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DIGNITY, SELF-REALIZATION AND THE SPIRIT OF SERVICE: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF DECENT WORK |
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Philosophical and Spiritual Perspectives on Decent Work, an ILO publication.
Decent Work
The Brahma Kumaris support the International Labour Organization’s emphasis on decent work and its
objectives regarding the promotion of fundamental principles and rights at work, greater
employment and income opportunities, social protection and dialogue. All of these objectives
are based on an interlinked web of values such as respect, responsibility, justice, solidarity,
care and understanding that are of fundamental importance for the kind of world we would all
like to live in. Work inevitably has ethical values attached to it since work is a human
activity and the human being is a whole composed of various dimensions that include, and
ultimately are based on, the ethical and spiritual. The human dimension to work is both
individual and collective and so work that is decent must be so with regard not only to
the individual worker but also the family and community. While an ethical foundation to
decent work may seem intangible, the benefits are certainly practical and putting people
at the heart of the work agenda has more than just an immediate positive personal influence;
it also enables the integration of economic and social policies so that they can be two even
pillars supporting a gateway to a better world rather than being treated as contradictory or
sequential goals.
The Value of Work
Work is an expression of personal dignity and self-realization. The right to the dignity of
work is one of the most fundamental expressions of human worth. It is the right to perform
constructive, purposeful action and work is thus a defining characteristic of human identity.
To deny this right to others is to deny their dignity and also to deprive society of the
benefit of their potential. Properly remunerated work allows the individual to provide for
the basic needs of the self and family. Unremunerated work, such as within the family or
carried out by volunteers, is often an expression of the highest of personal qualities
and a commitment to a purpose beyond the self. Work also plays an important role in the
development and fulfilment of the individual through the expression and realization of skills,
wisdom and potential.
However, work is not dignifying if it involves exploitation or discrimination, or if a person’s
individuality, endeavours and commitment are not given due recognition. While the individual
has his or her own separate identity and existence, each of us is also an actor on a stage of
life that includes many other players; as such, we are interconnected and related. We have
relationships and exchanges with other individuals both in their own right and collectively
as a family, community, government, state or world society, and work is a creating and
sustaining force in these relationships. The overall health and well-being of society
as a whole is thus largely affected by the extent to which such working relationships,
and the rights and responsibilities that are their fibre, are based on ethical considerations.
Further, a society is enriched by the creative contribution and productive participation
of people of both genders having a variety of disciplines, talents and expertise. For
the individual, being part of a society of people, which is the better for his or her
efforts, enhances personal satisfaction and self-esteem.
A Deficit in Decency – a Surfeit in Misconceptions
Despite all our tremendous achievements, society’s face is blighted by improper
working practices and unmet work aspirations. Among the many divisions within
this globalized world there is a work divide: while some complain of the burden
of too much work, the tension, stresses and pressure of overwork, with resulting
disruptions to personal, family and social life, there are millions who would gladly
have even a little of such work and the remuneration that goes with it.
There is a deficit in decent work and this means that there is a deficit in social justice
and political will, and in providing legal recognition or identity to workers in the
informal sector. The roots of social and economic disparities can be found in misconceived
notions of work and the misrepresentation of work and worth. In a world of material poverty
but abundant human resources, the fact that people lack decent work means that they have been
in some way excluded. Forced and bonded labour, slavery, women’s inferiority and child
labour are totally incompatible with human worth and should be consigned to the history
books as a lesson in what not to do and what is unacceptable. Unfortunately, some misconceptions
that have dehumanised, categorized and sought to attribute value to work and workers
have done so on the basis of misinterpretations of sacred texts which, instead, could
be used to consider notions of workers as ‘caretakers of the garden’ or ‘trustees of the world’.
Uncaring and depersonalising attitudes to workers who are treated as little more than the means
by which others may become rich make work an undignified and inhuman experience for many.
There is much to be said for a fair, free and open economy but materialistic forces must not
be allowed to make a market economy into a market society and to value human beings strictly
in economic terms. It has been said that to treat a person kindly without any economical
purpose is to find the answer to all economical purposes.
For sure, dividing up the world for economic reasons, with caste being used as an organizing
principle to structure society, is a particularly egregious form of indecent work that can
have dire consequences on the well-being of society as a whole. As Mahatma Gandhi said on
‘The Economics of Justice’: “True economics never militates against the highest ethical
standard, just as all true ethics, to be worth its name, must at the same time be also good
economics. An economics that inculcates Mammon worship, and enables the strong to amass
wealth at the expense of the weak, is a false and dismal science. It spells death. True
economics, on the other hand, stands for social justice; it promotes the good of all equally
including the weakest, and is indispensable for decent life.”
