Rich asks if there are any similarities to the Fifth Discipline and
Christianity. I'd answer, yes and no.
Christianity touches on almost every aspect of life, and therefore
similarities can be found between it and many other philosophies. Thus,
the answer would, in some respect, be yes.
But then one of the things we learn in LO's is to question the assumptions
which underlie our behavior. To think about what we're thinking. While
this sounds reasonably innocuous, it can lead to significant stress.
I began to follow the bibliography of the Fifth Discipline (I appreciate
that Senge included a bibliography, as Stephen Covey has never been so
forthright about where his ideas have come from. . .a nagging frustration
for me), and then I'd follow the bibliographies of the other books I read.
In the end I was reading some pretty deep stuff that really challenged
many of my religious beliefs. I began to think about what I was thinking,
and tearing apart the assumptions upon which I was living. I began to
watch the assumptions that other people were acting on, and I became
concerned with what I was seeing (in both my persona life and the lives of
others).
I found myself referring to the scriptures often, as I sought to reconcile
my religious beliefs with the new ideas I had been exposed to. It was a
stressful process. Much study and much prayer (included in that would be
meditation). What made this even more stressful was that I didn't feel
comfortable expressing my deepest feelings of doubt, fear, and anxiety to
my wife or friends as they would more than likely think I had become a
derelict!
Having said that, in the end, I found my religious beliefs to be
strengthened and clarified. My religious values run deeper, and are far
more integrated with my daily life. My faith in God & His Son is greater
now than it was before, and my desire to live my life in accordance with
divine decree has grown.
Coming from a predominantly Christian community, I noticed that many
people shy away from "ideas" that conflict with their religious beliefs
and values. While I understand this attitude to some degree, I think in
the long run it does them a great disservice. When our beliefs are never
challenged, then they are far less integrated into our lives. If one
accepts "Christian doctrine" as true and everlasting then certainly the
ideas of men are not a threat, and can be valuable in exposing ideas that
may just deepen one's theological knowledge.
--Benjamin B. Compton ("Ben") | email: bcompton@novell.com Novell, GroupWare Support Quality Manager | fax: (801) 222-6991
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>