What is Spirituality?

Spirituality is such a vague concept. Some people love it, some people hate it.

But what actually is it?

Widely accepted Definitions

1. Something that in ecclesiastical law belongs to the church or to a cleric as such
2. Sensitivity or attachment to religious values
3. The quality or state of being spiritual

(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

1. Relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.
2. Having a relationship based on a profound level of mental or emotional communion.

(Oxford Dictionary)

Certain definitions suggest that religion, or a mysterious force that we cannot understand, is a fundamental part of it.

Here’s what I think

Humans are curious creatures by nature, eager to figure it all out. The first anatomically modern humans emerged around 200,000 BC, and innovation and progress has never stopped because of our insatiable curiosity.

The greatest questions we now have, “What is this World? What is the Nature of the Universe and its’ Life?” will (eventually) be solved by Science. While the other question, “What does this all mean?” is meant to be solved through spirituality. In this sense, spirituality is closer to philosophy than it is to religion. It is a secular concept.

In Carl Sagan‘s words;

“‘Spirit’ comes from the Latin word “to breathe.” What we breathe is air, which is certainly matter, however thin. Despite usage to the contrary, there is no necessary implication in the word “spiritual” that we are talking of anything other than matter (including the matter of which the brain is made), or anything outside the realm of science. Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality. When we recognize our place in an immensity of light years and in the passage of ages, when we grasp the intricacy, beauty and subtlety of life, then that soaring feeling, that sense of elation and humility combined, is surely spiritual. The notion that science and spirituality are somehow mutually exclusive does a disservice to both.”

According to Carl Sagan, spirituality is something deeper than a religious/ supernatural belief. It is a way to understand and answer the most fascinating and mind-boggling questions of all time. I find myself agreeing with this interpretation.

Religion and Spirituality

To my understanding, as stated before, spirituality is much closer to philosophy than it is to religion. But people tend to mix it up often. Why?

Since the dawn of man, the logical and the spiritual aspects of humans worked side by side to solve the deeply complex puzzle that is the world. While logic answered the ‘What’s, spirituality answered the ‘Why’s. However, these profound questions weren’t (understandably) answerable during those times as people understood very little of the world.

As peoples’ understanding of the world was so limited, they naturally sought something/ someone responsible for all the phenomena they couldn’t understand, and reached the conclusion that there were inexplicable forces in the world. With the worship of astral bodies and other objects of the world, religion was born. Overtime, religion evolved into worshiping God/s.

This, in my opinion, was the death of “true” spirituality.

Why Spirituality died

The core of spirituality is the sense of wonder we feel when we discover the “intricacy, beauty and subtlety of life” and the humbling sensation that accompanies it. In the past, people with a dogmatically religious mindset didn’t like this feeling (some still don’t). They wanted to feel unique and special, feel relevant and feel reassured that someone out there was always looking out for them. That Death is not the end, but a blissful new beginning. As people knew precious little of the workings of the world those days, and religion provided a sense of protection, it spread far and wide very fast.

Here’s why religion overcame spirituality;

1. Religion spread through Fear — Fear of God/s, fear of the Devil/s, fear of a fiery pit below the earth where you will spend eternity if you don’t accept these God/s, fear that people won’t accept you as their own if you didn’t accept a particular religion etc.
2. Definitive answers — Religion provides answers. Answers to the greatest questions in Life. Even if these don’t make sense as there is absolutely no evidence to back them up, people tend to accept them because it’s a reassurance of their wishes.
3. Pleasant promises — Promises of Salvation, of the chance to meet your loved ones that died and live with them eternally on paradise if you obey the wish of the God/s. These promises drew a lot of people into religion as it appealed to their expectations.
4. Evolutionary Inclinations — There are two major speculative theories that might explain why religion took over spirituality in peoples’ minds.

Let’s explore these.

• Tribalism

Explanation by Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt;

“I mean that we evolved to see sacredness all around us and to join with others into teams that circle around sacred objects, people and ideas. This is why politics is so tribal. Politics is partly profane, it’s partly about self-interest. But politics is also about sacredness. It’s about joining with others to pursue moral ideals. It’s about the eternal struggle between good and evil, and we all believe we’re on the side of the good.”

If people follow the same ideas, it is easier to co-operate with each other and build a tighter, stronger community. As people with the same religion banded together, more people joined them, increasing their religious following.

• Belief in the Divine

As people believed that they were being watched by Divine Being/s, they tended to be more honest and supportive to please this being/s.

Religion appealed to some of the most powerful human emotions like Fear and Social Acceptance, so it quickly took root and people started to perceive spirituality as a religious/ supernatural sentiment.

On Pseudoscience

Here’s another definition of spirituality;

“The quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things”

People believe that the ‘Soul’ is what contains the “You-ness” of You, the essence of a person and a part of you that will continue to live after your body dies. No one is sure what exactly this thing is but everyone has big ideas about it. This is a rather controversial concept. It is also a major concern in Philosophy.

