Religion Management
There are a lot of people in the world who are comfortable with rules. I include myself in this group. In the workplace, these folks are obsessed with knowing where they stand. They are competitive and want to do everything with excellence. You want these kinds of people on your team if you want to grow a great business. Consistency goes a long way in terms of building a strong brand and reputation. A confined path to success.
There have been times in my life when the rules have been my chosen destination.
The 10 commandments work well for folks like me—clear rules with obvious outcomes. It’s also hard to argue against their value in the world. I want to live in a world where you can count on these principles to be lived out. Breaking a rule invites judgment. Judgements have patterns and usually come equipped with a clear, easy-to-follow set of instructions. We know how to do it, and it's comfortable and yields consistent results. Less thinking required. Judgmentalism comes with a small set of emotions: fear, Anger, and a dash of Joy. The Joy part is short-lived, but it has enough excitement to make me want to do it again. It's addictive. Groups of people defined by that formula can proliferate and can introduce an invasive culture into society.
The word “Commandment” in the Bible was translated from the Hebrew word mitzvah. There are 613 mitzvot (plural) written in the Hebrew scriptures. An interesting insight is that the root of that word in Hebrew is derived from the Syriac word “stone heap” or the Arabic “guide-stone.” The implication here is that the God of the Bible is more interested in setting up a journey with markers on the path towards a good way of life, rather than a one-way conversation. The markers exist to guide you down the path; the path does not exist to point you to the markers. And no, that does not dilute the importance of the Ten Commandments. I see it as actually adding additional responsibility for us to think more critically about the choices we make, because a relationship adds responsibility. You need to figure out how you want to walk the path because the nature of the journey is different for everyone, depending on where they are from, when they live, and the community around them. We all need a path, but the journey is one that needs to defined out of relationship and not regulation.
Love is much more difficult because while it doesn't rely on the science of judgment, it follows the path of art. How do you know when you've achieved what you're intended to experience?
5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength…”- Deuteronomy 6:5
How do you know when you can declare mission accomplished on this directive?
What's the number?
Where is the boundary?
How do you quantify these results?
Love is an adventure that comes with a complete set of emotions. If we’re lucky, we have an entire lifetime to learn and discover.
Choose the adventure. Abandon the management religion that's defined so many of us for so long. The Bible is a compass, pointing us to peace, hope, love, health, and community. We can hold the compass and use it along with the stars and the mystery of the universe to guide us.
Friend, thank you for reading. Keep moving forward.
-Jordan
Notes:
The insights around ancient languages come from The Liberating Path of the Hebrew Prophets: Then and Now, by Rabbi Nahum Ward-Love. I read this a few years ago, and the lessons from this book continue to resonate with me.