> > In my opinion, we should study the creation of new
corporations
> > that would allow us to integrate work and the zen teachings into
our
> > daily life.
>
> What a wonderful idea!
Thank you :)
>
> I was thinking in terms of integrating these teachings into our
> schools, & making them a part of the experience children have while
> growing up. While I'm not sure that having meditation practice in
> school would fly in our current society; I do see a value in
> certain
> classes giving children a chance to experience the human
> concerns/possibilities in a directly integrative way.
I really dont think that meditation practice would be well
accepted by more tradional/conventional teachers and families. And I
dont think that most youngsters would understand it, either. However,
I believe you could teach "meditation" through professional education
and vocational training. So, instead of spending 10 to 20 minutes in
zazen, a 12-year-old boy could learn how use tools and perform tasks
with full attention.
Moreover, in my opinion, youngster nowadays, at least in Brazil,
spend too much time in conventional classrooms, and they devote too
much time to the study of conventional subjects like mathematics,
physics, history, and so forth. It is a very individual model of
intellectual development, in the sense that you dont learn how to
work and interact with other people in productive manner, you only
learn how to analyze information and solve logical problems. Perhaps
a more practical, vocational-oriented system of education should also
focus on the development of interpersonal skills, conflict resolution
and team management. In other words, this new system should also
focus on the concept of interdependence, not as something abstract,
but as a day-to-day practice.
> How to we 'sell' the community on the value of adding these type of
> teachings into our curriculum?
This is a good question. Maybe it will be necessary to create
new schools, with a new curricullum and a new generation of teachers.
>
> > Right now, the main goal of private enterprises is to
generate a
> > profit for its shareholders. I think it is a legitimate goal, but
I
> > also believe that corporations could become very active agents of
> > change (in a positive way) in our society.
>
> How do we present this to a corporation as being of benefit to them?
I dont think that conventional corporations will ever accept
this new approach. As a matter of fact, I believe that it will be
necessary to create new corporations, with a new leadership. Perhaps,
the right question is: Can these new corporations be competitive and
survive in the contemporary market?
> I don't want to knock free-enterprise (quick to say this least i be
> branded some sort of demon) - but, it is clear that profit motive
> alone will not make the best determination for the needs of a
> society (taking environmental disasters as just one example).
I agree with you. Traditional socialists used to think that, in
order to create a better society, it would be necessary to, first,
cease complete control of the means of production, and, then, start
top-down reforms in order to built an egalitarian and more human
society. The soviet experience, however, has demonstrated that the
socialist Super-State can become a self-serving and inneficient
bureaucratic system.
Perhaps, the key for a better society is the creation of new
professional corporations, which will focus not only in economic
profit, but also in the wellfare of its members. It may look short-
sighted, in the sense that, as buddhists, we should worry about the
welfare of all beings, not only our workmates. But it may be a small
step in right direction. A new professional environment, combined
with a new educational system, could produce individuals who are more
prone to dialog, who are personally identified with their work and
who are more prone to live balance, normal lifes. In other words,
these new corporations, based on the Zen concepts of interdependence,
serenity and full dedication to your work, could have a very positive
impact in the contemporary western society.
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