Introduction
This article introduces some of the pearls of wisdom found in the studies made about the traditions of some of the religions of the world. The article touches on Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, and other prime religions all over the world.
An attempt in discussing their applications in man’s daily lives is necessary in order to make the teachings applicable in everyday life. In doing this, the work discusses some of the ways in which these religious traditions manifest themselves in such places as man’s workplaces and even through our personalities.
Hinduism
One of the greatest physicists of all time, Albert Einstein, had a Hindu pearl of wisdom as one of his many wise sayings. Sources quote him saying that the Bhagavad-Gita gave him a new outlook on the universe. He says that reflecting on its readings makes everything around him become “so superfluous” (Ross, 2006).
The objective here is for humanity to realize that there is more to life than making discoveries and inventions. Humankind, no matter the person’s religion, has to realize the deity of God, respect it and appreciate it in every aspect of life.
The Hindu religion teaches respect and honor towards elders and those in authority. This has had an impact on the family level, whereby, due to respect, a younger brother can only refer to the older one as “the older brother”, and not through his proper name.
This might be the possible reason why in the workplace, the people in authority are commonly called, not according to their proper names, but through formal names, this gesture portrays exceptionally high levels of honor to the person in authority. This means that submission in the Hindu culture is paramount.
Buddhism
The renowned teacher and leader in the Buddhism religion the “Dalai Lama” quotes one Buddhist pearl of wisdom speaking about compassion (Gee, 2005). He asserts that if a person would want other people to be happy in this present life, he should be compassionate towards others.
In the same way, if a person wants to be happy, he should also practice compassion. Dalai Lama expresses a need that is superior to one religion. This need is for humankind to act, not out of selfish ambition, but out of commitment to one another. The pearl of wisdom discredits selfishness, mentioning that it leads to sadness in life.
This quote is indicative of the Buddhist culture and is one of the five pillars of Buddhism. The Dhamma is a fully matured Buddhist, who through this proper training, attains discipline, and lives in peace with his neighbors. In essence, it is necessary, like the Dhamma, for every person to strive towards living in harmony with others through acts of kindness.
Taoism
A famous Tao talks about treating other people the same way one would wish them to treat the other. This has revolutionized many people’s minds. The objective in this quote is for the reader to encourage himself to act and react to his environment in a wise way, and to avoid selfish ambition. Taoism embraces living with nature as one, and therefore, treating one’s neighbor in a selfish way defies the laws of nature and brings one-sidedness to the world.
In an example, having to lie in the workplace, according to the Tao culture, shows lack of self-restraint (Kirkland, 2004). One would not want the same case to apply to him. This, therefore, brings about an imbalance to the forces of nature in the world. It is certainly a principle that we ought to abide by, considering some of the awful repercussions there are in engaging in some of the immoral behaviors in this world.
Islam
From the Islamic religion, the quote that goes, ‘The one who, in charity, gives, fears Allah and sincerely testifies to the best- we will make his path to Bliss to be smooth.’ (al-Layl 92:5-7) means that whoever uses their resources without the desire of pleasing anyone but the most high, will attain total satisfaction. Here, religion is relevant in showing the importance of doing righteous deeds to all, regardless of the person, and having in mind that it is God who fulfills one’s desires.
In the workplace, people are always out to get as much as they can from others, while giving back as little as possible. An application of this religious teaching can enable a peaceful co-existence with one another, and is the secret to success.
This teaching agrees with my beliefs in that if I want to be treated in a certain way, I have to start by treating others in the same way. The principle of relying on God makes people understand that only He can satisfy us and trying to do so through one’s effort would only lead to frustration.
Confucianism
Sage Confucius taught that it is not in the fall where people get their greatest glory, but the rise after they fall (Goldsmith, 1833). This teaching encourages people not to give up, regardless of how many times they will go astray. Religion is instrumental in giving people hope when they go wrong, a practice that is not so common in a society where people more often than not, suffer for the consequences of their actions.
In the workplace, people contracted to achieve a certain objective in the organization do so knowing that failure will lead to a termination of their contracts (Kulakowski & Chronister, 2006). If people continue to be persistent in the things they want to achieve despite the hurdles and obstacles that they come across, they will eventually get that which they seek. In the midst of uncertainty and pain, one must have faith in oneself to become better with each trial until they achieve what they desire.
Judaism
Judaism has a pearl that teaches us to avoid bitterness revenge towards others (Jacobs, 1984). This pearl teaches that a wise person has the obligation to forgive everyone who offends them and if they continue, discontinue any association with such people. This pearl is not particularly popular among people today. People take each other to court over petty issues instead of forgiving them, and if they lose the case against them, they end up holding unending grudges.
Though the pearl of wisdom is not out to advocate for other people treating us cruelly, one should act out of self-defense to bring peace. If applied in the workplace, this would foster harmony and a sense of respect and acceptance to one’s colleagues. The concept behind this teaching is to make someone reflect on what he/she does to other people, the golden rule. People should do to others what they would want them do to unto them.
Christianity
In the book of Proverbs (22:6), the Bible teaches that if a parents train their child in the right way, the children retain the same principles for the rest of their lives. This means that teaching a young child to do something in a certain way; will make them grow up following that teaching. This is abundantly evident in society today where we have many different cultures because of different teachings exhibited by different groups of people.
In companies, employees work and think in a certain way for them to achieve their objectives. The idea behind apprenticeship is training a person of lesser knowledge so that they can attain the level of professionalism expected of them. This leads to continuity and consistency in the direction and performance of an organization. Parents should be cautious of things that they expose their children to, knowing that those things might end up shaping their children’s future.
Conclusion
As it seems, religious teachings have a direct application in our day to day lives. In many ways, these teachings have changed the thinking patterns of many people, making communities and nations prosper in the process. The continuous submission to one’s religion has proved to bring about positive transformation, which in turn affect our cultural practices.
These cultural practices affect the way everything works in a society, including the work ethic at work places. Pearls of wisdom are sayings that have their roots in religious doctrine. These wise words are an essential ingredient in peaceful co-existence with others, especially those whose opinions diverge from ours.
Reference List
Gee, M. (2005). Words of Wisdom from the Dalai Lam. Westminster, Maryland: Random House Value Publishing
Goldsmith, O. (1833). The miscellaneous works of Oliver Goldsmith. San Francisco: J. Crissy.
Jacobs, A. (1984). The book of Jewish belief. New Jersey: Behrman House, Inc.
Kirkland, R. (2004). Taoism: the enduring tradition.New York, New York: Routledge
Kulakowski, E., and Chronister, L. (2006). Research administration and management.Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning
Ross, D. (2006). 1,001 Pearls of Wisdom. 680 Second Street San, Francisco: Chronicle Books