I have a question about the nature of spirituality. What does it mean to be spiritual? I ask because for most of my life I've been a de facto materialist atheist, but I wonder if the covid hoax has made me more "spiritual" in the sense that I find myself less pre-occupied with outer world matters like wanting to be liked and more concerned with inner world phenomena like hewing to universal principles like justice. For example, when I decided that under no circumstances would I ever consent to taking the covid jab, I understood that my decision may one day get me "purged". To my surprise, I felt resolved about that and good in my resolution, and it occurred to me that perhaps for the first time in my life I felt truly connected to the idea that there are things in life of far greater importance than my own. I wonder if such an example of my willingness to commit an act of ultimate self-sacrifice is the beginning of nurturing inner growth and freedom . . . of spirituality?
It occurs to me that my definition below is missing an essential element: A feeling of connectedness to all phenomena, both animate and inanimate is most primary. The metaphysical curiosity need not be all that developed, but will be there as a consequence of that intuitive sense. The nurturing of one's inner world arises from that same sense of connectedness. Being "in touch with" oneself and with the world at large (think of Goethe's "active seeing") is all that is essentially necessary.
"Spiritual consciousness transcends the psychological and entails metaphysical curiosity."
Thank you. I understand how much work needs to be done in this regard, but I doubt there's any labour more enriching and vital in the brief life we occupy.
As I see it, any work one does to consciously nurture and develop one's inner world is spiritual. Valuing inner qualities like courage over material comfort is a beginning, but not inherently spiritual. Seeing one's life as a heroic journey is the same. A commitment or resolve can be spiritual, but is often not so. It seems to me that to truly "be spiritual" one must get past the psychological, ego consciousness that gives one the sense of possessing truth and being always right and always good. Spiritual consciousness transcends the psychological and entails metaphysical curiosity.
For the ones who are alerting on how "Rome burns" are at least helping some few of us to grow up. Thanks for articles that bring us the history by which we should know better by now. History of how easily a good thing becomes corrupt.
I have a question about the nature of spirituality. What does it mean to be spiritual? I ask because for most of my life I've been a de facto materialist atheist, but I wonder if the covid hoax has made me more "spiritual" in the sense that I find myself less pre-occupied with outer world matters like wanting to be liked and more concerned with inner world phenomena like hewing to universal principles like justice. For example, when I decided that under no circumstances would I ever consent to taking the covid jab, I understood that my decision may one day get me "purged". To my surprise, I felt resolved about that and good in my resolution, and it occurred to me that perhaps for the first time in my life I felt truly connected to the idea that there are things in life of far greater importance than my own. I wonder if such an example of my willingness to commit an act of ultimate self-sacrifice is the beginning of nurturing inner growth and freedom . . . of spirituality?
It occurs to me that my definition below is missing an essential element: A feeling of connectedness to all phenomena, both animate and inanimate is most primary. The metaphysical curiosity need not be all that developed, but will be there as a consequence of that intuitive sense. The nurturing of one's inner world arises from that same sense of connectedness. Being "in touch with" oneself and with the world at large (think of Goethe's "active seeing") is all that is essentially necessary.
"Spiritual consciousness transcends the psychological and entails metaphysical curiosity."
Thank you. I understand how much work needs to be done in this regard, but I doubt there's any labour more enriching and vital in the brief life we occupy.
As I see it, any work one does to consciously nurture and develop one's inner world is spiritual. Valuing inner qualities like courage over material comfort is a beginning, but not inherently spiritual. Seeing one's life as a heroic journey is the same. A commitment or resolve can be spiritual, but is often not so. It seems to me that to truly "be spiritual" one must get past the psychological, ego consciousness that gives one the sense of possessing truth and being always right and always good. Spiritual consciousness transcends the psychological and entails metaphysical curiosity.
For the ones who are alerting on how "Rome burns" are at least helping some few of us to grow up. Thanks for articles that bring us the history by which we should know better by now. History of how easily a good thing becomes corrupt.