If you work in a company whose sole purpose is to produce maximum profit for its owners, you are directly contributing to the soul-less-ness of the enterprise, society and yourself. You are doing it. Yes, you. Not "them", but "you."

Commercial enterprises exclusively committed to profit-maximization are more prone to feed the marketplace anything it can be convinced to buy - much like neighborhood drug-pushers who exploit the addictions of the weak in their communities. While you may gain some economic advantage in exchange for contributing to a company with this agenda, you pay a dear price by turning your back on your own soul - denying your spiritual self. But be clear: you are making the choice. No one is "doing it to you." You are doing it to yourself. You are committing a form of suicide - a "spiritual suicide."

If you argue that you must continue to work in a soul-less enterprise because of any reason, I implore you to do some immediate self-examination. Many claim they must stay in these compromising positions in order to support their "standard of living" - code words for feeding their own financial indebtedness, usually based upon their own material cravings. Some claim "it's for the family" or some other rational explanation. Regardless of the reasonability of the explanation, accumulating debt and material goods comes at a high price. And, I don't mean in dollars. You are putting your financial needs, wants and cravings ahead of your own spiritual needs. It is a clear decision that you have made - pretending your work is meaningful when, in fact, it is soul-less. It is a cruel trick to pull on your fellow workers, your community (local, regional and global), the marketplace and, most importantly, yourself.

Addicts who become dependent upon their "substance" - be it drugs, love, alcohol, debt or work - always come up with great explanations for why they do what they do. These rationalizations seem to satisfy their fellow addicts but come across as ridiculous to anyone who doesn't share their dependency or is caught up in their social system. The advantage that drug addicts have - that allows them to break free of their addiction - is that in the larger system, society, there is consensus that "drugs are bad."

However, workers who are caught in dysfunctional economic systems find little disagreement that the system is not serving them. At present, there isn't much consensus that working in these soul-less enterprises is "bad" or detrimental to one's well-being in any way. Only a few are blowing the whistle, and their voices are muted among all the agreement about the status quo. People who are feeling this spiritual oppression need to create their own interventions, based upon their own consciousness, conscience and sense of rightness. Only by rigorous self-examination can they break their addiction and reconnect with their souls. And damned be the consensus!

There are alternatives to working in the soul-less enterprise.

All workplaces are not soul-less despite the opinions of the cynics who believe all companies are only focused on maximizing profits. There are growing numbers of companies which are committed to higher purposes and see profits as necessary for success but not the sole reason to exist. Some of these companies were founded with soul. Some found soul through major transformations and some are just being started.

Like many souls who are caught up in denial about their circumstances, it comes down to taking personal responsibility for one's situation while recognizing there is something you can do. It may not be comfortable, or politically correct. It may require action in spite of the real or imagined fear - fear of being ostracized, criticized, or material loss.

The bottom line question: What is the commitment to one's soul? one's spiritual development? one's inner life? Just like shooting oneself in the head with a revolver or jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge is a personal choice to end one's physical life, remaining in a soul-less work environment is a personal choice to end one's spiritual life. It just takes a little longer.