Personal Philosophy, with Emphasis on Employment.

I am not more important, and not less important than anyone else. If I
want to be safe in the world, I must work for the safety of all. I
choose to respect others with the hope that I will be respected. I can
maintain my dignity only where the dignity of others can be maintained. My
prosperity depends upon the health and prosperity of all and the whole
of all, including the Earth.

My well-being depends upon the well-being of the community. The well
being of the Community depends upon the well-being of its members,
including my own. When the community makes the well-being of its members
its highest priority, and we each pursue our private well-being in ways
to support and not hurt the collective well-being or of other
individuals, we have created the most healthy community that is
possible. (The purpose of law is to facilitate the expression of these
truths, but is a sub-optimal mechanism. The most effective and healthy
arrangement is for the values of mutual accountability and mutual
well-being to be internalized in every person and every relationship.)
When the community takes care of its members, the members individually
have a vested interest in the well-being of the community, and
enlightened members will reciprocate with the care of others and the
community.

The workplace is a structured community in which resources and
productivity follow mutually agreed expectations. Its contract specifies
what work needs to be done, and the terms of exchange. When I sign up for a position, in exchange for respect and pay I want to do the best I can for my employer. Performing well the duties assigned to me is how I affirm the relationship I have with my employer. I want my work to satisfy my employer and I am willing to work to improve my work to meet the hopes and expectations of my employer. I will do everything needed and possible to take care of the needs of my employer in exchange for the compensation and dignity afforded to me as the employee.

The work I do has several dimensions: to communicate information between
persons, to assist in the resolution of conflict between persons, and to
guide or foster the development of persons and-or the community. Clearly
from this formulation, I am very focused on people, and their collective
and individual condition. As a technologist (I am a carpenter), the
supervisor becomes the primary person I need to satisfy. As a writer I am
often left to imagine the persons I am interacting with. As a researcher
the audience is usually defined by the supervisor. As a member of a
collective, I frequently interact with the other members and we are able
to discuss and agree on a course of action. The synthesis and
articulation of information, in ways to assist and move other persons,
and the community, is the essential component of my work.

From what I have said, my work can be important on multiple levels. As a
homeless persons outreach worker, the possible value is in the
improvement of individual lives, and the health of the community which
results from that personal improvement. As a policy analyst, the value
could be seen in the possibility of improving other peoples' lives and
the sustainability of the community. As a teacher, the value of my work
would be to help my students understand the world better and enhance
their ability to survive and prosper, and contribute to a healthy
community. As a carpenter the value of my work is in providing a quality
product for the enjoyment of my client or my employer's client.

As a professional in any of the fields I might pursue, accomplishment
for me follows from having a positive impact on other people's lives.
The largest organizing principle of my life is pursuit of a healthy
planet, to benefit everyone and every form of life. I make the
difference I make by facilitating social process, whether this is in the
form of communicating information, leading a meeting, or contributing a
new vision of what is possible. The apex of my art is in synthesis of
ideas, the coherent and evocative expression of those ideas, and the
grounding of those ideas in the ultimate drive of life, health and
well-being.