I am currently reading Henri Nouwen's "Road to Daybreak" and Peter Senge's "The Fifth Discipline". I constantly pick up one then switch to the other, so the spiritual book and the book of business intertwine their thoughts in my mind. Indeed Nouwen laments his worldliness, and Senge talks of the importance of spirituality, so the two books play off and chase one another.

Both books talk of slowing down to see past the firefighting of the moment - to see reality, the bigger, transcendent picture. I sense a need in myself to introspect, to remind myself of my purpose and values. I remind myself here:

- engineering beautiful software
- cherishing my family
- random acts of kindness
- being conscious of my human journey

At times, however, the books are completely opposed:

"Competition, which literally means "striving together" ... is one of the best structures yet invented by humankind to allow each of us to bring out the best in each other."
- Peter Senge

"Human glory, based on competition, leads to rivalry; rivalry carries within it the beginning of violence; and violence is the way to death."
- Henri Nouwen