Life does not seem to be impressed by our arguments that we
can ignore our deeper desires simply because we happen to be earning a living
at the time - David Whyte "The Heart Aroused"
Spirituality
seems to be a "bad" word in the legal profession - when do you ever hear or
read about it? I believe it is that inner part of us where we are
sensitive to the deepest, most nuanced levels of meaning in our lives. It is
also the part that is capable of apprehending the sacred in the everyday.
Sometimes people get the mistaken notion that spirituality is a separate
department of life, the penthouse of our existence. But rightly understood it
is a vital awareness that pervades all realms of our being. Someone will say,
"I come alive when I play golf." Wherever we come alive, that is the area in
which we are spiritual... To be vital, awake, aware, in all areas of our
lives, is the task that is never accomplished but remains the goal.
Sadly, the inner life is often left underdeveloped in those of us who live
hurriedly, under the weight of constant deadlines and pressure. This lack of
development is particularly unfortunate among lawyers because so many can
recall - often with a twinge of sadness for that which has not come to pass -
the spiritual/service impulses that brought them to the law in the first
place. The practice of law is about hunger - the hunger for resolution, for
healing the lives of individuals, organizations and communities; for enabling
society to function harmoniously and productively; and ultimately for justice.
Spirituality may not always be easy to define but the concept is certainly
embodied in these yearnings, as it is in any quest to deepen your
understanding of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning. When
lawyers express in words and actions that they feel caught between a
professional role and who they really are, they are describing a personal
spiritual crisis - a crisis that is much talked about
in law schools and even in law firms, albeit in somewhat different terms.
True individuality is not imposed from outside: it is a function of who you
are. But the burden of perfection that the legal culture places on lawyers
tends to inhibit the expression of anything truly their own - which, to the
extent that it's real, may feel to rough and unpolished to reveal in the light
of day. Worse, by asking you to deny your imperfection - that is, to reject
your true self - the culture asks that you deny your own uniqueness. Caring,
compassion, the transcendent purpose that gives meaning to your work - these
are the legal culture's glaring omissions.
There are glowing exceptions but, to a great extent, such qualities are
missing in the academy and in most law firms and they are conspicuously absent
from most lawyers' mental maps. Without them, only one criterion remains by
which to measure success, one that has nothing at all to do with your need to
do meaningful work or to belong to a profession that stands for something
worthwhile: money. Where there is no meaning, at least there is money; where
there is no joy, still there is money.
Is it any wonder then that more lawyers are asking themselves why they ever
got into this line of work or, more to the point, what they can do to
alleviate their nagging unhappiness? It is essential to be clear about where
people find meaning in their lives. The list remains the same, no matter how
times change:
 | relationships |
| giving back to society |
| creating something that endures |
| possessing a sense of divinity, holiness or awe |
| being in love |
| working productively |
What these sources of meaning have in common is that they all, to varying
degrees, suggest a coming together of the outer world and the inner life, each
being enriched to the extent that a deep inner engagement is brought to the
experience. Relationships, for example, are most meaningful when you bring
your deepest feelings and capacity for openness to them.
A sense of
disintegration
is endemic in the profession. Conversely the cultivation of a deeper and more vibrant
inner life can promise
- and deliver - a great
deal, all of it compelling, much of it eminently practical. It can bring
meaning and excitement to your practice, it can help you relate better with
clients, and allow you to handle the pressures and vicissitudes of law
practice with equanimity; it can make you a better, clearer, more focused and
balanced lawyer, and in so doing enhance your value and relevance to the legal
profession. Finally, attention to the spiritual, or inner, dimension can help
you deepen or reclaim a sense of purpose in your work and make clearer how the
path you're on - the legal path - can enhance and deepen your experience of
life.
