The Value of WorkThe Value of Work

SGIQuarterlyOctober 2013

Number 74A Buddhist Forum for Peace, Culture and Education

S o k a G a k k a i I n t e r n a t i o n a l

HUMAN DIGNITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Guy Ryder

FULFILLMENT AT WORK Maria Arpa

CAMBODIA’S YOUTH VOLUNTEERS Mora Gibbings

FEATURE1 The Value of Work

2 Human Dignity and Social Justice Interview with Guy Ryder

4 Unemployment Around the World

5 Youth Discuss the Search for Work

7 Home from AbroadBy Dyane Epstein

8 Fulfillment at WorkBy Maria Arpa

10 The Weaver’s CraftBy Chrys Salt

11 The Results-Only Work EnvironmentBy Jody Thompson

13 Cambodia’s Youth VolunteersFrom an interview with Mora Gibbings

14 Paths to a Dream Job

16 Women Harness the Power of the SunInterviews with students at Barefoot College

17 Vocational Training in a New LightInterview with Ralf Bäcker

PEOPLE18 Finding My Unique Mission

By Akruti Choksi, India

19 Transforming the ImpossibleBy Patti Heckman, USA

PERSPECTIVES20 Youth and Work

Daisaku Ikeda in conversation with youth

AROUND THE WORLD22 SGI activity news from around

the world

ON VOCATION 26 Treasuring People in the Workplace

BUDDHISM IN DAILY LIFE28 The Parable of the Three Carts

and the Burning House

ContentsEditorial Team:

Anthony GeorgeElizabeth Ingrams Joan Anderson Keiko KakuraiLeema HiroiMarisa StensonMotoki KawamoritaRichard WalkerYoshiko MatsumotoYoshinori Miyagawa

Published by Soka Gakkai International

Art Direction & Design by Modis Design Printed by Japan Print Co., Ltd.

© 2013 Soka Gakkai International All rights reserved. Printed in Japan.

Printed on FSC certified paper, supporting responsible forest management.

ISSN 1341-6510

72 16

The SGI Quarterly aims to highlight initiatives and perspectives on peace, education and culture and to provide

information about the Soka Gakkai International’s activities around the world. The views expressed in the SGI Quarterly

are not necessarily those of the SGI. The editorial team (see above) welcomes ideas and comments from readers.

For permission to reprint material from this magazine, please contact info@sgiquarterly.org.

Soka Gakkai International Quarterly Magazine

SGIQuarterly

A Buddhist Forum for Peace, Culture and Education

October 2013

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Real satisfaction can be found in work and the sense of productivity and social contribution it gives us. Ideally, it is a key way to explore and develop

our potential. It has been said that the greatest unhappiness one can experience is to come to the end of one’s life without having found fulfillment in one’s work. “Absence of occupation is not rest; A mind quite vacant is a mind distressed,” wrote the English poet William Cowper. How can we rethink our approach to work to enhance the value and enjoyment we experience through it?

For most people, work is what we do in order to sustain our lives and families—and high rates of unemployment in the world today mean that many people’s efforts are focused on just getting and keeping a job, even if it means working in degrading or dangerous conditions. Meanwhile, those in relatively fortunate work situations often report that they are unhappy and unable to feel valued at work, let alone fulfill their potential. As

the Swiss philosopher Carl Hilty pointed out, the Industrial Revolution had a profound impact on the nature of work. Mechanical work alone can serve to dehumanize, making people literally feel as though they are “cogs” in a machine. At the same time, 21st-century communications technology has the potential to transform the way we work, giving people greater autonomy and flexibility, opening up new possibilities for collaboration and generating new work opportunities.

For Josei Toda, the second president of the Soka Gakkai, the ideal job was one that meets the three criteria of being enjoyable, financially rewarding and socially contributive. Within our rapidly changing global society, our relationship to and experience of work has important implications not only for our livelihoods, lifestyles and economies, but for our dignity as human beings and the meaning we give to our existence. This issue of the SGI Quarterly considers the question of work and value from both a global and a personal perspective. ❖

Grading coffee beans for auction, Ethiopia

The Value of WorkThe Value of Work

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SGI Quarterly: Why is work important to human life? Is it simply a means of supporting oneself and one’s family?Guy Ryder: Work plays a fundamental role in people’s well-being. Besides being a source of income, work touches on various aspects of human life. It is essential for broader social and economic development, strengthening individuals and their communities, and supporting their dignity when a set of essential conditions is respected.

The relation between work and dignity is fundamental. It has been recognized by most of the world religions. In a recent seminar organized among religious leaders in Geneva, in which Buddhists were also represented, the need for decent work came as a strong point of convergence between all participants.

SGIQ: The ILO was founded in 1919 in recognition that peace can only come with social justice; the preamble to the ILO Constitution also recognized the increasing interdependence of the world. As

tenth director-general of the ILO, can you share your reflections on how the issues of social justice, interdependence and work have moved on almost 100 years since then?GR: Three values—human dignity, solidarity and social justice—are at the root of the ILO’s activities.

Since the ILO’s foundation in 1919, these values have been inserted into standards, policies and technical cooperation so that the organization can better respond to the challenges of an evolving economy that is increasingly globalized.

Even before the global financial and economic crisis, the ILO had voiced concerns over the way globalization has reshaped the world of work. The 2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization represents the ILO’s response to the escalating inequalities.

At the core of the ILO Constitution was the recognition that addressing social justice issues required the cooperation of many nations. This was true before WWII. This continued to be true when sustainable development was recognized as being

Human Dignity and Social Justice An interview with Guy Ryder

Guy Ryder, CBE, is the director-

general of the International

Labour Organization (ILO) and

a former general secretary of

the International Trade Union

Confederation from 2006–10. He is

also a leading figure in the Global

Call to Action Against Poverty.

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at the center of North/South relations. And this is indeed important today, when inequalities between and within nations remain a challenge.

SGIQ: Can you give some examples of the ILO’s success in this regard?GR: There are many examples—just let me focus on a few showing how the ILO puts into practice its standards and facilitates dialogue between governments, employers and workers.

Over the last few years, we have managed to provide basic legal protection to millions of workers who did not have any—or very little. This is the case for domestic workers throughout the world who often face deplorable working conditions, labor exploitation and abuses of human rights. They will now be better protected as more and more countries ratify a specific ILO Convention on domestic work.

In a different area, seafarers will be covered by the Maritime Labour Convention when it enters into force in August 2013. The Convention sets out seafarers’ rights to decent conditions of work on a wide range of subjects, and aims to be globally applicable, easily understandable, readily updatable and uniformly enforced.

Earlier in its history, in the 1980s, the ILO took an active role in supporting the independent Solidarność trade union in Poland. What started with an independent union in that country ended with its leader becoming the president of a free and democratic Poland. There are hundreds of similar examples over the last 90 years, showing how the ILO supported independent employers’ and workers’ organizations and social democracy around the globe. Just one more: The ILO helped Myanmar turn a corner in supporting efforts to eradicate forced labor, including the recruitment of child soldiers, and promote free and independent trade unions. It was no coincidence that Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi gave her first public speech outside Asia in front of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, in June 2012.

SGIQ: What are some of the initiatives the ILO has been developing to help tackle high unemployment rates around the world?

GR: In June 2009, the International Labour Conference unanimously adopted a “Global Jobs Pact.” This global policy instrument is a set of balanced and realistic policy measures that countries can adopt to ease the impact of the crisis and accelerate recovery in employment. It especially calls on ILO member states to put decent work opportunities at the core of their crisis responses. It addresses the social impact of the global crisis on employment and proposes job-centered policies for countries to adapt according to their national needs.

SGIQ: How can workers such as factory workers be better protected in a world where keeping costs and prices down is a key priority?GR: Recent events in Bangladesh certainly showed us that if we do not act quickly, more workers will lose their lives in disasters such as the one that happened in Dhaka in April 2013 when the Rana Plaza building collapsed.

For things to change, we need the support of everyone: governments, employers, unions, but also big retail chains and also every one of us, who should agree

The ILO also has a targeted package of measures that create jobs for young people. It is especially crucial to prevent young people from disconnecting from the labor market for long periods and to enable them to catch up on their skills gap. We also need to support their employment through temporary subsidies.

One policy we propose is targeted youth guarantees. These are schemes that guarantee employment or training for targeted groups of young people. They have been quite successful in Europe. ILO latest estimates show that youth guarantees can be implemented at an annual cost of approximately 0.7–1.5 percent of GDP. It is far cheaper than dealing with the long-term consequences of unemployment, such as unemployment benefits and the rise in social tensions.

to pay a little more for our clothes to make sure that the workers making them are safe at work. Globalization should lead standards upward, not downward.

SGIQ: What is the ILO doing to encourage the development of the informal employment sector—which is often larger than the formal sector—in a way that encourages innovation and protects workers’ health and rights? GR: I believe the ILO has a key role to play in improving conditions of workers in the informal sector. Informal work is not protected by any regulation, leaving workers highly vulnerable. After all, informal work should not be considered as “natural” in certain countries because most of the time it also means unfair competition with the formal sector. So there is a need

Garment workers in Bangladesh

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to improve labor market policies to discourage informality.

We also need to bring social protection to informal workers. This is why we are calling for each country to set up what we call a “social protection floor” that is adapted to national needs. Protection levels can vary from one place to another, but basic rights should be at least the same.

SGIQ: How and why is the ILO promoting the green jobs agenda?GR: Without environmental sustainability, we cannot achieve sustainable enterprises with stable and decent jobs. Greening enterprises, and indeed entire economies, is not an option from a labor market perspective: It is a necessity. It does not mean it is easy, as both companies and workers will have to adapt. But a greener economy can also lead to net gains of 15–60 million additional jobs, perhaps even more.

Our Green Jobs Programme has been building the capacity of ILO constituents to analyze and act. We have already assisted over 25 countries to formulate policies and practical programs tailored for their national circumstances.

SGIQ: Do the ILO’s future projections see large numbers of people never having work? What is your response to that possible scenario?GR: Some 470 million new jobs will be needed between 2015 and 2030, just to keep up with the growth of the world’s working-age population.

As the world faces such an enormous challenge, the ILO is calling for job creation and social protection to be included in the list of Development Goals which will be drawn up by the United Nations after the target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals passes in 2015.

A decent job is also the best way out of poverty for poor households. Inclusive and sustainable development will not be possible if millions of people are denied the opportunity to earn their living in conditions of equity and dignity. ❖

Unemployment Around the WorldThe global financial crisis has had an impact on almost every country, with global unemployment set to reach 208 million in 2015.

