Revamping our Work Ethics: Work is Worship !!!

Now thats a thought......how common is this in your work environment? Notice no woman is present? Speaks loudly on what difference it would make if a woman's skills were in play in this scene.... Anyhow on a more serious note how many ahve though of "Work as Worship".

" To participate effectively in the struggle to bring material well-being to humanity, the religious spirit must find - in the Source of inspiration from which it flows - new spiritual concepts and principles relevant to an age that seeks to establish unity and justice in human affairs. Unemployment raises similar issues. In most of contemporary thinking, the concept of work has been largely reduced to that of gainful employment aimed at acquiring the means for the consumption of available goods. The system is circular: acquisition and consumption resulting in the maintenance and expansion of the production of goods and, in consequence, in supporting paid employment.." The Prosperity of Humankind ( http://www.onecountry.org/oc72/Properity%20full%20text.htm)

Not surprisingly, therefore, there is increasing recognition that the world is in urgent need of a new "work ethic". Human beings are impelled to express the immense capacities latent within them through productive work designed to meet their own needs and those of others. In acting thus they become participants, at however modest a level, in the processes of the advancement of civilization. They fulfill purposes that unite them with others - as humankind. To the extent that work is consciously undertaken in a spirit of service to humanity, Bahá'u'lláh says, it is a form of prayer, a means of worshiping God. Hence 'work is worship'. Every individual has the capacity to see himself or herself in this light, and it is to this inalienable capacity of the self that development strategy must appeal, whatever the nature of the plans being pursued, whatever the rewards they promise. No narrower a perspective will ever call up from the people of the world the magnitude of effort and commitment that the economic tasks ahead will require.

Now with this refreshing perspective to the work we do, surely we are energised and canot allow the insert picture to be a reflection of our work ethics whether domestic, religious, for economic gain or simply to get 'something done'. We have Divine assurance that the work we engage in is beyond simply 'applying an act towards realising a material/physical means', but equates to the highest form of acts graced on humanity = WORSHIP. Enjoy your toils................. :)

Noble Status of Our Women.....

"The SADC (Southern Africa Development Community) Gender and Development conference (2005) was held in the backdrop of a region that is currently facing increasing poverty with over 70% of the region’s population living below US$2 per day and 40% below US $1 (SADC 2003), severe drought, extremely high HIV/AIDS prevalence (of the world population living with HIV, 60% come from the SADC region and of this number, 57% are women), serious food insecurity, high unemployment and cross border economic migrants." These, and other, limitations and challenges overbearing the world, not only SADC, precipitate as problems for women in their practical day-in day-out experiences. This is because of the gendered nature of allocation of roles and responsibilities in our societies both at primary level (in the family) and at secondary level (in the public space). When the state cannot provide for its citizens, women become the subsidizers of the state by providing for unrecognized and unrewarded skills and services. This has been witnessed through the increased burden of care and basic food provision being shifted from the state to women .
In a patriarchal world, where men breathe down women's progressive-seeking necks and trip their developmentally-directed steps, so many adverse consequences are hampering women's realisation of their full potential. The true reflection of a woman - as a partner towards an ever advancing civilisation - keeps being marred by gross male subordination.
Women continue facing increased challenges, marginalization and appalling gender crimes - despite vigorous gender awareness campaigns, women’s empowerment policies, legislation and programs adopted at national level since Beijing and other much earlier processes. In Africa, what is unique with regards to dissipating typical gender stereotypes is that women’s emancipatory efforts in this region were evidenced by their active participation together with the men in our liberation struggles. Note:
- Until January 2006, adult women of Swaziland were being denied the dignity of being legal entities.
- Up to today, adult women in Botswana who decide to marry cannot open a water utilities account without the substantiation of their husbands.
- Ordinary women’s everyday lives are rife with husbands and lovers who claim to love them yet beating, kicking and plundering their bodies, and while it is acknowledged as ‘domestic violence’ it remains difficult to ‘treat’ in our Justice Systems because of its ‘household’ nature.

Now of course this scenario is prevalent across the globe, not just in the SADC region, and depending on who raises their voice loudest and who can secure a hearing platform soonest, the trials and tribulations facing women and girls on the globe come to the fore. And once in a while are taken seriously. But not enough. In fact one - with sane and just faculties and the betterment of humanity at heart - would ponder: what more calamity does humanity need to accept the imperative need for promotion and sustenance of Equality Between Women and Men? Wars, macro -economic collapses, religious revolutions and now the ravaging HIV/AIDS pandemic...... what next to engage the world in a gender-transformed gear?

