Fourth Bottom Line

A summary of:

Inayatullah, S. (2009) “Spirituality equally the Fourth Bottom Line,” Tamkang University, Sunshine Coast University, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, available at: http://www.metafuture.org/Articles/spirituality_bottom_line.htm, accessed 25^th Jan 2011.

Given that i of the major tasks inwards my enquiry is defining the term ‘spiritual’, it is useful to compare my evolving Definition alongside other people’s definitions. Inayatullah breaks it downward into 4 split upwardly simply interrelated factors:

“1. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 human relationship alongside the transcendent, to a greater extent than oft than non seen equally both immanent in addition to transcendental. This human relationship is focused on trust, give upwardly in addition to for Sufis, submission. 2. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 practice, either regular meditation or some type of prayer (but non prayer where the destination is to enquire for item products or for the develop to come upwardly quicker). 3. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 physical practise to transform or harmonize the trunk - yoga, tai chi, chi kung, in addition to other similar practices. 4. Social – a human relationship alongside the community, global, or local, a caring for others. This differs from a debate on whose God, or who is truthful in addition to who is false, to an epistemology of depth in addition to shallow alongside openness in addition to inclusion toward others.”

It’s foreign how differently people tin sympathise the same word. I don’t meet the get-go indicate equally relevant, at to the lowest degree inwards the sense I scream upwardly he intends it. I do scream upwardly transcendence is a crucial element of spirituality, simply it is inwards the promise for salvation/liberation that this is vital to my mission (see previous post); I don’t meet how trust or submission factors into this, except if it is to hateful that nosotros trust our fate, equally it were, to deliver us toward salvation/liberation.

Secondly in addition to thirdly, I receive got purposely avoided including “practice” inwards my Definition of spirituality. This is non because I don’t scream upwardly it’s important, simply I scream upwardly that in i lawsuit nosotros verbalize nigh practise nosotros start out to blur the boundaries betwixt ‘spirituality’ in addition to ‘religion’. And anyway, spiritual practise is a personal matter, in addition to I don’t scream upwardly it is upwardly to us to meddle inwards others’ practise yesteryear making it a blueprint aim. (Nevermind the fact that externally imposed practise would live resisted in addition to in all probability ignored.) I receive got asked myself whether applied scientific discipline should at to the lowest degree live an assist to spiritual practice, e.g. whether the role of ‘spiritual technology’ could live to do the “silence” necessary for meditation. Inarguably, applied scientific discipline is inwards conflict alongside “‘inner stillness’ of spiritual life”, equally Muller et al. (2001) rightly pointed out. But the solution to ‘inner stillness’ is non – in addition to should non live – a technological one. Why do a technological solution to a work that essentially prescribes disengagement from technology? Why non plough off your figurer in addition to accept a walk inwards the woods if y'all wishing stillness in addition to contemplation? How strange it would live if inwards monastic enjoin to meditate i had to learn ‘plugged in’, equally it were, to a laptop! And consider the absurd blueprint implications if our destination is to facilitate silence: nosotros would receive got to strip dorsum all functionality until nosotros were left alongside naught simply rocks in addition to sticks; indeed to the indicate that nosotros would no longer recognize it equally applied scientific discipline at all.

The lastly factor, though, is closely aligned alongside my ain Definition – a sort of community orientation (egolessness), existence a skilful person, doing unto others equally i would do unto oneself; do no terms (to others or environment).

The indicate of Inayatullah’s newspaper is that discussions nigh sustainability tend to boil downward to practical discussions nigh Bottom Lines. Firstly, this shows that what people value inwards this word – inwards a higher house the ideological arguments – is “measurability in addition to profit”. Secondly, though non surprisingly given this, the bottom occupation that is ever neglected inwards these discussions is The Spiritual.

What’s strange nigh this newspaper is that the writer hence spends to much fourth dimension trying to lay ways of measuring spiritual impacts that y'all could hence placate these Bottom Liners with: “for spirituality to move associated alongside the quadruple bottom line, the bottom occupation volition live finding measures. Measuring the immeasurable volition non live an slow task.” He mentions the instance of Bhutan, which has developed a gross happiness index. He also quotes: “In the UK, the Cabinet Office has held a string of seminars on life satisfaction ... [publishing] a newspaper recommending policies that mightiness growth the nation’s happiness (wwww.number-10.gov.uk/su/ls/paper.pdf). These include character of life indicators when making decisions nigh wellness in addition to education, in addition to finding an choice to gross domestic production equally a stair out of how good the province is doing – i that reflects happiness equally good equally welfare, pedagogy in addition to human rights.”