Emerging and developing countries •generally recovered faster from the global financial crisis than the advanced economies.The incidence of long-term •unemployment has increased in 60 percent of the advanced and developing economies for which data exists. These trends have fueled tensions •in advanced economies and some developing countries, including in Southern Europe, South Asia and the Arab region.

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Unemployment by Region, 2007 and 2013

Youth Unemployment

Young people under 25 are especially hard-hit by unemployment and irregular employment.

Global youth unemployment is estimated at 75 million or 6 percent of all 15–24-year-olds. In developed countries, more than a third of youth are on temporary contracts. A fifth of youth globally are unpaid laborers who work for their families.

Young women have higher rates of unemployment in most countries and are more likely to have lost jobs because of the recession.

SGI Quarterly4 October 2013

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SGI Quarterly: What is your current situation regarding work?Stuart: I’ve been looking for work seriously for several months. I graduated from university in March 2013, but since then I’ve been looking.Helmi: I have been doing photography ever since I graduated from high school in September 2012. After school I wanted to take some time off.Hawa: I have been studying at university for two years. The challenges for women

finding work at the moment in Ethiopia are more to do with cultural issues than the law. For instance, although the law gives girls the same rights to education at

all levels, I had to leave my family at age 14 in order to get an education to improve my prospects. As a Muslim, my family would have preferred to arrange a marriage for me rather than allowing me to enter the education system. I have not had any contact with my family since then.

SGIQ: What kind of experience have you had applying for jobs?Stuart: Since March, I’ve applied to a significant number of jobs. It’s hard to find

work where I live. In fact, I am open to whatever I can find. After that, perhaps, I can branch out. So far, I haven’t had any returns on any of my applications.

Ana: When I applied for jobs, I got them through my university or my friends, but I’ve never managed to find a job through the Internet or ads. I’ve never received responses.Hawa: I worked as a domestic worker in order to support my school studies. However, with help from friends, I have now been able to complete the second year of my BA degree studying Economics without having to work.

At the moment, many young people need to find work so they are employed by a family, for instance, or by a small hotel, perhaps, where they are provided with food in exchange for labor.

I was lucky because I could tutor young children, helping them with their schoolwork as well as doing the domestic work for their families.

SGIQ: What does it feel like to be out of work?Stuart: It’s a mixed bag. I like having free time. I like socializing, but it’s somewhat stressful. I’m relying on help from my parents, but they aren’t wealthy and I feel that’s burdensome, so I’d like to get out of this situation. I used to be a psychiatric

Stuart Moore, age 42, from the United

States, lives in Eugene, Oregon. He worked

as a professional psychiatric nurse for 13

years but returned to university in 2009

to acquire his BA and is currently looking

for work.

In the US, unemployment rates have dropped in the last four years to about 7.5 percent, but despite this overall decline, the percentage of those unemployed for six months or longer is still high, around 37 percent of the total.

Ana Mora, age 24, is originally from

Tampico City, Mexico, and is currently

receiving financial support from her

company to study Environmental

Governance at the United Nations

University in Tokyo.

Mexico’s unemployment rate increased to about 5 percent in April 2013. Young people are the hardest hit by jobs cuts. Among women under 30 with high school or university qualifications, unemployment rose to more than 10 percent recently.

Helmi Young, age 19, lives in Cairo,

Egypt. He graduated from high school

in September 2012 and is currently

concentrating on architectural photography,

focusing on various mosques in Cairo.

In Egypt, unemployment rose to 13 percent in the last quarter of 2012. Some 74 percent of the unemployed are people under 30, and 700,000 people join the job market each year.

Hawa Seid, age 23, lives in northern

Ethiopia where she is a student at Mekelle

University in Tigray. She left her home at

the age of 14 in order to get an education

and avoid an arranged marriage and has no

support from her family.

In Ethiopia, the unemployment rate for urban areas is estimated at about 21 percent and, in those areas, unemployment among women is estimated to be about 27 percent, compared to 14 percent among men.

Youth Discuss the Search for Work

The SGI Quarterly asked young people from around the world, aged between 19 and 42, to describe what their experience of the search for work during a recession has been like.

“Almost all of us are studying to find a job which not only supports ourselves but which can also help others.” —Hawa, Ethiopia

SGI Quarterly 5October 2013

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nurse, so sometimes I counsel friends but it doesn’t pay very well! It’s not that I feel I have a lack of purpose or direction; just a lack of income.Ana: I once fell for a scam which promised large amounts of money but turned out to be nothing. I also think the internship system often exploits people. You might work seven hours a day for four days a week but it’s unpaid.

SGIQ: Do you know of many people your age who are looking for jobs right now?Hawa: Almost all of us are studying to find a job which not only supports ourselves but which can also help others. This will be hard, because of the growing number of workers and, at the same time, growing unemployment.Helmi: It seems that graduates from international universities in Egypt tend to have more job opportunities than people who graduate from Egyptian universities. Most of the people I know are employed. The majority of my peers who I attended high school with are on one track. They will go to university and then find jobs, so

they don’t necessarily think about finding work until after they finish university. This is not the case for other Egyptian youth, however.

SGIQ: In your country, is it particularly challenging for women to find work?Ana: Usually, they hire women with assistant potential. I’ve been hired at the same time as a guy, but I ended up doing administrative tasks. I felt it was gender bias. Women are trying to get more skills to compete with men, and I think men don’t need to be as qualified as women to get work.

SGIQ: Do you feel hopeful that you will find or create your own opportunities for work in the future?Helmi: Yes, either in Egypt or in Europe, maybe the UK. I’ve come to know lots of professional photographers in Cairo who work on their own. I’m hoping to become an apprentice photographer.Ana: I do feel hopeful because I have a job right now. I work in a construction company so it’s a world of men. The hopelessness comes when I think, “Oh, I’d like to work in

the United Nations,” for example. I have to rethink my dreams because I don’t know if it’s going to be possible. I think it’s easier in the private sector.Stuart: I feel very hopeful in the medium term and long term because what I’m hoping to achieve won’t be too difficult. I’m hoping to get an MA or PhD and teach maybe in philosophy, English or mediation at a community college. I think that’s doable. In the short term, it looks like it’s going to be difficult to find work in between now and then.

SGIQ: What keeps you hopeful?Ana: Somehow, society tells you that you are useless or that you don’t fit into what they need, but you know your potential, so it’s frustrating to have to wait for someone to create that opportunity for you. You have to stay positive.Stuart: What is helpful for me is to reflect on previous success. I’ve had many more successes in my life professionally than not, so I think if someone gives me a chance I’ll perform well for them, and so I’m just waiting for someone to say “yes.”Helmi: I don’t think I can make a full career out of photography. It might become my main career, but freelancers often have more than one job. Photography is something that I’m interested in and good at, so I decided to give it a shot.Hawa: I am prepared to take on any kind of work in order to overcome challenges I may come across after I graduate. I think I will find a job at least which can support my basic needs.

SGIQ: If you were a politician, what would you do to improve prospects for people out of work?Ana: I think the government has the approach of encouraging young people to start a business, but they need managerial skills which you don’t learn in school. If I were a politician, I would work on giving students more comprehensive skills—to help young people become more independent.Stuart: Right now in the US it’s difficult to make progress because our two-party system is very slow. The parties are divided. I guess if I were in politics, my drive would be to try and get more cooperation to assist people.Hawa: I would do anything to help children have the chance to attend school and anything to stop people from living in misery. ❖

“You know your potential, so it’s frustrating to have to wait for someone to create that opportunity for you. You have to stay positive.” —Ana, Mexico

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The Migration for Development in Africa (MIDA) initiative links the skills and expertise of Africans in the diaspora with

opportunities for the development of their home countries. The MIDA Ghana Health Project facilitates the temporary return of Ghanaian health professionals from European countries for the benefit of local health institutions.

Antwiwaa Appau, an expert in family group counseling, a branch of palliative care, has been working for 17 years in the area of child protection in the Netherlands. Through the MIDA program she has been able to return to her home country regularly to share her skills and expertise.

“In Tamale in northern Ghana we ran training programs at the hospital for diabetic patients and people who have

HIV,” she says. “I focused on the psycho-social aspects of ailments. Hospital workers were able to see the essence of giving emotional support to people who

were ill or convalescent. I also lecture at the school and the hospital. I was also able to introduce this work in Asante, where I grew up. I feel proud I was able to do something in my own community. It gives me a sense of satisfaction.”

The IOM in Ghana also has an extensive returnee program, helping migrants who have returned to their home country establish small businesses to support themselves and their families. In the Northern Region, up to 70 percent of the population is unemployed. After the civil war in Libya in 2011, over 18,000 refugee migrant workers returned. Most were single men who had previously been earning an income in Libya and sending remittances home to Ghana, which their families relied on for survival. The IOM worked with UNHCR and other partners to repatriate the migrants.

It is often very difficult for migrants to return home and settle again. Many have lived abroad for a long time, so they have lost contacts and are unfamiliar with the working environment. We conducted interviews with returnees from Libya and other countries who were eligible to receive in-kind support from the IOM to help them set up a viable business in their area. We combined this with counseling work, helping returnees settle back home again. To be eligible for the grant, the returnees needed to produce a basic business plan, understand the market and know what equipment or materials are required to establish and run the business. The IOM supports them to purchase the necessary items to establish their businesses and monitors their situation to ensure that their return is sustainable. ❖

Examples of successful returnees setting up businesses in northern Ghana with the IOM’s assistance:

Adam Yussif, 37, from Tamale is a graduate in marketing and works as a •vulcanizer in tire repair. He is now looking to expand his business to include tire sales.

Mustapha Alhassan, 37, from Tamale has set up a business in welding and steel •fabrication and would like to develop his work in the fabrication of tanks and waste disposal bins.

Akwasi Asante, 34, from Takoradi is a car mechanic. He plans to further his job •prospects by obtaining a diploma in auto mechanics.

For more information see www.iom.int/cms/home

Home from AbroadBy Dyane Epstein

Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration. Dyane Epstein is IOM’s Chief of Mission in Ghana. Here she describes two IOM initiatives in that country.

Baba Al Hassan Seidu in his new tailoring shop in Ghana after returning from Libya

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The UK’s Happiness at Work index (www.happinessatworkindex.co.uk) tells us at least one in four people are unhappy at work. With so much

unhappiness at work, surely we need to be a lot more mindful about the state of our workplaces? In the absence of any immediate remedy it falls to us individually to find our own happiness at work.

Whatever the job, there are always some tasks which are dreary, boring or uninteresting. For some people, the proportion of dull tasks is 99 percent of the job. Meanwhile a hostile boss or unpleasant colleagues can easily turn a dream job into a daily nightmare, or the people may be fine but the pressures and demands of the work may be anxiety-inducing.

