Spirituality and Everything Else
Let’s explore an important part of humanity that often gets overlooked—spirituality. There are five components that make every human being:
- Physical (our bodies)
- Psychological (our minds)
- Social (our relationships)
- Sexual (our sexual preference and identity)
- Spiritual (our connectedness to everything)
I am well aware that spirituality can be a controversial topic so I welcome any dialogue or school of thought. When I mention spirituality, most people automatically think of religion. I know I do. Even though religion has elements of spirituality and some of my audience may have religious practices, I will attempt to focus primarily on the spiritual part of who we are.
We are spiritual beings. Science and spirituality do coexist and many of us deny that there is a part of us that is spiritual. So, what is spirituality and how is it defined and measured? Spirituality is that intuitive part of us that is connected and synchronized with everything and all times. Technology and life stressors distract us from experiencing this connectedness. Indigenous people and tribes, now and throughout history, knew that everything was connected and there was a Great Mystery about it all. We have lost this natural ability to connect with Mother Nature, people, and animals. Look at how we treat and interact with all of these things. Instead, we have the urge to prove and determine the outcome and origin of everything through analysis to explain the, perhaps, unexplainable. I’m not downing science. I’m grateful for science and all it has done to progress humanity. Spiritual concepts like faith, hope, and believing can even exist in science. Again, we have become distant from these practices. The idea and quest to find a reason for existence is a spiritual path that science is trying to prove.
Have you ever asked yourself these spiritual questions?
- What is my place in this world?
- Who am I?
- What am I supposed to be doing?
These are spiritual questions that all humans ask themselves throughout their life. We ask these questions to help us find meaning throughout our journey. Have you ever been on the beach, seen the vastness of the ocean and asked yourself, “where did all this come from?” Have you ever looked at the sky at night and seen the stars and the moon and thought, “WOW! Look how big the universe is!” Or, in the forest during fall when the leaves are different colors and felt connected to everything around you? These are all examples of spiritual moments that people have. These moments allow us to ask ourselves the same question science has been trying to prove, “Where and how did all this originate?”
We may never have a definite answer. There is a Great Mystery in it all.
Meaning and purpose are spiritual concepts. Meaning allows us to assign important significance to everything we do—even our suffering. Purpose allows us to assign meaning to our being—the essence of our individual and collective existence. Our life’s quest is to search and obtain meaning and purpose through all failures and victories (kinda sounds like faith, hope, huh?). Our suffering allows us to connect to a Greater Force. It’s the low spots in our life that creates pain deep enough to ask for help and guidance. But from whom or where?
We need to believe that there is more to all of this than us. What’s the bigger picture then? We are a granule of sand compared to the vastness of the cosmos in all of the universes combined. Somewhere beyond our existence, there are other living life forms. There are parts deep below the ocean’s surface that haven’t even been discovered yet.
Our curiosity and spontaneity are the driving factors for us to conceptualize spirituality. It can be defined however you want it to be. There are no right or wrong answers only what is true in your heart and mind. If you seek, then you will find it.
Spirituality can also be a higher consciousness and awareness of ourselves and the 7 billion people we share this world with. After all, we are all in this (world and humanity) together. Is all of this a coincidence or happenstance or is it the way it’s supposed to be regardless?
By sharing my thoughts and feelings, I hope to have helped you. I encourage you to talk with others about their spiritual practice and beliefs.
