This virtue has shown itself three times in the past 3 weeks. With the frustrating undercurrent of conversation and feelings that have been aroused because of the health crisis, the actions of nations as they attempt to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus and its many iterations, the protests of people who do not wish to perform the activities that have been identified and recommended by health professionals to help us maintain healthy environments; keeping my community and people of the world in my thoughts and channeling my thoughts and behaviours toward a more outward looking orientation, embracing a wider view is where I feel the recurrence of this virtue is directing me. I have been reflecting on the work I am offering to those in my city. It is work that essentially has as its root, creating a bond with all people, valuing each person as an individual, refraining from generalising because of distinguishing characteristics, uprooting our tendency to fondle our prejudices to learn about and actively strengthen by practicing empathy for the suffering of others. Any factor analysis of this work that is undertaken the world over by determined and idealistic souls who are sharing a vision of what may be possible, has as its very foundation expanding our concern for the welfare of others. The questions that surface for me this morning are: how do I share, by the means of a business proposal ,the human elements of the work I do as a necessity to the very existence and future of an organisation?; how do I describe, in business parlance, the intangible outcomes of this work to those who have still to be awakened to the need for compassion for others in a corporate setting?; why should a city that is predominantly white, affluent and middle aged be concerned about the voices of underrepresented populations? I have no soundbite, no catchy tagline or hashtag to share only an honest and open need to hold up a mirror to show that the way that we are living limits what we have the potential to become. It is no immediate fix to which I may assign definite outcomes. It is work that requires us all to be truth tellers, to look at ourselves and identify capacities that the world needs, to recover from the effects of the pandemic, to surge forward with a broader awareness of how we can solve our own difficulties with means that are at our disposal. To set principles to which we may aspire to improve our processes that when systematically and purposefully applied will naturally diminish prejudice. This requires us to look at our moral behaviour to intentionally embrace principles that are spiritual, that must infuse our material action. This is the energy that drives my passion and the power that I know I can help others to tap.
The very fact that you have been asked to present the proposal can be seen as a sign that it is timely and they may be ready to hear. Hold on to that.