Most of the problems we encounter at work involve some sort of conflict. For example: “I hate this job but I can’t find another one so I’ll carry on doing it even though it makes me miserable,” or “My boss and I don’t get on and I have no power or authority to resolve it.” To be in conflict can induce feelings of disempowerment, but we do have the power to resolve the conflict within ourselves by choosing a different lens to look at the world.

Mindfulness practices such as meditation and nonviolent communication help you find a different lens and lead to the discovery of a solid foundation for engaging fearlessly in life.

To leave conflict unresolved is to perpetuate a victim attitude—but resolving conflict perpetuates a state of empowerment, which contributes to happiness.

If you believe that attitude has some influence on the way you enjoy work, then you have a lot more scope to shape your experience.

Are people who relish their jobs just more fortunate than others, or could this be about their inner dialogue? This article invites you to examine some lines of inquiry that might inspire you to find out how you can turn work into productive play.

Compartmentalizing John Muir, in My First Summer in the Sierra,

writes, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” Let’s think about what happens when we split our life into silos—like work, social and home. What is the personal cost of developing different

Fulfillment at Work By Maria Arpa

Maria Arpa is founder and chief

executive of the Centre for Peaceful

Solutions in the UK, and author of

Mindfulness at Work and The Heart of Mindful Relationships published

by Leaping Hare Press. See www.centreforpeacefulsolutions.org.

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“faces” for different situations and keeping all the balls up in the air? Is it really a sustainable way to live?

If we hold the blinkered view that we are only working to earn money to pay the bills, then we’re ignoring some important information about ourselves. When we understand our work as connected to the overall functioning of society, the human race and the living, breathing organism that is the Earth, every task takes on a new meaning.

This works on a micro as well as a macro level. On a macro level, when we pull the magnifying glass back, the size of our issue diminishes.

On a micro level, all the different parts of ourselves make the whole. If I focus on the part of me that thinks a particular task is awful, I put myself in pain. If I focus on the part of me that understands how each task is part of a whole process that includes things I enjoy, then I can carry out the task with love in my heart.

InterdependencyIn an interdependent relationship,

participants are reliant on and responsible to each other as well as to themselves, as Mahatma Gandhi pointed out. Many workplaces are based on sequential interdependence, where the output of one person or team becomes the input for another person or team. If the people in the early part of the chain, who are more independent, show insufficient care for the people in the latter part of the chain who are dependent on the first part, this creates pressure, which generates conflict.

A workplace is a community: if the relationships are working, the potential for joy is greater; if the relationships are not working and remain unaddressed, the community becomes toxic.

It is entirely possible to make a personal shift out of conflict whether or not the other people involved choose to make the same shift. It may take time, but it is a fulfilling experience to understand how to resolve conflict on the level of the heart.

Assessing RiskWhen you find yourself stuck in a job

you don’t like with little hope of doing something different, you are actually doing some important risk assessment. You are working out how to best meet your needs. For example, if you are weighing up your need for sustenance and your need for

fulfillment, at some level you have decided that the job sustains you even though it doesn’t fulfill you. Some part of you has assessed whether the risk of change is greater than the risk of staying put and decided that you are better off where you are. What’s important is to bring this process into consciousness to see if the assessment is flawed or based on fear rather than fact. It is fear that prevents change. Anaïs Nin put it well, “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

If the real reason for remaining stuck is fear, you may find yourself paralyzed

mainstream living, we place an awful lot of emphasis on acquiring it. So much so that in the struggle to compensate ourselves we forget about contribution. We all need to have a sense of meaningful contribution. Without it, we shrivel. If we cannot find any meaning and purpose in our work, we will feel unfulfilled. In order to work, we must contribute something. If we sense that we are being abused or we feel resentful, then our contribution is simply not aligned with our values. Sadly, that is the case in many workplaces where profit for a few is prioritized above community. Anthony Robbins wrote: “Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless

by fear in many of your decision-making processes in life. This will usually result in unhappiness because the part of you that is brave and wants to make a change is constantly thwarted by the part of you that is held back by fear.

A healthy risk assessment that concludes that you are better off staying in the job you are in would result in contentment because the risk assessment would have identified this as the path that works best for you.

ContributionSince money has become such an

important conduit to participation in

contribution experience life’s deepest joy: true fulfillment.”

If you have few options for choosing your work, then you might want to make a contribution that is aligned with your values outside of work, like volunteering, and experience work as the tool that sustains you to make that contribution.

You might not feel free to choose your circumstances, but you are free to choose your attitude toward them. And whilst circumstances can lead you to feel trapped and coerced, no one can influence your attitude unless you allow it. Fulfillment begins with that understanding. ❖

“A workplace is a community: if the relationships work well, the potential for joy is greater.”

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Basketry and grass-weaving is an ancient craft with a clear functional use and until recent times it has remained so. However, traditional basket weavers in

Scotland are few and far between now. Imported baskets have replaced the need for a local weaver, and the craft has been taken on by artists who, although they grow and use the raw materials using similar techniques, have transformed the craft into something that is now viewed and traded as art.

Examples of rope, nets, clothes, baskets, harnesses and bridles for horses, and works woven from natural materials like grass, sheep’s wool, heather and bark, date back to many ancient cultures including Egyptian, Navajo Native American and Aboriginal. The Egyptians, for instance, used fibers made from the leaves of palms, sedges, rushes and flax to make plaited baskets and mats. In prehistoric times, wickerwork seems to have been used to support layers of clay. Ötzi the Iceman, the mummy of a man from around 3300 BCE found preserved in a glacier in the Ötztal Alps in 1991, wore shoes strapped to his ankles with grass fibers with an inner shoe made of grass netting to hold hay in place to insulate his feet.

Weaving ArtScottish artist Lizzie Farey from Dumfries and

Galloway professes a fascination with living things and natural forms. She is a basket-weaving artist who makes baskets from willow, birch, heather, bog myrtle and other locally grown woods. She comments: “Basket weaving is in my veins. There’s something in me that likes the reassurance of continuity . . . Sometimes, in a dig in Scotland they still find a basket which is 4,000 years old. My sister-in-law taught me the traditional form of basket-making, but now it has become more of a luxury item to have a basket; it is a craft that artists have revived. I grow my own willow and other materials; cut it and dry it and make it into baskets. Willow was used in Britain for its flexibility and the ease with which it could be grown and harvested. British willow is also very strong, and during World War II, baskets were used for shell cases and for transporting carrier pigeons as well as for parachute drops of supplies.

“Every culture has basket-making in it. Travelers would bring baskets and local people would pick up a new weave; now this happens more through the Internet. When my mother was a child, rushes were used for roofing in her village in Dumfries and Galloway—a very rural area. Almost everyone would do shopping with a basket in the days before the carrier bag, and people would get their baskets from the basket maker because nothing else would do. In the 1980s, people connected together to form basket-weaving circles. Now people make log baskets in Britain, and there are basket-weaving circles in Scotland promoted by The Worshipful Company of Basketmakers in the City of London. People will always want to make things with their hands, but the way they express that always evolves.”

Material for TheaterWorking much further north on the coast of

Caithness, fiber artist Joanne B Kaar makes baskets, sculpture and paper using, among other things, the traditional craft of weaving. She was asked to make replicas of the weaver Angus MacPhee’s garments for a production by the Horse and Bamboo Theatre Company about this unusual weaver’s life. Angus was a crofter from the Hebridean island of South Uist who, diagnosed with schizophrenia following wartime separation from his home village, was

The Weaver’s Craft By Chrys Salt

Chrys Salt is a poet and playwright.

She has written and edited

many books and magazines and

held residencies and performed

internationally. She is artistic director

of the Bakehouse in South West

Scotland and runs courses for actors

at the London Actors Centre. See

www.chryssalt.com.

Lizzie Farey at work

“This quiet communal work and these skills passed down from hand to hand became deeply woven into the culture of the islands.”

SGI Quarterly10 October 2013

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In 2003, my partner Cali Ressler and I realized that the traditional workplace was a problem worth tackling and the solutions of the

day were less than ideal. The big problem? Managers were managing people, not the work. Workers focused on putting in time and playing office politics and looking good for the manager; measurable results were often the last thing on people’s minds. Solutions like telework still played the same game, only now managers had to manage their people’s time and presence

from a distance. Cali and I didn’t want managed flexibility (an oxymoron); we wanted complete autonomy for everyone. We wanted to manage the work, and let employees decide when and where and how to get that work done.

When Cali and I created Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE), we saw the potential that technology and the Internet brought to the workplace and we saw the limitations of manager-controlled flexibility and telework that were holding people back. Looking back over the last 10 years, I can see how mind-sets have progressed in the workplace, but many old ideas are still hanging on. Debates over how to manage people (rather than work) continue.

As long as someone else is managing your time, you will never achieve work/life balance.

What Is a ROWE? A Results-Only Work Environment is

100-percent accountability and autonomy for all, regardless of position or type of job. In a ROWE, employees can do whatever they want whenever they want, as long as the work gets done.

There are some misconceptions and many have mislabeled ROWE as a work-

at-home style program. The truth is that ROWE is a 180-degree cultural shift away from managing people to managing work. While many programs require managers to keep tabs on the comings and goings of employees (whether remotely or in the office), ROWE requires managers and employees to agree on clear, measurable results and focus solely on achieving those results. The particulars of where, when and how are up to each employee.

Performance conversations become objective as opposed to subjective. Managers watch the work; employees manage their own time and place. Accountability is as important and necessary as autonomy. No results? No job.

hospitalized in a mental institution near Inverness. During the 50 years he was hospitalized, Angus hardly spoke, absenting himself from company in the hospital grounds where he quietly extended the skills he had learned in childhood by weaving beautiful artworks from local grasses, flowers and kemp (coarse sheep’s wool, often caught on brambles or barbed wire). Once the garments were made, he hid them under trees, hung them on branches or assisted the hospital groundsmen to burn them on autumn bonfires. Joanne had to work out how Angus’s garments were made in order to create replicas. She found out how Angus made the original garments and she reconstructed them using different traditional techniques.

“I make fiber art inspired by local history which has included many botanical connections. The grass and other plants in my field are used to make the replica grass garments, and I also make artifacts using the same techniques as Angus MacPhee did, some of which date back to the Vikings, such as looping, knotless knitting and nailbinding. The land provides the inspiration for new work, rich in heritage,” she says.

A Crofter’s Way of LifeFrom childhood, Angus would have

worn clothes woven from the wool of Hebridean sheep and lived in a croft-house thatched with the fibrous local marram grass, the thatch held down against the big winds by ropes plaited from it. The family would have carried peat for their open fires in woven creels and made bridles and harnesses for their horses. It made economic sense in these cash-poor communities to use local seasonal materials for their basic needs, and this quiet communal work and these skills passed down from hand to hand became deeply woven into the culture of the islands.

