Imbalance in the modern world of work and monastic understanding of work

O tome kako čovjek shvaća sebe, svoj život i ovaj svijet u kojem živi ovisi i njegovo shvaćanje rada te odnos prema njemu. Rad je jedna od bitnih sastavnica čovjeka kao osobe. To je njegova vlastitost koja je puno više od pukog sredstva za preživljavanje. U današnjem svijetu rad i sve ono što se uz njega veže jedna je od najčešćih tema, kako na mikro tako i na makro razini. Za mnoge je on izvor zadovoljstva i radosti. No još je veći broj onih kojima je on izvor nemira, tjeskobe, stresa, unutarnjih konflikata raznih vrsta, nezadovoljstva, frustracije, pa i žalosti. Što reći o onima koji uopće nemaju priliku raditi? O onima koji su uskraćeni za to osnovno ljudsko pravo koje često, i prečesto, ostaje samo na papiru? Problematika je široka i kompleksna. Iz toga slijedi da i rješenje ne može biti jedno i jednostavno. Međutim, ono što je svakomu dostupno i na što može utjecati, bar u određenoj mjeri, jeste njegovo vlastito poimanje rada i odnos prema njemu. Tu se dakle prvenstveno misli na duhovnu dimenziju rada. Postavlja se pitanje koliko je ona prisutna, a koliko zanemarena u suvremenom shvaćanju rada? Zbog ubrzanih promjena uzrokovanih naglim i velikim tehnološkim razvitkom javlja se potreba za novim vrednovanjem rada. Zbog svega onoga što rad za čovjeka predstavlja i zbog golemog i izravnog utjecaja na kvalitetu njegova života, sreću i ostvarenost kao osobe, potrebno je u novim uvjetima preispitati rad kao takav i svoj odnos prema njemu. Dapače, u jedinstvenim okolnostima suvremenog svijeta potrebno je iznova promisliti sve čimbenike rada, s posebnim naglaskom na njegovu duhovnu dimenziju te stvoriti novu filozofiju odnosno duhovnost rada. Poziv je hitan i upućen svima koji mogu pridonijeti u tom smislu. U traženju odgovarajućeg odgovora na postavljenu zadaću, u ovom se radu poseglo za jednim iskustvom iz povijesti s monaškim predznakom, čije je razumijevanje rada oblikovalo našu civilizaciju i obogatilo je duhovnim i materijalnim dobrima kroz više od tisuću i pol godina.Every human has his personal understanding of himself, his life and this world. This understanding determines how a man understands the concept of work and his attitude towards it. Work is one of the most important elements which create the person as a whole. Work is an essential component of any man's being and it is not just the means of survival. In our modern world, work and all the issues which can be related to it are very common and important themes. For many people work represents something joyful and it brings them pleasure and happiness. On the other hand, there are more people who feel unsatisfied, empty, stressed, sad and even frustrated because of their work. And what can be said about those who do not have the opportunity to work? About those who do not have this basic human right and too often this right remains something unattainable? There are so many complex issues concerning work so the solutions can not be simple or easy. However, every person can develop his own attitude towards work and his own understanding of the meaning of work. Here we primarily refer to the spiritual concept of work. Is the spiritual concept of work even important in the modern world? Due to great changes which are caused by sudden and large technological development, there is a need for new evaluation of work. As work represents something extremely important for every person and it has great impact on person's life and happiness it is really necessary to look into the meaning and value of work again. We should take into consideration all the characteristics of modern world and examine all aspects of work and its meaning. We should look into spiritual concept of work and try to create new philosophy or spirituality of work. This need is urgent and it is adressed to all those who can give any kind of solution or help. In search for appropriate solution, this paper examines historical experience and the attitude towards work in the benedictine monasteries. The meaning of work which was created in these monasteries shaped our civilization one thousand and five hundred years ago and enriched it with so many material and spiritual blessings