Models of spirituality In accounting and business administration - Essay Example

This paper will discuss the need for spirituality in accounting and business administration by analyzing the book 'Landscapes of the Soul, a spirituality of place' and attempting to identify the author's underlying belief system and how this can be applied to business administration. The book 'Landscapes of the Soul, a spirituality of place' was written by Robert Hamma. In the book, Hamma describes spirituality as "an awareness of our relationship to God, ourselves, and others". The author goes on to state that these three dimensions are related integrally, and that "our relationship to God cannot exist apart from our sense of self and our relationship to others".

Antonio de Mello once described spirituality as coming awake. Hamma's statements seem to be in harmony with this concept of a spiritual awakening, as he relates that most people, even though they don't know it, are asleep. They are born asleep, they live asleep, they marry asleep, they breed children in their sleep, and they die in their sleep without ever waking up. They never understand the beauty and loveliness of this thing called human existence." The writer is of the opinion that when it comes to spirituality, "much of our attention is focused on the 'who' and 'how' of our experience".

This quest to experience relational spirituality has resulted to a lot of emphasis being placed on spiritual relationships and practical spirituality. In relational spirituality, "psychology has been helpful in emphasizing the awareness that a healthy spirituality must be grounded in a healthy self image and grows within the context of life-affirming and nurturing relationships." (Hamma, Robert M. p. 19) This further reminds us that spirituality involves the caring that we give to other people around us, and that spirituality is not just only for our personal self-enrichment.

Also, practical spirituality has led to a wonderful rediscovery of the rich tradition of prayer that is an integral nature of Christianity, and other spiritually practical religions. According to Hamma, The centering prayer movement, the rise of spiritual direction, and the interest in spiritual traditions like those of the Benedictines, the Carmelites, and the Jesuits are all evidence of this reality. This hunger for guidance in the practice of spirituality has also led many to discover eastern traditions like Zen and Taoism" (Hamma, Robert M. p. 19) This conversion to such eastern religions goes to show that for many, it does not matter what particular religion one follows, as long as there is a practical aspect of spirituality.

Due to the amount of emphasis placed on having a spiritual experience, it is possible for the whole point of spirituality to fade away, and so, it is essential that we keep focus on why spirituality exists in our lives. Robert Hamma observes, "We do well to return to the tradition we have received, and rediscover there a rich understanding of the purpose of spiritual life, thereby recognizing that the spiritual life is not a matter of having spiritual experiences, but of cultivating a reverential stance toward God" (Hamma, Robert M. p. 20).

Often times, spirituality and business might not seem to go along comfortably but a closer look will reveal that this relationship is actually a function of common sense. In business administration, it is evident that clients and customers tend to take their business elsewhere if they feel cheated or badly treated. If you try to manipulate your customers, they'll find somebody else to do business with. By inference, the writer's observations can lead a reader to the understanding that when we reflect on practical spirituality, we would come to the realization that life is indeed, a