The third international symposium on spirituality and business will be sponsored by Babson College and by Andover Newton Theological School, both in Massachusetts. It will be held on the Babson campus in Wellesley, near Boston, March 22–24. Once again, the goal will be to share "profound innovations, enhanced knowledge, imaginative concepts, and practical strategies for growth," leading to "a deeper understanding of participants' own faith and the universal spirit."
The 2000 symposium will strive to build on some of the ideas presented at the last conference, which included these remarks from featured speakers:
What can we make as a distinctive contribution in the ferment all over the country in the area of spirituality and business? We are not focusing on a generic spirituality—on a lowest common denominator among the various faith traditions—but instead on encouraging the development of insight into the impact of the spiritual traditions that are represented in our country.
We hope that you will speak out of the specificity of your own tradition—without apology. Respect others and listen to them and learn from them, precisely at the points where you differ.
I believe we should embrace the diversity that's given to us by God and express it in the [workplace]. I try to do that every moment of every day—in minute by minute conversation with God, asking Him where I'm to be, what I'm to do, what I'm to speak, who I'm to be with. It's a path of constantly being available to Him. I feel that we're always in connection with God. It's just a question of keeping the channels open. My real security and stability lie in my spiritual life and in my faith in God.
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People are searching for something greater than themselves. They are discovering that there is something bigger out there than the corporation. What we are talking about is taking something that has often segregated us—our religious traditions—and bringing it to a forum where it can actually unite us. That oneness is really powerful!
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When the people in my pews go to work, they feel that there are parts of their creativity, their imagination, the way they are inspired, that they either can't speak about or can't bring to their jobs. So, no one is fully present in the workplace.
"My real security and stability lie in my spiritual life and in my faith in God."
The bottom line is that people have this spiritual side to them, this yearning to be connected. I believe that God is present at conferences like this, and in business in general. The central question for all of us—not just those who are heads of companies—is: How can we access that common spirit and yearning? How are those values present in our lives? How do we act on them?
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Anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
We are that small group ... seeking to transform business and help uplift the human spirit in the workplace—to hopefully look out on a new world, a new way of being in business.