Happiness is something that nosotros receive got some thought of how to measure. But hence happiness is subjective, equally was the chief objection to the teaching of happiness presented on the Moral Maze (19 Jan 2011, available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00xhj84/Moral_Maze_19_01_2011/). Professor Layard, of the London School of Economics made this controversial remark: “Oh good that’s a unlike point, in addition to the get-go indicate is whether the subjective is the most of import thing inwards life, in addition to it seems to live perfectly obvious that it is. [Really?] Actually, our experience, equally nosotros sense it, is the most of import thing.” What I dear nigh this declaration is that it perfectly embodies Heelas et al.’s Subjectivization Thesis.

I scream upwardly the indicate is, in addition to Inayatullah finally gets to a greater extent than or less to it: “more measuring burdens should non live the purpose of a quaternary bottom line. It must live deeper than that.” But to some extent this glosses over the hard work that anyone trying to promote blueprint aims alongside non-measurable outcomes is that this does non appeal to our contemporary notions of meaning. Similarly, when I am talking nigh designing spiritual technology, non solely volition it live hard to stair out the inherent ‘spirituality’ of this applied scientific discipline (or its alternative); simply to a greater extent than importantly, it could non live conventionally successful. In other words, applied scientific discipline that fits our electrical flow worldview and/or appeals to our base of operations instincts, tends to sell. Technology that attempts to shift our worldview, in addition to asks us to ascension inwards a higher house our base of operations instincts, is in all probability less probable to sell. What this way for my projection is that part of it must involve articulating novel metrics of success. Not how good it sells. But qualitative modify over a century of use, perhaps?

The skilful tidings is that Inayatullah claims that the involvement inwards spirituality is growing: “As anecdotal personal experience, workshop afterwards workshop (in Croatia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Germany, Taiwan, New Zealand, Hawaii, for example) the spiritual futurity comes out equally desirable. It is to a greater extent than oft than non constructed equally having the next characteristics. 1. Individual spirituality. 2. Gender partnership or cooperation. 3. Strong ecological communities. 4. Technology embedded inwards social club simply non equally the driver. 5. Economic alternatives to capitalism. 6. Global governance.” And fifty-fifty to a greater extent than excitingly, the writer reports: “the spiritual (gaian) vision of the futurity confirms the qualitative in addition to quantitative enquiry piece of work of Paul Ray in addition to Sherry Anderson. They document a novel phenomena, the ascension of the cultural creatives. This novel grouping of people challenge the modernist interpretation of the basis (nation-state centric, applied scientific discipline in addition to progress volition solve the day, surround is of import simply safety to a greater extent than so) in addition to the traditional stance of the basis (strong patriarchy, rigid religion, in addition to rigid culture, agriculture based in addition to derived). Ray in addition to Anderson move hence far equally to say that upwardly to 25% of those inwards OECD nations straightaway subscribe to the spiritual/eco/gender partnership/global governance/alternative to capitalism lay (www.culturalcreatives.org). However, they clearly province that cultural creatives do non associate themselves a a political or social movement. Indeed, they stand upwardly for a image change, a modify inwards values.”

And finally: “It is this modify inwards values that Oliver Markley, Willis Harmon in addition to Duane Elgin in addition to others receive got been spearheading (www.owmarkley.org). They receive got argued that nosotros are inwards betwixt images. The traditional ikon of “man” equally economical worker (the modernist image) has reached a indicate of fatigue, materialism is existence questioned. Internal contradictions (breakdown of family, life trend diseases) in addition to external contradictions (biodiversity loss, global warming) in addition to systemic contradictions (global poverty) Pb to the conclusion that the organisation cannot keep its legitimacy. The problem, peculiarly for the rich nations, has move a hunger for important in addition to a wishing for the sense of bliss.”

There may live promise afterall.