Although marram thatches on Uist houses have long since been replaced with roofs of corrugated iron and slate, and plaited ropes by sisal, there are still artists in Scotland whose work and livelihoods are rooted in these ancient skills. ❖

The Results- Only Work EnvironmentBy Jody Thompson

“ROWE is a 180-degree cultural shift away from managing people to managing work.”

SGI Quarterly 11October 2013

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This kind of freedom allows employees to be intrinsically motivated and opportunistic and it levels the playing field.

ROWE is a workplace for adults. Managers trade up their “hall monitoring” for strategic thinking and servant leadership. Employees are trusted to deliver results and treated like adults rather than naughty children.

How does this happen? ROWE demands a fundamental shift in mind-set on the part of both managers and employees—a shift away from face time and squishy metrics, and a shift toward measurable results and productivity. This major culture change isn’t always easy, but with the right training and tools in place, any organization can successfully adopt a Results-Only Work Environment.

Who Can Be in a ROWE?The short answer: everyone. Every job

must have performance measures that are tied to the customer, not the clock. That means every job title, even if it requires you to be in a certain place at a certain time.

We have countless real-life examples from our own experience working with leaders in a variety of industries. ROWE works across the board. If you are a store employee and the store opens at 10 a.m. and you mosey in at noon, that is a performance problem, not “tardiness.” The customer has not been satisfactorily served. Period. Child care workers: with the cleaning checklist,

rooms were not clean, but the checklist was “checked off” each day. Yet when employees focused on more meaningful results with autonomy and accountability (the child’s growth as a happy, productive citizen in life), the rooms were clean without a checklist. A surgeon once told us he wasted 10 hours a week in meetings that were completely unproductive (only five minutes had measurable impact on patient care). In a ROWE, those meetings would be nixed in favor of focusing on patient care.

Many times, bureaucracy and policy undermine the results and get in the way of employees being able to do their jobs. ROWE brings those things to light during training and implementation, so that employees are freed from top-down control and allowed to make common-sense decisions about work.

Above all, focus on what matters.

A Day in the Life of ROWEEvery day, you and I use common sense

to manage all the areas of our lives in the most efficient and effective way possible. When time isn’t tracked, only results, the things I do are directly linked to getting results. I don’t stand at the sink and make sure I clock 30 minutes of dishwashing time. I get the job done as well and efficiently as possible. I automatically edit out wasted effort.

For a typical office worker, each day plays out in a different way based on what needs to get done. For example, on a Monday the office worker may choose to work from a coffee shop in the morning, travel to the office to facilitate an on-site training for a couple of hours in the afternoon, and then run some personal errands. After that, he might hop on a conference call in the late afternoon from home, check and respond to email, then unplug until after the kids go to bed. If necessary, based on work deadlines and deliverables, he may choose to complete other work-related tasks before unplugging for the evening. Each day of the week, I

decide what to do and where to be in order to be effective and efficient in my job and in my personal life.

A ROWE is about results. It’s not about having the coolest technology options or an amazing coworking space with all the bells and whistles. The point is: what is the outcome we need to achieve, and how are we going to do it with the tools that we have? Technology has helped us connect virtually and around the clock, but even without communication technology (Skype, IM), organizations or teams still need to focus on the achievement of measurable results, with objective, not subjective, conversations. We’ve worked with teams that have every bell and whistle to be 100-percent mobile, as well as teams that have voicemail and email only with physical time and location requirements. Technology can be a useful tool, but it is not what makes you a ROWE.

Perhaps one of the biggest objections I hear about focusing on results and only results is, “How do you know people are working?” And my answer is always, “How do you know they’re working now?”

It’s actually really simple. There’s no going back to the bad old days of traditional office life. The Millennials, a mobile and plugged-in generation, are making sure of that. But it transcends generations. All people see the value of a work environment where every employee has 100-percent autonomy and accountability. ❖

“‘How do you know people are working?’ My answer is always, ‘How do you know they’re working now?’”

Jody Thompson and Cali Ressler are coauthors of

Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: The Results-Only Revolution. See www.gorowe.com.

SGI Quarterly12 October 2013

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In Cambodia, 32 percent of the population is under 15, and although official unemployment statistics show a low rate, 80 percent of youth

employment is in the informal sector and two-thirds of working youth are poorly paid. Even for young people who manage to graduate from university, it is hard to get decent work.

Youth Star Cambodia is a novel approach to volunteering developed in response to this situation. Founded in 2005 by Eva Mysliwiec, it is based on the belief that young people could be a powerful resource for addressing the country’s most pressing social issues.

Eva believed that service is a powerful way to build the next generation of Cambodian civic leaders and social entrepreneurs; doing so is critical to Cambodia’s future.

Since 2005, 187 young Cambodians have been selected as Youth Star volunteers, first undergoing a training process where they learn about community leadership, health and hygiene and ways of tackling some of the urgent social issues facing Cambodia, such as domestic violence and a high rate

of school dropouts. They then spend 12–18 months working in rural communities.

After finishing their time with Youth Star, 85 percent have quickly found good employment. Some work with organizations such as the Asian Development Bank, others with the government, and one has set up his own microcredit association.

We coach and supervise the volunteers during their year of service. They live and work in the communities and are accountable to them. We encourage poor, underserved rural communities to apply for volunteers, and together we develop the volunteer’s job description. Communities identify a respected person such as a retired schoolteacher to be the volunteer’s local partner.

All volunteers spend at least 60 percent of their time teaching, coaching and mentoring students at risk of dropping out of school or those who have already dropped out. In the first month of service, volunteers conduct a community mapping to identify the most vulnerable children in the community and what community resources are available. In consultation with

local education officials, they then organize informal classes and tutoring for the vulnerable children, and set up a children’s club and a youth group. They often set up a village vegetable garden. In the children’s club, the volunteer will help children with their homework, especially those who are slow to learn. They may help mediate in situations where girls are under pressure to get married very young.

We go to universities and interview young people who have a wish to contribute and who can become role models for the communities they are posted in. Our volunteers do not do this for their own benefit: they are proud to be part of such a movement. They learn the importance of the human and spiritual side of life and are less materialistic than many other young people in Cambodia. ❖

Cambodia’s Youth VolunteersFrom an interview with Mora Gibbings

Sopheak from Kompong Speu Province, age 26,

has volunteered in the small town of Sambo in

Kratie Province. Being a Youth Star volunteer

has changed Sopheak’s life.

“I was originally very shy and scared to go

somewhere where I didn’t know anybody or

know about the customs. Now I have made

new friends, become more confident and feel

a part of this community. Initially the parents

didn’t want their children to participate in the

youth groups, but after I spent time explaining

the purpose, they allowed their children to

participate. This wonderful community is now

accepting of newcomers and knows how to run

a youth group and mobilize its members for

positive change.”

Sopheak, left, with children from the Sambo community

Mora Gibbings, a

development worker with

experience in Cambodia

and Australia, is executive

director of Youth Star

Cambodia.

SGI Quarterly 13October 2013

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Before I started to work at the airport, I studied law. I didn’t finish, because the illness and death of my

father had a strong impact on my life.To get myself sorted out, I decided

to follow my dream of becoming a pilot. I went to South Africa and the UK for training, and all went well until I developed a medical problem that put an end to that career too. I was determined not to be discouraged. With all my knowledge of aviation, I managed to get a job as Apron Controller 10 years ago, which involves controlling the aircraft on the ground.

My job entails supervising the quality and cost of printing and binding, including delivery.

Using 20 machines, we print approximately 10 million copies a month of items such as books, magazines, pamphlets and calendars.

I decided on this line of work as a result of my father’s recommendation. At first, I didn’t have much interest in printing. However, I believed that through challenging the tasks at hand I would be able to find myself. Four years later I experienced a turning point. A customer asked me, “What constitutes good printing?” I was caught off guard by the

sudden question and was quite shocked when the person then said, “Aren’t you a professional?” These words struck me deeply, and following this I made it my work to continually ask myself “What is good printing?”

Some of the specific challenges include rendering difficult colors for items such as art books. We find solutions through negotiating with equipment makers, adjusting our machines and discovering the most suitable ink. What is important is to not overlook details and to continually reflect on one’s work with a fresh outlook. Teamwork is essential, and when one overcomes all the hurdles, it’s very fulfilling.

It’s been 26 years since I began working at the Kosaido printing factory, but now I can say that I love my work. I feel truly happy when my work is appreciated by the customer. I feel a sense of pride and satisfaction that what I have helped produce is contributing to society in some way or helping inspire people. I feel work and daily life are inseparable. Through my work, I am able to reflect on my life and, similarly, through my daily life, I sometimes find solutions to my work.

I think the reward of work is felt over

time as one continually makes efforts. In the digital world, people seek to be able to achieve what they want as quickly as possible. The reality of work, however, is that when one does get confused and stuck, one has to redo things over again. I think work leads to a feeling of reward when one doesn’t begrudge the process but, rather, tries to discover the joy or fun in the work.

Following some restructuring I became a bit bored with the job, and last year I was fortunate to fulfill my wish to become an Airside Operations Manager. We are in charge of ensuring the safe, orderly and efficient operations on the airside of the airport.

We work different eight-hour shifts, which can be difficult to adjust to,

Paths to a Dream JobThe SGI Quarterly asked three people working in different countries about their experience of finding fulfillment at work

Michael Bungert, Stuttgart, Germany Airside Operations Manager

Kazuhisa Nakamura, Saitama, JapanHead of Manufacturing Division, Kosaido printing factory

Michael at Stuttgart Airport

Kazuhisa at the Kosaido printing factory, where the SGI Quarterly is printed

“What is important is to not overlook details and to continually reflect on one’s work with a fresh outlook.” —Kazuhisa Nakamura

SGI Quarterly14 October 2013

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I have worked for CARE for 19 years, which has been an amazing opportunity for learning and exposure

to different contexts, realities, cultures and people. When I left my home country, Uruguay, more than 20 years ago, I did not think that this would be my path. When I started working for CARE in 1994, I managed a rural development project in Cambodia. Today, helping shape the program strategies of such a large international humanitarian and development aid organization, which last year reached 83 million people in need, is truly a dream come true.

In my work I am confronted with the challenge of how to most effectively combat poverty, inequality and social injustice, which is demanding as well as incredibly inspiring. There is never a boring day! I feel privileged to visit projects in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America and I enjoy having contact with colleagues from all corners of the world.

