Last week I was lucky enough to be able to attend Senator Raphael Warnock’s lecture at St Paul’s Cathedral, marking the 60th anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King’s sermon from the pulpit: The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life.
Revd Warnock challenged us to explore these three dimensions in our own life and work, and beautifully illustrated how arguments made back in 1964 feel as relevant today as ever, for people of all faiths and none.
Some of the things I took away may also chime with you:
· Length of Life – we live a long time, so we need to think about our own welfare, accepting and loving ourselves, being kind to ourselves, knowing our worth. Through my career I’ve struggled at times from self-doubt or imposter syndrome and have talked with many amazing colleagues who have experienced the same. Women especially. It’s something that we all need to continue to work on, and it’s important to find allies for mutual support and development.
· Breadth of Life – the outward concern for the welfare of others. Refusing to allow some people to be seen as outside the bounds of human dignity or existing just with the enclaves of one’s own comfort zone. I’ve had the privilege to work with incredible humanitarians at #UNICEF and #UNHCR for much of my career, for whom work is a vocation and who are prepared to take risks to make a difference - some have tragically lost their own lives. But everyone can find ways to make a positive difference in someone else’s life. A kind word, a simple gesture, or challenging hatred or misinformation. Crucially, how are we making space for marginalised people to elevate their voices and power, and lead the change – are we prepared to cede our own power, uncomfortable as that may be.
· Depth of Life – this tapped into faith and values. We spend a lot of our lives at work, so working with a sense of vision and purpose, and keeping true to values, is crucial. The words vision and mission are bandied about a bit and may seem trite, but considered and centred properly, and with integrity, they really can keep us focus on where we need to be and what we need to do.
In our busy lives, endlessly jumping from one task to the next, it’s not easy to focus fully on any of these dimensions, let alone balance them, but the thrust of lecture was, for me, the importance of treating them holistically and investing in all three equally. To focus only on oneself; or to put everything into serving others whilst neglecting your own well-being; or to work in an organisation at odds with your own values - this is where damage happens. It seems to me it’s worth taking even a little bit of time out to think about them in the round – and in the context of personal as well as professional life.
After all, a complete life is what we’d all love to say we had!
Thanks Caroline Graham for the opportunity to attend this thought-provoking talk. #purpose #values #wellbeing #humanitarianism
--
1moOld School say it as it is.