“All for one and one for all” is the ethic of the three musketeers, made popular in Alexander Dumas’ classic book, The Three Musketeers. I call this motto the Heart’s Guiding Principle. It holds true as the ethic of any cohesive group who works exceptionally well together. When everyone works for the good of each one, and each one works for the good of everyone, you have a foolproof ethic to work together. This Heart’s Guiding Principle rests at the very core of the Heart-Centered Operating System (HCOS), a system specifically designed to put heart at the center of your company and all of humanity.
Working for the Good of All
When the individual truly works for the good of all, we work for the good of all humanity and all life, not just for ourselves or our specific group. If we could only do one thing, embodying this principle would make everything else in life fall into place. Dedication to the good of all is the bodhisattva way and the path that many saints and sages of the past and present have guided toward. It’s the way the heart desires most, to help others and ourself reach our potential. Search your heart deeply, and you will find the desire to serve the good of everyone. This is what love wants. When we commit to working for the good of the whole, this is the very heart of eternal love.
Working for the Good of Each One
Every person matters, just as every drop of ocean water matters. Without this very drop, the ocean would not be the same ocean. Have you ever noticed how one person coming or not coming to an event completely changes the dynamic? Each person is a unique individual and also an integral part of the human race. In a healthy company, as long as the individual upholds the values of the company, we also work for their personal best interests. If they are not upholding the values of the company, this can cave into some form of enmeshment where the group martyrs itself for the individual. This is not healthy. A healthy group works for its own and everyone’s potential at the same time. The group does not sacrifice itself for one member.
One For All and All For One
In writing this article, I discovered that this “all for one and one for all” phrase originates in Shakespeare’s poem, The Rape of Lucrece. He used it in the reverse order, however, from the way Dumas uses it: “one for all or all for one we gage.” Here’s the whole stanza surrounding the quote.
The aim of all is but to nurse the life
With honor, wealth, and ease, in waning age;
And in this aim there is such thwarting strife,
That one for all, or all for one we gage;
As life for honor in fell battle’s rage;
Honor for wealth; and oft that wealth doth cost
The death of all, and all together lost.
Shakespeare uses these lines to encapsulate the meaning of life, and show that taking this kind of stand for one’s values can be like waging a war for the soul. To truly dive into what Shakespeare is saying, would require a closer reading, and analysis, than we have space for in this article.
The ethic of “one for all and all for one” works best as the Heart’s Guiding Principle when phrased in the order as Shakespeare wrote it. Meaning, when the individual works for the good of the whole, it is necessary for the whole then to work for the good of the individual. If an individual is lost in selfishness, it’s hard for the group to work for their selfishness. But when the individual is in faithful service to the whole, then it’s very easy to work for their good and embody the “all for one” ethic where the whole looks after the faithful one.
Practice this Heart’s Guiding Principle in your life and work. As an individual, focus on the good of the whole. As a group, dedicate your efforts to work for the good of the faithful individual. Notice how it changes your work culture and everything you do.
There are more articles on HCOS (Heart-Centered Operating System) here. For more information about HCOS and how to get consulting on it for your business click here.
Our founding company, Bridging Worlds Behavioral Services, which gave birth to Heart-Centered Revolutions, was developed according to these principles of parenting. We support any parents who need our services.
If you’d like to connect with me, I’m on Facebook at Heart-Centered Revolutions and Adam Bulbulia. To read additional articles or one of my books, go to Heart-Centered Revolutions, a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to forging a world that works for everyone. Facebook | Youtube | Instagram
