Why Spirituality Now?

Response from Ben Mann

As I am writing, I feel a distinct mourning and recognition of my own mortality. The world that has birthed my sentiment is one of heaviness and darkness. As a citizen of the United States, I have been relentlessly let down by the status quo of my own country. Despite being a nation of incredible resources and intelligence, we have allowed ourselves to fall prey to the deception of our own pride, which attempts to convince us that this life is an immortal one, and that in order to preserve it, we must subjugate one race, sexuality, gender, or class to another.

This choice has led to some dire outcomes, including injustice for people of color, women, poor people, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ people — to name a few. It has also led to a system of governance that is quickly destroying our environment and exacerbating diseases and suffering. And, on an even more practical level, this choice makes it hard to just be a friend, neighbor, or employee, because it is hard to hope as our humanity decays — just as our mortal bodies do.

Against this backdrop of sadness, I offer that there is more, and that there is hope, yet it is so hard to recognize. Why? One theory: opportunism from the privileged and resourced who see hopelessness as a means to profit. Don’t believe me? During a recent trip to a major retailer, I noticed that the company posted signs in its windows reading, “You Matter”, “We are in this Together”, and the like. While I appreciate and agree with these messages, the fact that they are being offered by the design of a multi-billion dollar corporation seeking to profit, instead of a church or other community committed to the common good is disturbing. Companies like this one spend millions of dollars selling their products, and something in their expensive research informs them that the hopelessness that I describe is so valuable and so needed that it is worth building into the marketing of their products.

Nonetheless, against this backdrop, I offer that there are answers that can inoculate us from our own deceptions and the corporatization of our hope, and that is spirituality. Right away you might be tempted to shut out anything that follows, if you have not already done so by my use of flowery and stark language. Also, I am a pastor, so me saying the word “spirituality” conjures perceptions that I am about to attempt to sell you on my religion, a concept called proselytizing.

So, let me be clear, I am not concerned with your belief matching mine or those held by my community, which vary wider than you might imagine. What does concern me is that you realize that the power and ability to adapt and grow even in the unhealthiest or threatening of circumstances resides within you. I think of that power as your spirit.

Some may call it your calling; others, your purpose, but whatever meaning you hear in those terms, I believe that we all have it; yet, like our mortal bodies, our spirits need to be coached, appreciated, exercised and treated for what ails them. We have been trained to think of spirituality — or the concept of understanding our spirits — as some form of cultish ritual or anti-intellectual escapism, we disregard wise advice and guidance that might otherwise help us find the hope that we need to counter the darkness.

An example from my own path: I found success in 12-step programming to address several personal challenges. Such programs are “spiritual” in their practice, because they ask participants to release some control over to a version of an external power. A dear friend has also found the same success in 12-step, but he HATES the concept of religion, and so has endeavored to shape the language of the program to meet his needs. Had my friend outright rejected the program, he would be in a toxic state.

This is a minor example of why we need spirituality now, because we have so limited our concept of spirit that it is preventing us from meeting our immediate needs for long-term growth and development, especially as humankind. In this shortcoming, however, there is much opportunity to become the resilient, capable people that can exceed our own expectations.

This is why I write, to be your partner and peer in what’s possible for you.

Originally published at http://northfeatherthoughts.com on June 15, 2020.