While the Secretariat is in Geneva, I work out of Quito, Ecuador. I do prefer living in the developing world and being confronted with its challenges. Later in life, I would like to work more intensively at community level—maybe in the magical village of Cahuasquí in the Ecuadorian mountains where, whenever possible, I spend weekends with my husband and son.

We live in a world of scandalous

inequality and often progress seems slow. Also, when confronted with enormous challenges like Haiti’s earthquake, anything one can do seems like a drop in the ocean. Yet, the day we lose a vision of a better world is the day darkness begins. Despite the challenges, I have a lot of hope.

One of the areas of work that I feel most passionate about is gender inequality, especially in regard to the most discriminated-against and abused women, such as domestic workers, women working in the garment sector in developing countries and victims of gender-based violence.

There is a lot of work to do to address social injustice, and while it sometimes seems an impossible battle, we can make gains day by day if we work collectively and stand in solidarity with those most marginalized.

Of course, there are also the minor personal challenges of working in a global position. For example, due to time differences, my day usually starts at 5 a.m. for calls with colleagues in Asia. And the day never ends early! Finding a balance is a challenge, especially as I travel so much.

I believe the secret to finding fulfillment at work is being passionate about what you do and not realizing it is work. I was exposed to inequality from very early in life when my family left Uruguay in the 1970s during the military regime. Fighting inequality is in my blood; I cannot think of anything more relevant for my life.

although there are upsides to having a day off during the week.

The duties of the Airside Operations Managers include check-rides for any debris that could damage the aircraft’s engines, checking if all the markings are visible and if the concrete is damaged and so on. We also keep an eye on the wildlife on the airfield, as bird-strikes can damage aircraft severely. In winter, we help coordinate the deicing measures. We can close the runway if there are safety concerns. We inspect to check the aircraft handling is up to standard and are also in charge of enforcing traffic rules. We give unruly drivers penalty points, which can lead to a compulsory traffic training or even the loss of the driver’s certification. Apart from that, we write daily reports. So in other words, our duties are pretty similar to those of the police, except we are not armed.

I find my work very fulfilling because every day is different and you work with a lot of different people. Before I applied for this job I asked myself: “Do I see myself in the old department for the next 25 years?”—and the answer was NO. With all aspects of my current position my answer would be: YES! (Although I hope that the shift work will not affect my health too much in the long run).

With my long path leading me to a very fulfilling job at the airport that I grew up near, I would say, not everybody has the luck to find fulfillment at the first attempt. It might take a while, so patience is a very important factor, as is setting your mind on your goal. And, if things get difficult, last but not least: never ever give up!

Sofia Sprechmann, Quito, EcuadorProgram Director for CARE International

Sofia with members of a community CARE works with in Rwanda

“Not everybody has the luck to find fulfillment at the first attempt. It might take a while, so patience is a very important factor.” —Michael Bungert

SGI Quarterly 15October 2013

FEATURE

SGI Quarterly: How has the training changed your perception about yourself? Maria Teresa Flores Soza: I’m feeling new because this experience is not only to my personal benefit; it is to bring quality of life to our community. My hometown is very poor and most people are farmers. The [solar] energy would be a great advantage so we don’t need to use more gas, oil and kerosene.

I was elected to be part of the program because of my sense of community service. After that, I got my husband’s support, and I just started to cry with happiness.Anastacia Garcia: I never imagined I would learn how to produce energy from the sun. I have lived my whole life in the desert with the sun as my closest companion.

At first I had some nervousness about being on the program, and I wondered how I could learn about solar energy. It’s not usual for people in rural areas to have this kind of knowledge.

SGIQ: What has been the most rewarding part of your experience?MS: Everything . . . I’m so happy because of the huge amount I have learned during the last two months. I’m very surprised that now I can assemble a circuit or set up a home lighting system.

AG: Having the privilege to understand another culture, country and continent. I’m a Wayuu and feel that we are so similar with others, but at the same time so different; it is amazing.

SGIQ: What has been the most challenging part?MS: I love the food and in many ways I feel well adapted. The hot weather is terrible though!AG: I’m a grandmother settled in my life in Colombia for many years, so in some ways it is difficult to live together with other people from other countries and cultures. Our levels of tolerance are not the same as when we are younger. I’m very happy because I have everything I need here though.

SGIQ: What are you looking forward to when you return home?MS: It will be a nice celebration. They are planning to cook pork for my welcoming party. And I will be very proud and happy because I love to share my knowledge with others. I will be an expert on electricity problems, so we don’t need to look for a solution anymore—we are the solution.AG: They will look at me as a different person. When I come back I will be a better person and leader for my family, my community, my province and for Colombia. ❖

Women Harness the Power of the Sun

Barefoot College in Tilonia, India, is founded on Mahatma Gandhi’s belief that the knowledge, skills

and wisdom found in villages should be used for development before seeking skills from elsewhere. He believed that sophisticated technology should be used in rural areas, but be in the hands of local communities. The college trains illiterate men and women as masons, blacksmiths, solar engineers and water purification chemists, dentists, hand pump repairers and computer engineers. Since 1989, the college has pioneered solar electrification in rural villages, with students now coming from many different countries.

At the end of six months in Tilonia, the trainees graduate as Women Barefoot Solar Engineers and return to their own villages to electrify households with solar lighting units, assuming the responsibility of repair and maintenance for a minimum of five years.

The SGI Quarterly interviewed Maria Teresa Flores Soza, 39, from Nicaragua and Anastacia Garcia, 56, from Colombia, two trainees at the college, about the training they had received.

A solar installation in IndiaMaria Teresa Flores Soza Anastacia Garcia

SGI Quarterly16 October 2013

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SGI Quarterly: How would you describe your approach to photographing people in vocational training schools?Ralf Bäcker: The key is asking students to decide how to present themselves and their future profession. They have responsibility for choosing the way they appear. It becomes their project and they are proud of themselves. This style pays tribute to the German school of photography known as “Arbeiterfotografie” or photography of workers, a kind of visual sociology founded by photographer August Sander who documented ordinary people in his hometown of Köln. In his photographs, you might, for instance, see a carpenter with his tools standing in a “typical” pose to present his trade.

The photo is a collaboration between the subject—in this case the vocational school student—the photographer and the surroundings. Other

students watching and commenting are also part of the process. This creates a new kind of space. Discussion even opened up between the teachers and students, for instance when we asked them to describe their ideal teacher. We literally put the students at the center of the picture.

SGIQ: So how did this develop in Vietnam? RB: The initial plan was for a publication to introduce the vocational schools, but this never materialized. Someone had the idea of creating an exhibition and showing it in the vocational training school itself so that the photographs we had taken were not wasted. The head of the Vocational Training Association was the former minister of labor, and the day before the exhibition opened, she came to see it. Suddenly the project became very high profile. We have created exhibitions in three vocational schools so far, and also held an exhibition showing in Hanoi.

SGIQ: Does this project have an impact on the way the schools are run? RB: The taking of the photos opens up opportunities for change. In the photos, we had to show the schools were following international standards. The schools saw they needed to look good and they began to follow these standards, at first simply to show clean workshops in the photos. Later this affected the schools as a whole. There was a sense of pride in the place. Students were happy to show the work they were doing.

SGIQ: Do you make a particular effort to portray women engaged in vocational training?RB: We began to show pictures of women training as metal cutters to give a sense of new possibilities. At other schools, they had only been trained in garment work. Some of those photos are deliberately constructed, as the students were really from the garment workshops. We are not necessarily telling the truth, but deliberately promoting a constructed image. The aim is to change the image of vocational training and make it something young women might see as an option. Young women are now very interested in this kind of training.

SGIQ: How important is promoting vocational skills in Vietnam now?RB: People are happy because while many global companies are coming to Vietnam and employing unskilled laborers, the country has a serious shortage of skilled workers. Unemployment is a big issue. People are trying to find work in the industrial zones, yet they don’t have the skills. The vocational training option suddenly seems more important. The graduates qualify as skilled workers who can now earn more than other workers. ❖

A vocational training school student at the “Trained in Vietnam” exhibition, Ninh Thuan

Vocational Training in a New LightAn interview with Ralf Bäcker

Ralf Bäcker is a freelance

photographer from Germany who

specializes in images related to

development and the dignity of the

individual. His work can be seen at

www.version-foto.de.

In many countries, manual work and jobs such as electricians, welders, etc., have often been looked down on. Vocational training has also been seen as the poor relative of university education or other kinds of professional training. An initiative spearheaded by photographer Ralf Bäcker in cooperation with German aid agency GIZ is having surprising success in changing the image of vocational training in Vietnam.

SGI Quarterly 17October 2013

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hands-on work. I worked with more than 800 horses of various breeds, which gave me the confidence to start my own business in India.

I completed the course and came back home, where the real struggle began. I was the first dentist having trained in human dentistry to practice equine dentistry in India; as a human dental surgeon, I work at two clinics in Mumbai.

People are amazed to see a female dentist working with horses in a male-dominated industry. Some vets were arrogant and disrespectful in the beginning but now take me as an equal. And those who discouraged me from working in India, saying there was no future in this profession, ended up helping me by suggesting my name to the senior vet at a racecourse. Dental care is very important for performance horses.

In January last year, I started my career with one of the best trainers in India and

I love children and I love animals. That is why I had always thought I would become either a veterinarian or a child psychologist. But instead,

10 years ago, I took up dentistry, a field which my parents chose for me and which at that time did not interest me at all. I failed my first year of dentistry. My friend consoled me, telling me that this setback was temporary and crucial to finding my unique purpose or mission in life, and introduced me to the philosophy of Nichiren Daishonin.

SGI President Daisaku Ikeda says, “Wherever you are is exactly where you need to be, so you must strive there to the best of your ability.” That is how it was for me from that time on. As I continued to practice, I started enjoying dentistry and completed the course. I was also able to make time for all the things I loved doing. I rescued orphaned and sick kittens, puppies and rabbits, and even an injured pony. I volunteered my time with physically and mentally challenged children.

The next logical thing for me to do after my Bachelor of Dental Surgery was

to combine my twin interests, children and dentistry, and do my postgraduate in pediatric dentistry. I tried for three years but did not get admission into the course.

I established my dental practice but I felt incomplete. I wondered what my unique mission was. I began to chant to figure it out.

I had heard about dental care for horses, or equine dentistry. I thought only vets could study equine dentistry, but I found out about a three-month course

I could do at the New Zealand Equine Dentistry School (NZEDS).

In bitter winter, I went to study in the sleepy little town of Tuakau. My three months there were the most memorable of my life. The important thing I learned there was to think of every horse as a unique individual. This course offered a lot of

I am the first Indian to have become a member of the International Association of Equine Dentistry. I now work with a number of privately owned horses as well as most of the trainers at the Mumbai and Pune racecourses.