If a person claims he/she is spiritual, they probably have one or more of these 3 qualities.

1. They believe that there are some things in the world that are imperceptible to humans, i.e. there is something more than mere matter. It could be souls, a Divine Being, or even some kind of Universal Energy that empowers people.
2. They try to attend to their mental and emotional states, in the hopes of gaining a certain kind of self-knowledge.
3. They value being compassionate, empathetic and openhearted.

Sounds pretty dope, right? While being compassionate, empathetic and open-minded is awesome, the deluded claims of a ‘Universal Energy’ or a ‘higher power’ discounts the appeal, at least in my eyes.

Let’s take a look at some of these ‘spiritual’ practices.

Astrology — “Astrology is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial objects as a means for divining information about human affairs and terrestrial events.” Even the definition sounds bizarre and boring. Why people believe the position of the sun and stars have an impact on their lives, I cannot begin to understand, considering some these beliefs were formulated around 2000 BC.

Faith Healing — “Faith healing is the idea that, through sheer force of faith and prayer, we can heal ourselves of any illness. The ‘British Medical Journal’ investigated the effect of prayers on victims. They found no measurable results to prove the validity of this practice. They also stated that some in the scientific community don’t even think it’s worth further research.

Psychics — Extrasensory perception. Talk to ghosts, read minds, move outside objects with the force of your will and a multitude of other abilities. But, as with most Pseudoscience, studies conducted to verify these ‘abilities’ doesn’t have any solid proof.

Alternate Medicine — Where do I even start? Homeopathy, Detoxification, Crystal Healing, Reiki, Naturopathy etc. are forms of Alternative Medicine. While some claims to rid the body of ‘toxins’, others claim to heal the body through forms of Energy called Universal/ Vital Energy.

Despite a clear lack of scientific evidence to prove the credibility of any of these practices, they still have a large following of people, who also claims that they are ‘spiritual’.

Let’s go Questing

Wade Clark Roof suggests that , contemporary society as a whole, irrespective of whether people consider themselves religious or spiritual, is morphing into a “Quest Culture.”

When people detach themselves from Religion, they do some research. Some call it a ‘Spiritual Journey to find Oneself’ or something along those lines. Sometimes, this results in a transition into a more flexible and easy-going religion, again. But most don’t even realize it.

The older religions of the world that are most prominent today are Christianity and Islam (Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism are popular too, mainly in Asia). As some of the teachings of these religions doesn’t suit the contemporary society, people transition into more ‘modern’ religions. And that’s exactly what the supposedly ‘spiritual’ practices above are. Just religions, concealed in the shroud of their makeshift spirituality.

But;

Is it Better?

Although there are some ‘spiritual fundamentalists’, as far as I know, no one has picked up arms and killed people for not believing in what they are preaching. In that context, it’s certainly preferable to other religions.

Indoctrination? Not really. Rather, what I have seen is, a person who grew up indoctrinated breaking away from that and embracing a spiritual group. While critical thinking isn’t discouraged, it’s not that prominent either. Because one simply cannot claim they practice critical thinking while believing in psychics and healing through universal energy.

It’s much less oppressive, especially towards women. I think this is plays a major role to attract people. When people who leave their religions still needs some sort of guidelines for their Morality and Lifestyle, a less oppressive and easy-going ‘spiritual group’ is an ideal choice (according to their mentality).

However, these groups are not all-good. These are deceptions to capture the gullible. And most people who promote these know it. Of course there are certain practitioners that have delved so deep within these that they manage to convince themselves “It’s all real”. Although these practices are tremendous waste of time and money, people consciously choose to do it and they (usually) don’t force it on anyone else. So, no complaints here! Just pity.

Is it Necessary?

What do these ‘spiritual groups’ claim to offer?

Healing? Medicine. Modern medicine. Works like a charm.

Moral Compass? General morality is easy. You don’t need religion to understand that murder is something you should avoid and that you should probably ‘help that old lady cross the street’. As for the morally gray areas that cannot be addressed so simply, I will dive down to them in a different article, so as not to drag this one out.

Life after Death? There is absolutely no evidence for reincarnation or of a place in the sky where we can live happily ever after. What happens after you die isn’t the question, what you’re doing with the limited time you have here on Earth is.

‘Spiritual groups’ are just modernized religions for civilized society but they are in no way, (like any other religion) necessary to live a fulfilled life.

In conclusion, my view on spirituality is that it is not a religious or supernatural-like sentiment, but the genuine sense of wonder we feel when we discover the ‘What’s and ‘How’s and ‘Why’s of the World.

But of course, you’re free to interpret it however you like.

P.S. — Read Neil DeGrasse Tyson‘s Cosmic Perspective, thank me later.

Sources

1. Wait but why by Tim Urban
2. ‘I’m not Religious, I’m Spiritual’
3. What does it mean to be Spiritual?