Spirituality - A pillar of civilized society

The subject of spirituality has more to do with the vitality of the miracle we call “life” than it does about whether or not there is a God. Some believe that all of creation is a result of some random happy happenstance. Some believe in a personal God with whom to communicate thru prayers. Some believe there is an intelligence responsible for creation, but that this intelligence is not embodied in a single entity, but is instead part of everything that is. Some believe things I can’t imagine without further study.

Unfortunately, too many get hung up on questions that I find distracting from the subject of spirituality; such as:

          “Does God exist?”

          “If not, how can so many wondrous mysteries be explained?”

          “If so, what is God’s name, and what does God want from us?”

          “Is God a male, or female, or both, or neither?”

          “What’s God’s favorite hair and clothing styles?”

These questions are fine for those who enjoy talking about such things. However they have little to do with spirituality itself.

~ What Is Spirituality? ~

Our spirit is the life force within. It may be consciousness, it may be emotional, it may be something else entirely, or a combination of these things. However, what we know is that we currently have life, and thus, we have spirit (if you are not currently living as you read this, then let me know, and I will make efforts to redefine this part). We also know we have intrinsic motivations that can not solely be attributed to physical desires. When we satisfy our spiritual desires, we have a positive emotional response.

The desire to understand why we feel awe and wonder, during those times when we do, is the desire to develop a spiritual understanding. When we become fascinated with a puzzle or mystery and feel compelled to figure it out, that is an expression of the intrinsic motivation of our spirit.

~ The Problem ~

When people seek to understand the connection they feel for something greater than themselves (the awe and wonder of looking at the stars on a clear moonless night for instance), they turn to those who claim to have some answers. Almost all turn to fellow humans for answers. Some organizations such as scientific institutes or organized religions of the world claim to have answers.

However, none of these organizations have all the answers. In fact, that tends to be one thing they all agree on. Science is continually searching to understand more and more of our universe, how it works, and what it all could mean; never once claiming to have all the answers. At the same time, religions generally have some point at which there are mysteries that are divine, and unknowable to us.

This becomes a problem when doctrine starts getting in the way of our pursuit of understanding. As a whole, we agree that we are alive; but we disagree on how and why we are alive. Inadvertently, we have pigeonholed spirituality into boxes of religion or science (which claims not to have anything to do with spirituality, but really science just uses different words for the same thing - the magic of life).

~ Freedom From Religion, Not Freedom Of Religion ~

When it comes to religion, I can think of no other social system that does more to promote segregation. “Divide and conquer” is a well-known term attributed to Philip II, king of Macedon in the 3^rd century BC, and is a strategy used to break up large groups to be more manageable.

Many religions believe in the need for salvation; be it from hell, or oblivion, etc. This belief is then followed with rules that must be followed in order to be granted salvation. The segregating belief follows the logical course to conclude that those who do not follow the rules of salvation as they understand them are (at best) lost, or (at worst) knowingly evil.

The concept, “Freedom from religion, not freedom of religion” is one which I will write an article for itself. For now I will just say that segregation does not lead to an open and honest flow of communication and ideas between people; likewise, it does not lead to a higher understanding of spirituality.

~ A Real Discussion Of Spirituality ~

The ability to discuss spirituality, consciousness, emotions, and life as something we are continuously learning about and growing with is foundational to a civilized society. It is the purpose of this post to spark real discussions about spirituality, and set aside the distractions of whether or not God exists as an entity.

Personally, I believe that intelligent life exists within me and around me; and because I can feel awe and wonder, then I am part of a larger system of life. That larger system includes you, and everything else in the whole of creation. I believe the sum of all intelligence, in every way that intelligence is expressed, is greater than my intelligence alone. Therefore, I believe in a greater intelligence, though I do not feel a need to argue about defining it.

I hope this provides a new way to discuss spirituality as understandings we can grow in and share with each other. Sharing with each other in this way is everything segregation is not.

Comments, questions, ideas and discussions of everything mentioned here and more, is welcome and encouraged. Please feel free to join the discussion at the G+ community, Fellowship of Excellence. 

Thanks for reading!