St Francis of Assisi said: in giving we receive. This is lived out in the African Ubuntu Principle which says that “I am because we are”, that is, I am the cumulative product of the society and hence I have the responsibility to the society to make it better. The Ubuntu philosophy articulates such important values as respect, human dignity, compassion, solidarity, and consensus that demands conformity and loyalty to the group.[1] It means that my growth or decline is the aftereffect of the society I come from. Pope Francis also points out how in the nature we find this principle of giving out as sharing. An indigenous wisdom, which was quoted by him in the beginning of the Covid quarantine reads thus:
“Nothing in nature lives for itself. The rivers do not drink their own water; the trees do not eat their own fruit; the sun does not shine on itself and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. Loving for others is a rule of nature. We are all born to help each other. No matter how difficult it is. Life is good when you are happy; but much better when others are happy because of you.”
When we share what we have, we grow in people’s blessing and God’s grace.
Recently I happened to read a story about ‘Stone Soup’: In a remote village people experienced acute drought with few crops to harvest. One day a traveling woman came there asking for food but no one had any to share. Finally, a man could spare a kettle, a pot, and some water. She set up an oven in the village square and a curious crowed gathered around her. She placed the pot on the kettle and poured water into it. She pulled out a stone from her pocket and said that the stone was magic and she could make enough soup to share with everyone in the village, using this magic stone. Putting the stone into the water, she started to stir the water getting warm. She started smelling and tasting the water at intervals. After a few minutes, she remarked that the soup was coming up nicely; but it would taste better with a little onion and cabbage. A woman ran up to her house and brought in some onions and another one came up with some cabbage. As the soup became more aromatic, more villagers came to see what was going on. The traveller mentioned that the soup has become a little thin, may be a few potatoes would thicken it up a bit. A boy jumped up and got some from his mother’s kitchen. And the woman stirred and stirred and made a gentle suggestion that the soup would be fantastic if some more spices could be added – More and more ingredients started to come up. By the time the ‘stone soup’ was ready, it had become a hearty stew, and more than enough to feed the entire village.[2] This is the secret of receiving in giving. It is not the plenty of what we have, but the generosity of the heart we feel for the other in need.
Mother Teresa lived out this life giving principle. She said, “The poor are great! The poor are wonderful! The poor are very generous! They give us much more than what we give them.”. She added, “ We have very little, so we have nothing to be preoccupied with. The more you have, the more you are occupied, and the less you give. But the less you have, the more free you are (to give)”, for “Intense love does not measure, it just gives.” The invitation of Mother Teresa is to live out what Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Lk 6:38).
I remember the experience of Fr A. Victor SJ, the former Superior of Chennai Mission, before it became the Jesuit Chennai Province. Prior to the final commitment in the Jesuit Order he wanted to experience the life of a beggar. He spent a month mostly in the platform in Saidapet suburban train station – He might have been in his 40s. When he begged all through the day some ignored him; some took pity on him; and some gave him something. One day he did not get anything. In the late evening he just drank water in the platform and went to sleep. A fellow beggar woke him up and offered him Two rupees and said: I have been watching you and you did not get anything today. Take this and go to the shop at the end of the road. You would be able to get a bun and a cup of tea. Fr Victor was so much touched by the richness of this offer by a fellow beggar. We need the heart, not wealth, to give.
The movement of feeling for the other and helping them; and the subsequent cascade effect starts in a business world with ethics, strengthened by equity, and culminating in sharing what we have and what we are. Ethics is the principle and foundation of meaningful life for each one and it is the backbone of any relevant and useful business. People in the business often meet with the dilemma whether to be smart or to be honest. To be smart might imply we outwit others, especially our competitors in the business world, and reach the summit of monopoly. To be honest is to be transparent and accountable – To be transparent within the organization and to be accountable to the statutory bodies and stakeholders. Ethics in a day-to-day life would be interpreted thus: If we know why we do something; we would look for how to do it. The outcome could me either means or meaning. Either we would build up influence and amass wealth or we find satisfaction individually and collectively in life and business. Ethics is also the understanding of our responsibility to the society. We are the cumulative product of the society and we have a responsibility to the society – It should be on an individual level as well as on a collective basis. We might be in an unequal and unjust society, but we should take efforts to bring in equality, equity, and justice and make this world and society a better place to live for ourselves and for others.
In the context of business, the characteristics of ethics could be understood as people oriented and justice based: Ethical business is noble but it needs commitment to the quality of product and satisfaction of the customer. Ethical leadership would decide on the fine line between financial driven vs people’s wellness oriented profit. The organization or company should make sure that the employees are co-workers who should, in principle, own the organization or company. Clearly defined and understood code of conduct, with embedded guidelines for each employee, would carry the mission of the company forward. Integrity would be an all-encompassing hallmark of an ethical business. It is not only adhering to laws and regulations at the local, state and federal levels, but also it is treating the employees at all levels with respect and fairness. This would also reflect on the quality of the product as well. Further, it is seen and felt as respect to employees and customers especially in listening to and incorporating their feedback for the good of all stakeholders. And this would result in long lasting and meaningful relationship among the employees, vendors, customers, and even with competitors in business arena. And finally, concern for people should be extended to the care of the environment.[3] Each industry and company should take adequate efforts to enrich the biodiversity and should work to take care of our common home, namely environment and ecology.
We are happy that the LIBA search committee has recommended Indian Oil Company for the Mother Teresa Award this year. Indian Oil Corporation, according to its working policy, focusses on attracting, developing, and retaining the right talent to build a safe, engaged and performance driven workforce, with the assumption that the employees play a vital role to achieve the goal collectively. Further, to create an engaging and interactive workplace, the human resource team has framed a well-defined HR policy, encompassing strategies for the healthy development of employees. There is interconnectivity at Indian Oil Corporation where synergy is worked out between dream and practical ideas weaving into a learning process resulting in collaboration and excellence in terms of output and connectivity with the partners and customers. The wellness of the employees is placed before the wealth of the company.[4]
I congratulate the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (especially Southern Region Pipelines) who is the recipient of Mother Teresa award this year and I wish all the best the special awardee Rasna Pvt Ltd. May the year 2023 see you grow in building up the society for the better. Wish you all the best and let your light of good work shine in the world.
Francis P Xavier SJ
06Jan2023
[1]https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/28706/04chapter4.pdf?sequence=5#:~:text=The%20Ubuntu%20philosophy%20articulates%20such,from%20different%20cultures%20and%20backgrounds.
[2] https://alittletwistedyoga.com/blog/f/giving-and-receiving—2-law-o-spiritual-success
[3] https://smallbusiness.chron.com/six-characteristics-ethical-business-22401.html
[4] https://www.iocl.com/contents/integrated-annual-report-2020-21/human-capital.html