As the new month begins, I am inspired by Rabbi Ruhi’s words. What are the spiritual, personal, and relational tasks I need to set forth this month that I perhaps am not ready for? How does this relate to the work I engage in every day? How can I step forth embodying ethics of justice, peace, love, and liberation despite not feeling ready? Striving for acts of mitzvah in the spirit of tikum alum in my community wherever they may be. Personal friends, engineering colleagues, and strangers alike.
In the future I wish to work on the liminal spaces between religion, religious virtue ethics, engineering ethics, and engineering culture. What does it mean to have religious virtues inspire our actions as engineers? What would it mean if we can bring our full spiritual selves into the workplace? What if instead of Kant or Utilitarianism or Codes of Ethics – we allow for deeply ethical & meaningful Jewish, Muslim, and Christian inspiration in our work? I may not be ready for this task – I may not have the oil – but I will be working to be closer to this concept this month (on top of many other things).
