Abbey-Roads2

Taking his Precautions to the office.

St. John’s precautions and maxims are little jewels of instruction on the spiritual life which can be adapted for lay people in secular life. Many people try to lead prayerful and spiritual lives and yet work at secular jobs. Offices in particular may have many parallels with monastic life; after all, each workplace is a small community of people, who spend a big chunk of their lives together. (I’ll attempt  to paraphrase here St. John’s instructions as if he were writing for lay people in the workplace - I know, it’s pretty presumptuous of me.)

Against the World (the environment we live and work in.)

1) The first is that you have an equal respect and an equal detachment from all persons you work with. Friendship is fine, yet it should never degenerate into factions or cliques, excluding others uncharitably. (One might also be aware that most workplace friendships normally are just that - they exist primarily in the workplace. Generally, people regularly socialize with other friends outside the work environment. It seems to be healthier.)

2) St. John says to “regard all as strangers” - that would be pretty cold in the workplace. Its application in community, as well as in an office, is not what one may imagine. There are workplace friendships and then there are friendships that are more personal to us - long time friends, family, etc. Placing workplace friendships in perspective, as well as practicing discretion and restraint, while observing a certain detachment, keeps our relationships on a more professional level. St. John says, “Do not love one person more than another, for you will err.”

What he means by this is that we ought not to base our esteem and preference upon temporal goods, such as position, status, or authority; nor on natural goods, beauty, intelligence, etc. His precaution stems from the consideration that we cannot judge another because only God sees the soul and knows who is truly worthy of esteem. (Although we may certainly be attracted toward what is good in a person, and love the virtue we see in them. The sense I’m referring to here is the tendency one may have of playing favorites, or paying special attention to someone because of their influence, postion, etc.) It is also written in the letter of St. James not to show preference to the rich or well dressed person while we discriminate against the poor or less attractive. It takes a generous spirit sometimes, along with patience and charity, to acknowledge everyone with respect and consideration.

3) The following recomendation seems to me to be the best and most applicable to the office: “Do not think about others, neither good things nor bad.” This is so important in the workplace where people often watch others and what they do or don’t do. It becomes the source of much dissension and backbiting and disrupts the entire workplace. If one sees someone not working up to his/her capacity and expectations, first, speak of it kindly to the individual, or report it to their supervisor, then forget about it - don’t spread it abroad by detraction and gossip.

Relative to monastic life, St. John writes; “If you should wish to allow yourself some freedom in this matter, the devil will deceive you in one way or another, you will deceive yourself under some quise of good or evil.” This frequently happens in the workplace. I’ve encountered people who appoint themselves as sort of “work police” who report everything they see; for instance, often misinterpreting what appears to be idleness, when it is but a pause in one’s work to go onto another task. I have also witnessed other persons praised for someone else’s accomplishments. The upshot of this precaution might be stated succinctly, “Mind your own business.”

St. John of the Cross isn’t so tough - his writings are easily adaptable for anyone desiring to lead a holy life no matter what their station in life. Read his works in a literal sense, yet try to accommodate them to your real life situation - don’t be too strict however. Please remember these are ideals and subject to interpretation. These precautions, in the original, are written for souls striving for perfection. I simply believe if one keeps such suggestions in mind while attempting to practice them, with common sense, the workplace environment can be a happier place in which to work.

(If you are a manager or supervisor, or even the owner of the company - then you have to pay attention to others, their behavior and work habits, because you are responsible for these people. It’s your job to think about them.)

Today is the feast of St. John of the Cross.