prevailed to elicit conversation; and you would need the skills of persuasion for that. Besides that, the fruit of your life is most essential. Is your life worthy of example?
The art of creating balance in every kind of relationship is humility. You live so humble as to be able to engage guided by specific principles of life. If the Creator can permit His everything to everyone, why not you? Someone said that he was raised to treat the janitor in the same way as the boss. You may want to try that for size and see if it fits.
Now, humility isn't stupidity. A humble person is a wise person. The humble know when to say no and when to say yes. They can navigate through tough scenarios patiently. Patience is wisdom. In a world where agility and adaptability are trending skills, the humble can apply self to align well.
The humble think like God thinks. They live on earth as it is in heaven. That is the man who has balance. That is the man who can endure other men and can accept them for who they are. That man is able to maintain equilibrium. That man is the humble man who can flow with others on the basis of humanity and purpose. That man is tolerant to take about anything.