I am also happy to be able to spend time, along with my fellow SGI members, helping encourage and foster youth as capable leaders for the future.

Whatever I am, whatever I have achieved so far, has been because of my

Buddhist practice. As Nichiren says, “A blue fly, if it clings to the tail of a thoroughbred horse, can travel ten thousand miles . . . ” I am the “blue fly” determined to travel tens of thousands of miles clinging to the tail of the “thoroughbred horse,” the practice of the Lotus Sutra. ❖

Finding My Unique MissionBy Akruti Choksi, India

“I established my dental practice but I felt incomplete. I wondered what my unique mission was.”

SGI Quarterly18 October 2013

PEOPLE SGI members’ experiences in faith

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I realized that the poison I had to transform into medicine wasn’t my job; it was my resentful attitude. Furthermore, changing poison into medicine meant not only that I transform my situation with my boss, but also that my department, company and even the clients win in the process.

As I continued to chant this way, my resentment gradually gave way to appreciation. Over the next 30 days, my boss made time to train me each day. In appreciation, I started each phone call with

a cheerful “Hi,” like she was my best friend; she responded in kind. When she pointed out my mistakes, she did so with warmth and kindness. Those 30 days became my happiest days at work since transferring to this department.

When the 30-day deadline came, I was still employed. But the real victory was transforming my way of thinking.

The following July, during a staff conference call, my boss announced that our department had turned a corner. We were finally out of crisis mode. For the first time, I learned that we had been notorious as the lowest performing department in the company. When my boss took over as director, she had been under tremendous pressure, facing low revenues, quality control issues and new staff. I was filled with compassion and respect for her.

In January, my 2012 performance review ratings went from mostly “Needs Improvement” to the top two ratings of “Excellent” and “Above Average.” My raise was double the company average. My boss expressed her appreciation that I had responded to difficult issues with composure and dignity and that I had made an uncomfortable situation thoroughly enjoyable.

I have learned that the best way to earn the respect of others is by being a shining example of someone who is never defeated. ❖

Seven years ago, I went to work for a consulting firm that provides support and advice to insurance companies. I enjoyed a good

reputation and consistently got excellent reviews, raises and bonuses.

More than two years ago, the slow economy prompted the company to restructure. I was transferred to a different department doing a job that was outside my comfort zone.

My nearly three decades of Buddhist practice had taught me the value of making a determination to do my best, and I did. I soon realized, however, that I was in over my head. I lacked the necessary training and found the sheer volume of work daunting.

Communication between my boss and me broke down. When I asked questions about subjects I did not understand, I felt her response was abrupt and irritated. It seemed that she did not hesitate to point out my mistakes for everyone to hear. Increasingly, I kept to myself and became isolated.

After a year of working late and most weekends, I was told that I was not completing projects within the required time period; my company had to reduce invoices billed to clients because of me. I was deeply discouraged and frustrated.

During one low point, I sought

guidance from a senior in faith. She encouraged me to use my Buddhist practice to change poison into medicine.

This became my prayer. I experienced more criticism and frustration, and entire days went by without any communication from my boss, teammates or clients. In anger, I engaged a job-search service, thinking that finding a new position was the way to transform the situation.

In January 2012, I received a poor job review that came with an ultimatum: Turn

things around in the next 30 days or face immediate termination. I felt humiliated. I accelerated my job search, hoping to land a new position before the 30-day deadline. “Why should I be treated this way?” I thought. I was doing my part by putting in the hard work.

As I chanted, however, I made a startling realization. Despite my original determination to do my best at my job, my attitude had been one of complaint. Even my angry effort to find another job was prompted by arrogance and self-righteousness.

Transforming the ImpossibleBy Patti Heckman, USA

“I realized that the poison I had to transform into medicine wasn’t my job; it was my resentful attitude.”

SGI Quarterly 19October 2013

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Youth and WorkSGI President Ikeda sits in on a class at Soka University

Youth Representative: What criteria should we go by when looking for a job?

Daisaku Ikeda: . . . Second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda once said the criteria for selecting a job could be found in “The Theory of Value,” a philosophical treatise by his mentor, founding Soka Gakkai president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi . . . Mr. Makiguchi taught that there are three kinds of value: beauty, benefit and good. In the realm of employment, the value of beauty means to find a job you like; the value of benefit is to get a job that earns you a salary so that you are able to support your daily life; the value of good means to find a job that helps others and contributes to society. Mr. Toda once said, “Everyone’s ideal is to get a job they like (beauty), that is financially secure (benefit), and where they can contribute to society (good).”

But not many people are able to find the perfect job for them from the start. For example, someone may have a job that they like, but it isn’t putting food on the table, or their job pays well, but they

hate it. That’s the way things go sometimes. Then there are some who discover that they’re just not cut out for the career they dreamt of and aspired to.

Mr. Toda said that the most important thing is to first become an indispensable person wherever you are. Instead of moaning over the fact that a job is different from what you’d like to be doing, he said, become a first-class individual at that job. This will open the path leading to the next phase in your life, during which you should also continue doing your best. Such continuous efforts will absolutely land you a job that you like, one that supports your life, and allows you to also contribute to society.

And then, when you look back later, you will be able to see all of your past efforts have become precious assets in your ideal field. You will realize that none of your efforts and hardships have been wasted . . .

Youth: What about people who set out to achieve one dream, but then have a change of heart halfway, ultimately pursuing a different path altogether?

Excerpts from a discussion between SGI President Daisaku Ikeda and Soka Gakkai youth representatives.

SGI Quarterly20 October 2013

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Ikeda: Few people who are now actively working in various fields in society started out with the ambition of doing what it is that they’re doing . . .

The important thing is to develop yourself in your present situation, to take control of your growth. Once you have decided on a job, I hope you will not be the kind of person who quits at the drop of a hat and is always insecure and full of complaint. Nevertheless, if, after you’ve given it your all, you come to the conclusion that the job you’re in just isn’t right for you and decide to move on, that’s perfectly all right, too. My concern is that your decision won’t be the outcome of your being swayed because you have forgotten that you are responsible for your environment.

Taking your place as a member of society is a challenge; it is a struggle to survive. But wherever you are is exactly where you need to be, so you must strive there to the best of your ability. A tree doesn’t grow strong and tall within one or two days. In the same way, a successful person doesn’t get to where they are in only one or two years. This applies to everything.

There is a saying that urges, “Excel at something!” It is important to become a person who is trusted by others wherever you are, a person who shines with excellence. Sometimes a person may dislike their job at first, but grow to love it once they become serious about doing their best in it. “What one likes, one will do well,”

goes another saying. Growing to like your job can also enable you to develop your own talent . . .

Youth: Some students say, “I just want to get into a big-name company.”

Ikeda: Well, everyone is free to select where they’d like to work. I hope that those students will work very hard to achieve their goals. Japan, however, is in the midst of an economic recession, and the outlook for the future isn’t good . . . Companies that

were once considered prestigious no longer guarantee security, while educational background alone no longer assures one of a good job. These days it is possible for even large companies to go under. You won’t be protected just because you work for a company with a big name. That’s the reality of our society today.

So what, then, is important? The answer is true capability. It is vital to develop all kinds of strengths and abilities—such things, for instance, as an inquisitive mind, specialist skills, mental strength and flexibility.

Study is a lifelong endeavor; just graduating from university isn’t enough . . .

Youth: Some view work as an unpleasant chore which they must do to earn money to support their leisure activities and have a good time.

Ikeda: I’m not going to criticize this way of thinking. However, I would like to share with you the words of the Russian novelist Maxim Gorky (1868–1936) from his play The Lower Depths in which one of his characters

says, “When work is a pleasure, life is a joy! When work is a duty, life is slavery.” Your attitude toward your work, which takes up the better part of your day, decisively determines the quality of your life . . .

Youth: I think people can gain something much more valuable than money from working.

Ikeda: . . . The greatest happiness is found by applying yourself with confidence and wisdom in your workplace as an exemplary member of society, working hard for the

sake of a fulfilling life and the well-being of your family. A person who does so is a victor in life . . .

The important thing is to be proud of your work and your capacity and to live true to yourself . . . What’s important is that you give free and unfettered play to your unique talents, that you live with the full radiance of your being. This is what it means to be truly alive. ❖

Excerpted from the December 11, 1996, issue of the Koko Shimpo.

“Your attitude toward your work, which takes up the better part of your day, decisively determines the quality of your life.”

SGI Quarterly 21October 2013

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On June 3, Abigail Disney, filmmaker,

philanthropist and activist, spoke at the

SGI-USA New York Culture Center as

part of the Culture of Peace Distinguished

Speaker Series. During her lecture, Ms.

Disney addressed the topic of war, as

portrayed in the media, and peaceful

leadership. “If we want to make a dent in

the world’s problems, discomfort must

be our constant companion,” she said.

“The first step to building that culture is

to look inside instead of out. To decide to

choose good over good enough.” Rather

than peace being a goal, Ms. Disney called

peace a “side effect,” something that

comes about when we begin focusing on

the decisions we are making every day,

and make each of those choices with high

aspirations. She asserted that if we all did

this, “peace would happen.”

Prior to the lecture, she engaged

in an hour-long dialogue on peace with

representative SGI-USA youth, who

shared their personal aspirations with

her and asked questions about how they

can contribute to a culture of peace. Ms.

Disney explained that heroism, a pillar of

Hollywood and the American narrative,

is a disruptive framework to live by. “We

aren’t going to pick up a social problem and

carry it over the finish line by ourselves,”

she explained. Instead, she encouraged the

youth to learn to enjoy teamwork.

Ms. Disney, the granddaughter of Walt

Disney Company cofounder Roy O. Disney,

is known for her wide-ranging efforts

toward the empowerment of women—

from producing media on women’s

experiences of war to grassroots activism

that supports women in contributing

The film “A Path to Dignity: The Power of Human

Rights Education,” which uses case studies from

India, Australia and Turkey to illustrate how human

rights education can transform the lives of individuals

and communities, was shown at a conference

on human rights education in Russia held at the

Congress Complex in St. Petersburg on July 2.

The 28-minute film, jointly produced by the SGI,

Human Rights Education Associates and the Office

of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human

Rights, aims to raise awareness about the importance

of human rights education.

The conference was organized by the Human

Rights Academy based in Oslo, Norway, and the

Youth Center for Human Rights and Legal Culture,

based in Moscow. The majority of the participants

were secondary school teachers, primarily from

Moscow and some from Siberia. Teachers from

training institutions, universities and academic

institutions also attended. SGI representative

Kazunari Fujii spoke on civil society’s role in

promoting human rights education.