Work as Caring and Sharing
Securing decent work for all demands a spirit of inclusion, equity and balance, the
recognition of the identity of all, and a reaching out to the marginalized and abused
to bring everyone within the heart of a cooperative working community characterized by
caring and sharing. Working conditions, including hours, must be humane and all work
properly remunerated or recognized; working practices must be ethical and promote
respectful relationships and social and environmental responsibility. The work
itself should be varied and worthwhile and allow workers control over the use of their
time and mental capacities and the freedom to associate with each other.
Governments can contribute to the building of such a society by taking steps to provide a
social and business environment conducive to good investment and the free and fair movement
of capital, goods and the workforce. The possession of wealth brings with it responsibilities
which an individual, or enterprise, owes not just to shareholders, investors and employees
but also to the society within which profits are accumulated. Work and its benefits must
be fairly distributed amongst society as a whole. For their part, individuals must also
be prepared to help themselves by taking the initiative in actively looking for work and
enhancing their capacities. In providing work for those seeking it, those without work
must be seen as potential partners in development rather than the passive and helpless
recipients of welfare or charity. Their situation typically owes more to poor governance,
institutionalized discrimination and structural inequalities than limitation of abilities.
True dialogue among and between governments, businesses, workers and others would help lead
to a recognition of the perspectives and justifiable aspirations and needs of all actors
within civil society. Workplaces and public meeting places need to become generative spaces
in which hierarchies are broken down and all voices are given a chance to be heard.
This will help underline the fact that every link in the work chain is an important one
and should be recognized as such in order to strengthen and build capacity.
All of the above would lead us to another way to think of globalization: as the creation of
a unified human family, an unbroken link of compassion and concern. In this kind of global
world, human misery in one part of the human family must be absolutely unacceptable to the
rest, and every effort should be made to restore well-being, peace and prosperity to each
part so as to ensure an integrated whole. We must be willing to listen to new voices – not
only the voices of the educated, the people who do all the counting, the so-called experts,
but the people from the community: ordinary women and men in their towns, townships and villages.
The Revival of Service
Many people carry out meaningful and constructive tasks that largely go unrecognized
and unrewarded, despite their obvious contribution to the common good of society.
In various faith traditions, work has been described as service, prayer, sacrifice
and purification. In this regard, what is required is a revival of the notion of service
in which it is understood that work may have value and social relevance other than just
in economic or monetary terms. Such work is then a service offered to another, the community,
society or humanity as a whole, and allows people self-sufficiency, fulfilment and dignity
by allowing them to express their innate capacity for creating and giving.
Jonathan Haidt, of the University of Virginia, in his paper on ‘Elevation and the positive
psychology of morality’ reports on a study he did with his students on the emotion of ‘elevation.’
He showed them a video clip of Mother Teresa and found that “they were more likely to report
wanting to help others, to become better people themselves, and to affiliate with others . . .
to cultivate skills and relationships that will help them in the long run.”
Service is not about charity and donations based on guilt. Service is showing the quality
of kindness towards others without any desire for a material reward or result for the self.
It is better understood as an act that is borne of an awareness of altruism and the recognition
that such an act will bring rewards in the form of spiritual elevation, or generosity of
spirit, which cannot be measured by any material instruments. A dimension of altruistic
service such as this needs to be integrated into paid work to bring about ‘a balanced
reappraisal of human nature and potential.’ It will also clearly demonstrate ways in
which people are good, kind, respectful and compassionate towards one another, not only
in communities of their own kind but across different communities.
Service is a universal religion. Service is to give of oneself and to give time to tasks of
a higher purpose in the spirit of volunteerism. But to be of service to the millions who
are being marginalized for want of employment and other basic needs, and who are becoming
devoid of self-respect and dignity, requires humility and elevation.
Service, therefore, is about people’s relationships with each other, God, time, nature
and the world around them. A significant role of work will always be to generate
a financial reward, but this needs to be seen as only a means to the end of a better
quality of life for the individual and his or her family, not an end in itself.
To add the dimension of service into work will put people at the heart of work and imbue
it with a meaning and purpose that it often seems to lack. Indeed, ultimately work only
has a human face and is dignified to the extent that the worth and dignity of the worker
is recognized, including by the worker in question.
