Finding Zen in a Dog-eat-Dog World

Some people are driven by their agendas and have little concern for others who stand in their way, so how can you find Zen in this dog-eat-dog world? The question is what meaning do you give these people  in your daily interactions? What do they have to teach you about yourself? The others do whatever they have to do, you can't really do anything about this. But perhaps you have the opportunity at work to create a Zen like atmosphere despite them. Chances are these screaming and bullying characters can assist you somehow in your spiritual growth and will probably help you with the psychological homework you still have to do. I have been there, I remember the time when I perceived some colleagues as my enemies who were out to steal my place in the sun. In the meantime, however, I can honestly tell you that I no longer perceive it that way. I see every voice out there as an opportunity for me to get better at what I do. Every conflict I view as a creative opportunity to transcend the tension. What point does it make to classify some voices as friendly and others as bothersome. All interactions are an invite of the Tao to dance with and to create.

My transition probably happened despite myself; often it was the others that changed their attitudes towards me rather than the other way around. To give myself a little credit though, at least I managed to accept their invite to heal. Now I consider my former adversaries as my friends and try to replicate this happy transition day by day with others. I am not here to heal the world, the world is here to heal me, and I try to put my best foot forward to accomplish this every day.

Yes, you can live a Zen life at work and be enormously creative and happy in the process. Of course you will have to embrace change because the Tao is change, moment by moment. The one advice that may jump-start your healing process, please do not spend any time  analyzing your colleague's motives. Jesus advice comes to mind: " First get rid of the log in your own eye, then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye." Understand that it is your agenda that analyzes the agenda of the fellow next door and both agendas are mistaken. The healing comes from the space within, the inter-person sanity that connects you. You don't have to be naive about your relationship with the fellow next door either, just follow the clues of the Tao and if your motive of this relationship is healing, healing it will or you both will part ways.