So why is “work” spiritual, but not "business"?

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I was thinking about “Business as a spiritual exercise”. It’s been on my mind a lot lately.

Sounds kinda weird, right? Capitalism and spiritualism aren’t exactly known for being synonymous.

But then I was thinking about how work and spiritualism are often paired.

Think of a master Zen carpenter, or master Zen sushi chef, or master Zen sword maker (work as a Zen practice, basically). Think of the early Soviet Revolutionaries, whose propaganda gave both work and the workers an almost mystical quality, in spite of their avowed atheism. Or Christian monks from a Medieval monastary, toiling away in the fields, work as prayer etc.

So why is “work” considered spiritual, but not “business”? Both are things you practice daily, both are things for getting stuff done, both are perfectly ways of expressing our highest selves.

I may be in the definite minority here, but I’ve always believed that running a business can be a spiritual exercise, just as much as anything else, if you choose to make it so.

It just depends on why you’re in business in the first place.

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