Why is it that some people roll their eyes and tune out when they hear what they call “spiritual stuff?”
Spirituality, like religion, comes laden with many preconceived notions – mostly fuzzy ones.
Why has spirituality caused many people to get turned off? I’d like to share two possible reasons with you:
There are too many interpretations of spirituality and being spiritual.
Some people confuse Spirituality with Religion* thinking it connected only to a particular religion. They may not accept or follow any religious path and so may not want to have anything to do with spirituality.
Some think it has to do with doing yoga, meditation, eating organic and making your own compost.
And, believe or not, I have even seen people’s eyes widen as they ask: “Has it got to do with ghosts or dead people?”
You have to believe
You have to believe that we are spiritual beings.
You have to believe that we are all connected and one with the universe.
You have to believe there is purpose to life even when you haven’t found it.
You have to believe that there is a benevolent Cause even as you observe pain and suffering in the world.
You have to believe, you have to believe…You simply throw in the towel and say, “All this believing makes no sense to me!”
You want proof that we are spiritual beings, that we are all connected and essentially one, that there is meaning and purpose to life and that there really is a God.
But here’s the problem…
It’s impossible to prove spirit and spiritual concepts with just the head.
Why? How can we prove Spirit? It’s not a ‘thing’ that you can examine, feel or perceive with your five senses.
You’ve heard that there is only one Spirit and that we are all One – but all you see are divisions and differences. Oneness is simply a bewildering concept to you.
You can’t make sense out of life as you see imperfection, suffering and unfairness in the world.
So, what’s the solution?
Seeking the spiritual requires us to think with the heart and feel with the head.
Huh? What’s that again? How can we think with the heart? And feel with the head?
What this means is that we cannot view and dissect life using only scientific observation and analysis, experimentation and results.
The head is used to observe and think about life. The heart looks beyond the surface and seeks connection with that which is hidden.
The materialistic vs spiritual mindset.
According to Dr Wayne Dyer, there are two mindsets:
The materialist says: ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’
The materialist doesn’t believe in anything that cannot be perceived, measured or proved. He wants the scientific proof of the facts before accepting anything.
The spiritual person, on the other hand, has a totally different view…
Spiritual person says: ‘I’ll see it when I believe it’
The spiritual person realizes that:
- There’s an inherent beauty and intelligence in the universe.
- There must be a higher power that oversees and controls the natural laws of the universe.
- There is purpose and meaning to our lives even though we don’t understand tragedy and suffering.
Here’s a quote from Albert Einstein, “There is no logical way to the discovery of elemental laws. There is only the way of intuition, which is helped by a feeling for the order lying behind the appearance.”
Most of what we experience in the world cannot be explained or proven. It can only be experienced.
For example, we can’t explain why the body heals – not how, but why. Science can observe, understand and explain the process which takes place to heal us when we cut our finger, but science cannot explain why the body heals and innately knows how to do so.
Science can explain that tulips planted in the Fall will sprout in the spring when the weather warms up, but science cannot explain why.
We know that when we go to sleep at night, morning will be there to welcome us when we wake up. Science tells us that the earth’s rotation causes night and day. But science does not and cannot explain what makes the earth turn or why.
There are just too many things that we cannot explain, and yet we accept them because we experience them in our daily lives.
We take everyday miracles for granted.
The beauty and order underlying life cannot be comprehended, we can only stand by and observe in awe and reverence.
In fact, a truly knowledgeable and thinking person realizes just how little he actually knows.
Here’s Einstein again – “The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe. We are like a little child entering a huge library. The walls are covered to the ceilings with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written these books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. But the child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books — a mysterious order which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects.”
When we slow down and take the time to look deeper into life, the world and spirituality, there arises a reverence for the unseen laws that hold everything together in perfect rhythm and harmony.
All these concepts will no longer seem like ‘spiritual stuff’ anymore, but rather, expressions of the perfect laws of life.
*To understand Religion and Spirituality, please read my blog post: “Can you be both Religious and Spiritual?”
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