An unconventional definition of spirituality
Just like there are two sides to a coin, there are two sides to every human being: the material and the spiritual. Mother nature makes our material side self evident to us. We are dependent on matter to sustain our lives in this planet. We need energy to live which we obtain by digesting the food we eat. The carbohydrates, fats and other nutrients present in this food supply us with the energy to perform our everyday activities.
We need shelter to safe-guard ourselves from the scorching rays of the sun in summers and the cold winds of the winters. Mother nature has made it very clear to us that whether we like it or not we cannot escape the fact that materialism is very much a part of human sustenance. On the other hand the meaning of spirituality is not so clear.
What is spirituality? Spirituality means different things to different people. For me, spirituality is the ability to experience joy from within myself and also what I experience in this world. To many, this might seem like too unconventional and too simple an explanation. But how many of us can really claim that our lives are full of joy? That we are spiritual? It is not so easy to harness joy or our spiritual potential.
What is spirituality? Spirituality means different things to different people. For me, spirituality is the ability to experience joy from within myself and also what I experience in this world. To many, this might seem like too unconventional and too simple an explanation. But how many of us can really claim that our lives are full of joy? That we are spiritual? It is not so easy to harness joy or our spiritual potential.
Each one of us have to discover what it means to him or her. When we look up at the stars on a clear night sky, the rising sun, the dew drops on leaves, a crescent shaped moon or a waterfall dropping from a great height, those of us who are fortunate enough to possess a sense of aesthetic beauty are filled with ecstasy. We see Mother nature’s beauty bountifully reflected in these creations. Some of us experience this joy in visiting a temple and yet others find beauty watching a woman breast feed her child.
A young boy experiences joy in climbing up a tree and plucking a mango. A scientist experiences joy and shouts “Eureka” when he makes a scientific discovery of immense importance. A singer reaches down to the depths of his being when he sings. Each one of us needs to find our own path to spirituality. We need to break away from the stereo-typed meaning of spirituality and delve deep into ourselves and find out what it means to us.