CORPORATE SUFI : Dangers of denying living your totality

In 2014, Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the youngest Nobel laureate ever.

This award salutes the enormous courage and conviction displayed by a young girl who symbolized the cause of women’s rights all over the world.

In a way this award epitomizes the victory of human rights over gender discrimination.

But this news and the recent ‘He For She’ campaign by the UN also brings to light another glaring fact; that even after more than 5,000 years of civilization, the idea of ensuring human rights for both men and women still remains a matter of debate rather than a legitimate expectation.

How can we even question the prospect of denying equal rights and opportunities to 50 per cent of our population under the cloak of morality or tradition?

While we may be different, one is not more equal than the other. We are both essentially the sides of the same coin and complement each other.

By denying rights to women, we deny rights to the whole of humanity. We deny the contribution of half of humanity. It is in fact a denial of our own existence. Because we don’t live in neatly punctuated silos of being a ‘man’ or being a ‘woman’.

Our worlds intersect not only on the outside, but also on the inside.

For the simple fact we are all born of both the mother and the father, we have both the masculine and feminine element in us; only one is more dominant than the other.

And to deny a part of you is to deny your totality.

When a father is with his children, doesn’t his love, his care, bring out the feminine aspects? Similarly when a woman is standing up to defend her rights, or jumps in battle to protect herself or her loved ones, the masculine in her is brought alive.

In fact when I talk of the term Corporate Sufi – it brings together both the male and female aspects of life to present a unified whole.

While the Corporate aspect might express the masculine through its emphasis on drive, determination and focus, the softer feminine aspect shines through the Sufi element, with its focus on compassion, creativity, giving or looking at the big picture.

Also, we have to realize that when we try to enslave others, we too become enslaved. You have to give up your own freedom too.

When men deny the right of women to be themselves, they somewhere have to compromise on their individuality as well. For example, men are not allowed to cry, express their grief, or express their sensitive side, all in a bid to be more manly or authoritative.

One cannot be free unless the other is free too.

I am blessed with two children, a girl and a boy. While my younger son is studying, my daughter has graduated and is working as a brand manager with Johnson & Johnson.

From a young girl in pigtails she has blossomed into this intelligent, articulate, and confident young woman. It’s a pleasure to see her evolve and grow every day. When I think about their future, I want to ensure that both my kids have equal opportunity to express and live their complete selves.

In my own life, I would have never been able to live my dream of becoming an inspirational speaker, author and coach if my wife hadn’t supported me and taken the reins of our accounting practice. My life would be incomplete without her support.

If we all look around, we will find innumerable examples of how the women in our lives have supported us, nurtured us. Their contribution cannot be denied.