During the month of May,

commemorative events and meetings

marking May 14, SGI-Indonesia Women’s

Day, were held throughout Indonesia.

SGI women in the province of West

Java co-organized an event titled “The

World Is Yours to Change” with the local

government of Karawang, on May 26.

Some 420 people attended the event,

held at the Karawang Central Plaza

shopping mall.

Speakers included former First

Lady Sinta Nuriyah Wahid, Karawang

Vice Regent Cellica Nurrachadiana and

Purwakarta Regent H. Dedi Mulyadi, and

cultural entertainment from SGI-Indonesia

included a performance by a group of

women playing the angklung, a traditional

bamboo instrument.

Dr. Nurrachadiana commented that

events such as these provide inspiration for

women and help strengthen awareness of

the significant role women play in society.

At the SGI-Indonesia Headquarters

in Jakarta, some 450 women of all ages

also gathered to share experiences and

words of encouragement in celebration of

Women’s Day.

to their communities. She also cofounded the Gbowee Peace

Foundation and the Daphne Foundation, among numerous other

philanthropic contributions to grassroots and community-based

programs.

Ms. Disney (right) in dialogue with SGI-USA youth

On Women, War and Peace

Human Rights Education in Russia

SGI-Indonesia Women’s Day

SGI Quarterly22 October 2013

AROUND the WORLD

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The Institute of Oriental Philosophy (IOP) and SGI-Sri Lanka

sponsored the exhibition “Lotus Sutra—A Message of Peace and

Harmonious Coexistence” at the Royal College in Colombo, Sri

Lanka, from May 25–26. The exhibition, shown for the second

time in Sri Lanka, was organized in conjunction with the 2013

International Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi Buddhist Film Festival

sponsored by the Light of Asia Foundation.

The film festival has been organized annually since 2009 to

coincide with Vesak, a holiday held traditionally to observe the

birth, enlightenment and death of Shakyamuni Buddha.

The exhibition, which has panels in Sinhala, Tamil and

English, introduces the history and transmission of the Lotus

Sutra and features excerpts from the sutra’s seven parables and

from the IOP’s Lotus Sutra Manuscripts Series, an ongoing project

commissioned by the Soka Gakkai.

The series aims to promote and facilitate the study of

the Lotus Sutra by making facsimile and romanized versions

available to academic institutions around the world.

On April 6, the Ikeda Center

for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue in

Cambridge, Mass., hosted a seminar on

dialogue based on themes drawn from

the book A New Humanism: The University

Addresses of Daisaku Ikeda. Professors

Jim Garrison and Larry Hickman, who

have both engaged in dialogue with SGI

President Daisaku Ikeda, engaged in a

wide-ranging discussion with students

from various Boston universities. A key

topic discussed was how to transform the

“lesser self” and manifest the “greater self.”

In Buddhism, the former is associated with

selfish, limited desires and the latter with

compassion and empathy.

Dr. Garrison, professor of philosophy

of education at Virginia Polytechnic

Institute and State University, shared

Mr. Ikeda’s assertion that “in striving to

discover the greater self, the genuine

Buddhist approach is not to suppress or

wipe out the lesser self, but to control

and direct it so as to help lift civilization

to better, higher levels.” Based on this

idea, Dr. Garrison explained that dialogue

connects us to others and fosters a

greater or more compassionate self.

Dr. Hickman, director of the Center for

Dewey Studies and professor of philosophy

at Southern Illinois University Carbondale,

connected this insight with the views of the

American philosopher and psychologist

William James who believed that the

“self” is defined by one’s constantly

shifting habits, desires, motivations and

relationships. He explained that while the self is constantly

subjected to these influences, this also means that people have

the power to shape the direction in which the self grows.

Ikeda Center Hosts Student Seminar on Dialogue

Hip-Hop Benefit Concert in BrazilOn June 2, youth from Brazil Soka

Gakkai International (BSGI) gathered for

an annual hip-hop benefit concert titled

“Dance and Get Warm” at the Símon

Bolívar Auditorium of the Latin America

Memorial in São Paulo to help collect

winter clothing for those in need.

The event, held for the sixth time, was

co-organized by the São Paulo Ministry of

Public Safety, Bombelêla Dance Company

and BSGI. Admission to the concert

involved the donation of two pieces of

outerwear. The clothes were passed on

to the Winter Clothes Campaign, an

initiative of the Social Solidarity Fund of

the State of São Paulo, for distribution to

families in need.

The “Dance and Get Warm” concert

began with a b-boy (breakdancing)

session in the lobby, followed by street

dance performances by eight groups from

various districts of São Paulo City who

were among the selected finalists of a

dance competition held by BSGI earlier in

the year.

There was also a display of graffiti

paintings by urban artist Yara Amaral and

artists from Projeto Quixote, an NGO that

has been supporting street children and

at-risk youth in São Paulo since 1996.

The Lotus Sutra Manuscripts Series

Lotus Sutra Exhibition Shown in Sri Lanka

SGI Quarterly 23October 2013

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SGI’s antinuclear weapons exhibition “From a Culture of

Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit”

was shown for the first time in Iceland at the Reykjavík City

Hall from April 4–14. The 36-panel exhibition was translated

into Icelandic for the occasion. Some 120 people attended the

opening, including US Ambassador to Iceland Luis E. Arreaga

and Iceland’s Minister of Education, Science and Culture Katrín

Jakobsdóttir.

In her speech, Ms. Jakobsdóttir expressed support for the

adoption of a Nuclear Weapons Convention and her hope that an

agreement would be reached by 2015. There are currently moves

toward Iceland declaring itself as a nuclear-weapon-free zone.

On April 22, SGI-Bolivia youth

hosted a Culture of Peace seminar at their

culture center in Santa Cruz for students

majoring in international relations at the

Private Technical University of Santa

Cruz (UTEPSA). Thirty-four students

from a culture of peace course at the

university and their professor, Marcia

Padilla, attended the event with the aim of

deepening their understanding of the SGI’s

role as a nongovernmental organization

(NGO) in promoting a culture of peace.

The students studied a synopsis of

Mr. Ikeda’s 2012 peace proposal titled

“Human Security and Sustainability:

Sharing Reverence for the Dignity of Life,”

which stresses humanitarianism, human

At the invitation of the Chin-Shuan Cultural and Educational Foundation, a Taiwan

Soka Association (TSA) affiliate, the Sky Melody Ensemble, comprising members of

the National Song and Dance Ensemble of Mongolia, toured Taiwan from April 3–13.

The ensemble performed in Kaohsiung, Taichung, Taipei and Taoyuan, in a total of nine

concerts.

Each performance showcased traditional Mongolian music, dance and vocal arts,

including Khöömei, overtone singing (commonly known as Mongolian throat singing),

which is considered an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO.

The Chin-Shuan Cultural and Educational Foundation was established by Taiwan

Soka Association in 1988 to promote international cultural exchange with Taiwan.

Youth members of SGI-Philippines

held an Earth Day forum at the Philippines

Culture Center in Quezon City, Metro

Manila, on April 21. In the spirit of Earth

Day (April 22), the forum aimed to

increase awareness of environmental

issues. The forum’s theme was “The

Oneness of Life and Its Environment,” and

it was attended by 190 youth members,

who expressed their support for the event

and its theme by wearing green. This is

the third consecutive year such a forum

has been held.

Drawing on the January 2013 issue

of the SGI Quarterly, an SGI-Philippines

member gave a presentation titled

“Rethinking Waste: Converting Waste

to Wealth.” Guest speaker Oscar L.

Gador III, environmentalist and volunteer

coordinator of the Greenpeace Foundation

Southeast Asia gave a talk on genetically

modified organisms (GMOs) followed by

a question and answer session.

rights and sustainability as key elements in

addressing the global challenges of natural

disasters, environmental degradation,

poverty and nuclear weapons.

Antinuclear Exhibition Debuts in Iceland

Mongolia’s Sky Melody Ensemble Tours Taiwan

Earth Day Forum in Philippines

Folk singing accompanied by traditional instruments

Oscar L. Gador III speaking at the forum

Peace Seminar in Bolivia

For more news about SGI activities

around the world, visit www.sgi.org.

SGI Quarterly24 October 2013

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AROUND the WORLD

SGI-Korea organized a showing of the SGI

and Earth Charter International’s joint exhibition

“Seeds of Hope: Visions of Sustainability, Steps

Toward Change” at the Dongdaemun District

Office in Seoul from June 3–9. The opening

included a performance by SGI-Korea’s Gloria

Chamber Orchestra.

In celebration of the United Nations International Day of

Women on March 8, some 150 women from throughout New

Zealand, including women from SGI-New Zealand Aotearoa,

joined together for the Wellington Women Walk for Peace event.

The event comprised a lunchtime Peace Walk through the city

of Wellington and a Peace Celebration at the Te Papa Tongarewa

Museum. This year’s theme emphasized the empowerment

of women and the need to speak out against war and violence

against women and children.

Belinda Bonzon-Liu, cofounder of Wellington Women

Walk for Peace commented, “When I think of all the work, it

all seemed like mission impossible, but it became an incredible

event. Our work toward peace is an ongoing walk and I am

humbled by all of your work toward a culture of peace.”

On April 28, the Soka Gloria Brass Band performed two concerts for some 2,000

people in Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture. Many of the people who attended

were personally affected by the nuclear disaster that followed the Great East Japan

Earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.

The spirit of providing support and encouragement for people affected by the

Fukushima nuclear disaster was also extended by the Republic of Belarus through a

Belarusian Children’s Art Exhibition held at the Soka Gakkai Fukushima Culture Center in

Koriyama City from April 16–22. The exhibition was sponsored by the National Federation

of UNESCO Associations in Japan and supported by the Soka Gakkai Fukushima Youth

Peace Conference. The Republic of Belarus was affected by nuclear fallout from the 1986

Chernobyl nuclear accident.

Celebrating the “month of sustainable

development” in April, Soka Gakkai Malaysia

(SGM) in Selangor held activities promoting

environmental protection and eco-consciousness,

including a community cleanup, tree planting, an

exhibition and a lecture.

The tree planting was held at the SGM Kedah

Culture Centre on April 19 to mark Earth Day, which

is celebrated internationally on April 22. Some 80

people participated and were given saplings to plant

in their own gardens.

On April 28, SGM members living in Sungai

Buloh and Bestari Jaya held a community cleanup

in collaboration with the Kuala Selangor district

council. Together with local residents they cleared

garbage and debris from streets and drains and

also helped cut down dead tree branches at a

playground in Taman Pancaran in Bestari Jaya.