Bahá'ís appreciate that the values which women bring to human interaction are necessary to the proper functioning and advancement of modern society (http://www.bic-un.bahai.org/list.cfm) They further attest that qualities that have formerly been associated with the "feminine" elements of human nature - including compassion, nurturing, cooperation and empathy- will be increasingly important in creating a peaceful, just, and sustainable world civilization. Even science and philosophy is beginning to bear witness to this. The full and equal participation of women in all spheres of life is essential to social and economic development, the abolition of war, and the ultimate establishment of a united world. In the Bahá'í Scriptures the equality of the sexes is a cornerstone of God's plan for human development and prosperity:

The world of humanity is possessed of two wings: the male and the female. So long as these two wings are not equivalent in strength, the bird will not fly. Until womankind reaches the same degree as man, until she enjoys the same arena of activity, extraordinary attainment for humanity will not be realized; humanity cannot wing its way to heights of real attainment. When the two wings . . . become equivalent in strength, enjoying the same prerogatives, the flight of man will be exceedingly lofty and extraordinary. - 'Abdu'l-Bahá

Take your stand in promoting the noble status that women hold in this world, http://info.bahai.org/article-1-7-0-6.html

Craving a Snooze?..Connect your Soul to the Divine

We all do at some point in our lives.....some more, some less.... experience "insomnia" . Insomnia has a variety of causes, including physical illnesses, psychological illnesses, side-effect of medications, stress and anxiety, other sleeping disorders (sleep apnea, Restless Legs Syndrome, narcolepsy e.t.c) environmental and behavioral factors, and body rhythm inteferences such as jet lag or working different shifts e.g. the night shift. Women may actually suffer more from insomnia than their male counterparts......(gender inequalities even spill over into one's sleep!!!!). Hormonal influences, such as menstruation, pregnancy and menopause can disrupt a woman's sleep, and ofcourse women are prone to higher levels of anxiety due to often burdened livelihoods (especially in the developing world). Nothing is more frustrating than wanting to sleep and not being able to sleep, irrespective of how many sheep one counts, and of course the more one tries to sleep it further builds their frustration and heightens their insomniac mechanisms. A sad cycle if you ask me. But also a grand witness to the amazingly powerful minds human beings posses.

How many of us give ample attention to the preparatory process preceding our sleep ? I don't mean do we brush our teeth? shower? etc, I mean do we prepare our mind for sleep? The answer to this will vary from person to person, circumstance to circumstance and environment to environment. And whatever your answer, it is still possible to apply simple methods, immediately prior to sleep, enabling you to savour the array of benefits that sleep avails. Some include:

- If you are in physical pain, apply any pain-relief techniques, well before your sleep

- Do not have heavy meals before you sleep, an avoid diuretics caffeine/taurine intake.

- Do some light deep breathing exercises before you sleep, and sleep in well aerated space.

- If you're taking medication with side-effects that interfere with your sleep, discuss with your doctor

- "Unwind your Mind"

Now I would strongly suggest the last one "Unwind your Mind". It may sound tedious, challenging and just unnecessary trouble, or you think well 'my mind isnt wound up at all'...actually often we don't know when our minds are 'wound-up' [ please note that in this context 'wound-up' DOES NOT mean crazy, it means strained and embroiled with many issues at once] That's one of the abundant testimonies of the complexity and power of the human mind, it has windows -which we may choose to look into or not- that are filed in the conscious and the sub-concious. So much of our anxiety can be shifted into our sub-consious and this can influence our sleep patterns, dreams and general well-being post-sleep. Ok, so when 'unwinding' the mind, we are also relaxing the soul and spirit. Its probably the most effective and is the simplest to adopt as a habit before sleeping. It involves meditating, praying and connecting with God or superior being you believe in. For Bahá'ís this implies an understanding that humans have certain spiritual duties before God. Bahá'u'lláh urged His followers :

"Meditate profoundly, that the secret of things unseen may be revealed unto you, that you may inhale the sweetness of a spiritual and imperishable fragrance..."

Specifically, Baha'is are encouraged to reflect at the end of each day on our deeds and their worth. Other than this, Bahá'u'lláh did not specify a particular approach to meditation. Instead, each individual is free to choose his or her own meditational form. This I have found as an excellent and practical approach to countering any sleep disorders. The combination of prayer and meditation allows one to 'unpack' the complex/troubling/challenging issues of the day and lay them at the doorstep of Divine Threshold, separating the matters of the physical realm from one's self and detaching. This leaves the mind less weighty, and facilitates improved sleep patterns. Explore this page for more on how prayer brings into action higher forces, as yet comparatively little known; and how these forces are more arbitrary in their action than the physical forces: http://info.bahai.org/article-1-4-7-1.html ..... and enjoy endless nights of refreshingly peaceful sleep :)

For more on Sleeping Healthy you may wish to browse this: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/healthy_sleep.pdf or try out the brief sleep disorders quiz : http://quiz.ivillage.com/health/tests/whsleepdis.htm