SPWO (Stichting Pastoraat Werkers Overzee)

The holy 10 seconds…
Unfortunately in the last three months I had to travel to two ships where accidents had happened.
An accident is always very stressful for all the people involved. Everyone is struggling with questions like: “Did I do my best to prevent this accident?”
The value of life unaccountable.
I am also emotionally involved being a pastor dealing with people after an accident has happened. Together with the workers I reflect about what happened. Reflecting is one of the things we can do. We share thoughts and experiences about professionalism.
A professional worker knows what he is doing, why he is doing something, how he will do something and he thinks about the possible results of his action.
That is a very important professional attitude.
I am as a pastor not capable of giving the right answers on those questions. That process is a individual and private search. I can only assist in finding those answers.
A pastor is namely not a lawyer, not a doctor, not a project-manager, not a captain or an able seaman.
A pastor is only searching for the best that is hidden in everyone of us. He joins the life on board, listen to the stories and he is helping to discover the best in us. And after a while he is leaving the ship or the project. He is passing by and on the day of departure I lead a meditation, a memorial and a blessing of the ship.

In my work to support the development of an professional attitude I discovered the importance of what I call “the holy ten seconds”.

Before you start doing a task to be done, please take 10 seconds to reflect in advance about “what, how, why and the possible results of your action”
Hopefully you will discover the risk of the task and a safe way of working.

I wish you all the best!

Pastor Toon van de Sande