Spirituality in the Workplace: A Wake Up Call from the American Dream

Connie Bygrave
Scott Macmillan

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DOI: 10.2190/WR.13.1.g

Abstract

The American Dream, born out of a desire to emancipate people through the principle of the individual right to freedom, has metamorphosed. What we now have is a materialistic, self-serving American Nightmare that has inspired a wealth-creating society that is spinning out of control. A parallel world view, the European Dream, offers a more humane alternative for a world in crisis. We propose that the American Dream and the European Dream are so diametrically opposed that any movement from the short-run materialistic mindset toward a more humanist long-run perspective will require an intermediary. The spirituality in the workplace movement, which may be both a cause and an effect of the decay of the American Dream, is proposed as a conduit to facilitate this evolution. Canada and Canadian companies in particular are identified as potentially fertile ground for carrying the message of spirituality to the workplace and inspiring an evolution to a more globally conscious and sustainable society.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.