Dignity is Intrinsic
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a keystone in all our endeavours to uphold
human dignity. It sets standards that we must live by in order to sustain, or re-ignite,
the spirit of human dignity by articulating in its various articles the rights that
such dignity confers on every human being. The Declaration does not specify this,
but if it is to be safeguarded it is worth examining the nature and origin of human
dignity and worth.
The faculties available to every human being include the mind, heart and spirit in
addition to physical abilities, skills and talents. We are thus all born with a
tremendous potential, but without self-worth this potential can never really be
realized to the full. People who feel useful themselves and to people around
them are more likely to find a way not only of expressing their inner qualities
but also acknowledging such qualities in others.
A self-realized person is one who understands his or her own inherent dignity and that of others.
Such a person will know that dignity is intrinsic to their being and is not something
that is given by the world but comes from a source that transcends all that is physical.
Religions do not give dignity – they simply remind people of what is true of everyone.
Declarations, conventions and other legal documents highlight the importance
and create the conditions to uphold the dignity of individuals, but cannot confer
this. The ways in which society works today often seem to conspire against the
individual really knowing himself or herself as one who is naturally endowed with
worth and dignity. Instead they often suggest that it has to be earned or, for
example, that society gives or accords this dignity only to those who are wealthy
or occupy a position of influence or authority. Work is thus an expression of
our worth, not the basis of it. In reality, every individual has the right to
know that dignity is inherent in what it means to be a human being; and all
individuals have the responsibility of seeing that this spiritual right is
affirmed and given expression.
People often base their sense of identity on their interactions with others.
It is therefore no surprise that many people base their identity on factors
such as their occupation, etiquette, dress, nationality, colour, gender, age,
social status, ideologies and wealth. As these factors are to some extent
transitory such a sense of identity requires continual maintenance, nurturing
and protection. Much energy is then devoted to establishing and defending
this identity. When people identify with their external conditions or roles
they inevitably feel inferior or superior to others and so lack an authentic
self-respect. Every person who is aware of what it means to be a human being
will feel a natural right to live in dignity with all basic needs and human
rights fulfilled. On the other hand, when an individual is forced to suffer
oppression or degraded living conditions the feeling is humiliation and
severely damaged dignity. However, because human dignity is a state of
being, it can never be fully taken away from an individual so long as he
or she continues to hold on to it internally. The realization and conscious
awareness that dignity is intrinsic can thus give strength and hope and be
a powerful tool to help overcome such indignities as unemployment, poverty
and the loss of liberty or opportunities.
Work is a significant part of who we are but we are human beings before being workers.
To be true to ourselves requires that our actions, including work, be an expression
of and consistent with the fundamental truth that each of us is spiritual in nature.
It is because of this common spiritual identity that we all share universal
rights and can claim to be members of the one human family. The spirit of
brotherhood that derives from this and is referred to in Article One of the
Declaration requires that our relationships – whether personal, working or
otherwise – be imbued with ethical values.
Putting People at the Heart of Decent Work
Deficit in decent work is a deficiency within the global human spirit – a poverty
of values that amounts to a lack of respect for the intrinsic dignity of people
as individuals and as a collective. Resolving the issue therefore involves a
moral choice as much as the formulation of new economic and social policies and programmes.
The real question is how the value system implicit in the right to decent work can be
applied and implemented. Much has already been achieved in this regard in setting
a conceptual framework and defining goals. The right to work itself is enshrined
in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and there is widespread agreement on
some of the characteristics and practices of what kind of work is acceptable and
what is not.
It is recommended that the next step forward be to set up a task force that includes
representatives of religious and spiritual traditions as well as labour organizations
and other concerned individuals. The priorities of the task force would be:
Values-based and Spiritual Indicators
To be sure, finalizing comprehensive, commonly agreed and assessable
values-based and spiritual indicators will be a time-consuming task,
but such reference points would, it is submitted, provide a reliable
compass by which to chart meaningful and long-term efforts that truly
have people as their beneficiaries. In fact, there is already a fairly
substantial convergence of thinking in this regard and the signs of the
emergence of a global ethic, on the basis of a set of commonly held values,
are obvious. Societies, governments and markets that function properly
all do so because of a moral basis of qualities such as trust, fairness,
respect, equitable treatment of all people, responsibility, solidarity and honesty.
Such values underpin all objectives towards realizing the goal of
decent work and a better world.
Gayatri Naraine
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©2004 BKWSU |