On the same day, Anthony Tan, executive

director of the Centre for Environment, Technology

and Development, Malaysia (CETDEM), gave a

lecture titled “Road Map towards Sustainable and

Environmentally-friendly Development in Malaysia”

at the SGM Petaling Jaya Centre.

In addition, the SGI and Earth Charter

International’s joint exhibition “Seeds of Hope:

Visions of Sustainability, Steps Toward Change”

was on display at the Center. There was also an art

contest for children aged 7 to 12 and a performance

by members of SGM’s Fei Yang Symphonic Band.

“Seeds of Hope” Shown in Korea

Women Walk for Peace

At the launch of the Peace Walk

Supporting Fukushima

The Soka Gloria Brass Band

Promoting Environmental Awareness in Malaysia

Planting saplings

SGI Quarterly 25October 2013

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What does your work entail?Joanie Ivette: I’m in charge of human resources management and supervision. My tasks include psychological evaluation of skills, capability evaluation, assisting with the recruitment and selection process and corporate training, as well as holding workshops around the country. I also help assess personnel performance and the work environment. Jan: I am the acting head of the Personnel and Organization Department. Our section employs around 3,000 people and is responsible for providing communication and information systems for the whole Ministry. Besides organizational reform, which is a continuous process, our department has responsibilities for recruitment, advising our line managers on human resource-related rules and regulations, and making sure our 3,000 employees are given appropriate training.

How does your perspective as a Buddhist and an SGI member influence your approach to your work?Joanie Ivette: My Buddhist practice has taught me to cherish each and every person and to challenge myself during both good and bad times. I put a lot of effort into building good working relationships among my team.

Current approaches to human resources management place an emphasis on developing human capital—people—and on talent management. This approach matches my personal convictions, and I can apply these methods and approaches to improve work environments.Jan: Every day I pray to manifest Buddhahood wherever I go.

When I was out of work for some time, I chanted to find a job which met the three values expressed by second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda: a job I enjoy that would support my life and contribute to society. I love my job, my salary is very nice and I feel I contribute in many ways to the main aims of the Ministry, which include promoting the international rule of law and providing disaster relief and humanitarian assistance. I also try to contribute through building good relations with the people around me.

What are some of the joys and challenges of your work?Jan: My biggest joy is that I feel that after a long journey I am in exactly the right place to contribute to society, my clients, my team members and my boss. The biggest

Joanie Ivette Carrión Zapata, from Lima, Peru, is a certified psychologist who works at a human resource management company in Peru.

Jan Hameeteman is from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. He is a Senior Advisor of Personnel and Organization at the Ministry of Defense in the Netherlands.

Treasuring People in the Workplace

SGI Quarterly26 October 2013

ON VOCATION A series in which SGI members discuss their approach to their profession

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Jan: It goes without saying that without satisfaction and pride any job would be very hard to continue. When you come home with a sense of achievement and joy, everybody around you can benefit.Joanie Ivette: When a person is in the right job and has the necessary skills, they can develop confidence in their abilities. They are able to discover their real capacity, and value and respect the work of others.

What are some of the greatest lessons you have learned through your work?Joanie Ivette: I have been able to hone my ability to understand people, so that I am able to focus on the most important and relevant aspects of a person in the context of work. Another thing that I’ve learned is to

challenge is to stay motivated in an environment where it can sometimes take a while to achieve results because of all the procedures in place. I believe dialogue is the key to making things happen.Joanie Ivette: I’ve learned from my mentor Daisaku Ikeda that youth have a great capacity to contribute to society, and I’m doing my best to achieve that in my job.

As a team member, I do my best to stay in good spirits and always have a smile on my face. I have to challenge myself to be always willing to take on tasks and to stay in high spirits. I try to see the positive in every situation, to be a good listener and friend.

When selecting people for positions, what are some of the key factors that you take into consideration?Jan: The great thing about a big organization like the Ministry of Defense is that it reflects society. We always try to place the right person in the right place, not only looking at education and experience, but also at specific competencies for different jobs. Naturally, this is to make sure the work gets done, but we also want our employees to be happy in their jobs. Joanie Ivette: First, I decide which recruitment sources will be used according to which kinds of employees are required. Also, I keep in mind the condition of the labor market. The growing labor market in Peru is very competitive, so this affects the retention level of employees. I evaluate each candidate’s values, level of commitment and human relations skills with a view to reducing the rate of staff turnover and absenteeism, which can have a negative impact on companies.

How do you feel you can best support the employees at your workplace?Jan: At this point in time, the whole Ministry is subject to reorganization, caused by huge cost-cutting targets. This is a long and difficult process, which puts a lot of strain on everyone.

Every morning I chant to be able to make a difference for the better that day. I pray for my clients, for the members in my team and for the employees. Then, when I enter my workplace, I try to communicate from the heart to everyone around me. And, of course, I make sure my job gets done in the best possible way.Joanie Ivette: Every time there is a problem or an unexpected situation at work, I try to project composure and optimism and offer solutions and ideas for improvement. I believe dialogue is very important for building trust and a sense of unity.

Working as a psychologist specializing in human behavior in a highly competitive environment has made me stronger. I have learned from President Ikeda that if I hope to create change I must begin with myself, as everything is a reflection of my own life.

What, besides pay, do you think is the most important thing people can derive from their work when there is the right fit between them and their job?

always challenge my limits and try to move even one step forward. I feel I’m constantly learning and developing, and I try to generate ideas and propose innovative strategies.Jan: The greatest lesson I have learned is to be grateful. Work not only enables you to sustain your life, it also provides you with an environment in which you can lead a meaningful life and where you can grow endlessly. ❖

“If I hope to create change, I must begin with myself, as everything is a reflection of my own life.”

SGI Quarterly 27October 2013

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We live in a world where the pursuit of status, affluence and pleasure are praised and encouraged, oftentimes blinding us to the true value of our

very existence. As a result, our sense of worth can fluctuate depending on these external markers of value. In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha awakens people to a revolutionary teaching that clarifies that, regardless of how smart, successful or wealthy they may be, all living beings possess the same dignity and potential as the Buddha. Understanding the difficulty people may have in grasping this profound truth, Shakyamuni tells the story of the three carts and the burning house, the first of the seven key parables told in the Lotus Sutra.

The description of this scene is one that has strongly influenced popular culture and Buddhist thought: “There is no safety in the threefold world; it is like a burning house, replete with a multitude of sufferings, truly to be feared . . . ”

The story begins with a vivid scene of a huge dilapidated mansion where a father and his many children reside. All of a sudden a fire breaks out,

engulfing the entire house in flames. The father runs back into the burning house to tell his children to leave. But the children, engrossed in their games and unable to comprehend the danger, ignore him. Devising a plan, the father tells his children that outside there are presents of goat carts, deer carts and ox carts awaiting them. Hearing this, all the children excitedly rush out of the house to claim their carts and are saved from the

fire. Once outside, the children demand their promised carts, but instead their father gives each of them a cart beyond their imagination—a magnificent jeweled carriage drawn by a majestic white ox.

Like the children described in this story, we can easily become absorbed by relatively shallow, transient pursuits. We can fail to recognize the precariousness of such an existence and underestimate the potential of our lives. SGI President Daisaku Ikeda points out: “Living beings, submerged in foolishness and ignorance, not only fail to recognize that the house in which they

dwell is actually burning up with them inside it, but they also fail to realize that their very own lives contain the Buddha’s life. Using parables, the Buddha seeks to awaken them to the brilliantly shining life inside them.”

The wondrous image of the great white ox cart is a sharp contrast to the burning house. Quoting an early version of the sutra, Nichiren offers a description of the great white ox cart that is truly wondrous. Immensely long, wide and high, it has thirty-seven gleaming silver-thatched stairways leading up to it. Eighty-four thousand jeweled bells are hung on all four sides of the cart, and on the forty-two thousand railings, the Four Heavenly Kings stand as guardians. When riding within it, one experiences boundless joy and freedom. The grandeur of the great white ox cart represents the unfathomable Buddha nature that exists within the lives of each person.

Through this parable Shakyamuni endeavors to expand our often limited perception of the potential of our lives. It is difficult to believe in the magnitude of this potential, in our ability to overcome all challenges and successfully take our lives into new, unexplored directions. The promised goat, deer and ox carts with which the father gains the attention of his children are a metaphor for the “three vehicles,” the early, provisional teachings of the Buddha that are tailored to the intellectual capacity and expectations of his disciples. The true extent of our Buddha nature, however, far exceeds these expectations.

We quite naturally place limits on our ideals of personal development, or become complacent or self-satisfied. Buddhism encourages ongoing growth and development, an eternally youthful spirit. Daisaku Ikeda notes: “The great white ox cart, which traverses freely over the most treacherous peaks, represents the state of Buddhahood, which knows no limitations.” This is the true nature of our lives, a life condition of freedom, dignity and joyful expansion. ❖

This is the first in a series introducing the seven parables of the Lotus Sutra.

The Parable of the Three Carts and the Burning House

“We quite naturally place limits on our ideals of personal development, or become complacent or self-satisfied. Buddhism encourages ongoing growth and development, an eternally youthful spirit.”

SGI Quarterly28 October 2013

BUDDHISM in DAILY LIFE

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OPPORTUNITY IS MISSED BY MOST PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS DRESSED IN OVERALLS AND LOOKS LIKE WORK.—Thomas A. Edison

Work without love is slavery.—Mother Teresa

I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand;that the world owes no man a living, but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.—John D. Rockefeller

There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit.

Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.

—Indira Gandhi

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied

is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.

If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.—Steve Jobs

Finding the right work is like discovering your own soul in the world.

—Thomas Moore

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The Value of WorkCover Photo: Woodworker using hand plane© Hero Images/Getty Images

SGIQuarterly

A Buddhist Forum for Peace, Culture and Education

The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is a

worldwide association of 90 constituent

organizations with membership in 192

countries and territories. In the service of

its members and of society at large, the

SGI centers its activities on developing

positive human potentialities for hope,

courage and altruistic action.

Rooted in the life-affirming philosophy of

Nichiren Buddhism, members of the SGI

share a commitment to the promotion of

peace, culture and education. The scope

and nature of the activities conducted in

each country vary in accordance with the

culture and characteristics of that society.

They all grow, however, from a shared

understanding of the inseparable linkages

that exist between individual happiness

and the peace and development of

all humanity.

As a nongovernmental organization (NGO)

with formal ties to the United Nations, the

SGI is active in the fields of humanitarian

relief and public education, with a focus

on peace, sustainable development and

human rights.

SOKA GAKKAI INTERNATIONAL15-3 Samoncho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0017, Japan

Telephone: +81-3-5360-9830 Facsimile: +81-3-5360-9885

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