A Spiritual Understanding of Life
by
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Extracts from the first two chapters:
A Spiritual Understanding of Life
In the past 100 years, and especially the past 50 which constitute the bulk of my time on earth, for many human beings their understanding of life has significantly changed, especially in the western world, from being more spiritually based to being more materially based. Spirituality and materialism are at opposite ends of a spectrum of ways of viewing our existence. Let me present a picture of the extremes and you can see whether you agree with me that the movement has been away from the spiritual and towards the materialist end of the spectrum. Clearly people will locate themselves at points along the spectrum rather than at the extremes, but the spectrum helps us to decide whether there has been a change…
The first spark
Have you ever felt inspired by nature? A breathtaking sunset over the ocean or a river. The view from a mountain peak over the surrounding terrain. The exquisite colours and shapes of flowers in a garden. The astonishing development and growth of animal life. The range of colours in a woodland walk. The beauty of fish swimming in clear sunlit water. The amazing purity and touch of a snowflake. The smell of the air after a short burst of rain. The sound of birds singing in the garden. The taste of newly picked strawberries.
Have you ever been drawn out of yourself by human achievement? The beauty of a painting. The uplifting harmonies of a piece of music. The challenge of a well-structured novel. The design of an artefact like a motor car or a piece of furniture. The explanation of scientific structures. The glories of choral singing. The pleasure of a well-constructed garden or woodland. The taste of home-made ice-cream. The ideas given birth by viewing a lovely sculpture. The teamwork of a move in a game of football leading to a wonderful goal…
Have you ever had an overwhelming feeling that life is good? Have you ever felt that life is worth living, simply because it is? Have you ever been amazed by the wonder of creation and the interconnectedness of all living things? Have you ever sat back in awe at the wonders all around you when you take time to notice? …
Have you ever felt strongly that you are unique, that there is no one else like you? Our experience of life tells us that this is the case. We are encouraged by science to believe that there are only two sets of factors which determine our development as human beings – heredity and environment. But we have only to look at the uniqueness of individuals to question this idea…
Spirit
The experiences described in the previous section are shared by all human beings and have been from the earliest days of human life on this planet. Such experiences are signs of the spirit at work in us and around us – the spirit which lifts us out of ourselves towards what is best (that which is full of beauty, truth and goodness) in human life. This spirit encourages us to seek the best, even in the most difficult and depressing of circumstances. Human beings are not born as mindless automata, programmed to act in particular ways, incapable of choosing or of achieving wonderful things. We are given different potential in terms of physical, intellectual and emotional make-up, but the common feature of humanity is that we are born with a soul (which will be explained in the next chapter) which enables us to respond to the spiritual, which makes us what we are, which preserves our integrity and which leads us to see that we belong both to one another and to the greater good which is humanity…
Spiritual
This word is an adjective which is mainly used to describe people or things which reveal spirit (e.g. a spiritual place, a spiritual experience or a spiritual film). Sometimes people describe themselves as spiritual not to suggest that they reveal the spirit but because they feel sensitive to the revelation of spirit.
Often the word ‘spiritual’ refers more narrowly to the ultimate purpose of human existence; and, for those who put their trust in the spirit, ‘spiritual’ means that which is of God e.g. the attributes of God (goodness, love, beauty, truth, peace, forgiveness, friendship, trust, courage, sacrifice, giving). This has led to ‘spiritual’ being associated with eternal, ultimate perfection and with the idea that the spirit is actively seeking to transform us for our own benefit.
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About the Book
This book is a personal exploration of spirituality designed to encourage readers to reflect on their own spiritual state. Its audience is people with a general interest in spiritual matters, in the context of faith or through some other experience, or seeking to know more. The book is not an academic text book; it draws on personal experience which will strike a chord for many people. In addition to addressing what is meant by spirituality and how the soul works, the book looks as the practical outcomes of spiritual living in terms of connectedness, ethics, prayer, creativity and handling pain, suffering and death. It is written in accessible language and includes a set of questions at the end of each chapter to promote reflection and, where appropriate, discussion.
The book is called “A spiritual understanding of life” to contrast it with the material understanding of life which has come to dominate the wealthy western world. Another title could have been “The spirit sets us free” because living in tune with the spirit keeps human beings free to fulfil their potential which is the purpose of our life on earth and free from the propaganda of religion, politics, economics, violence and the media which seek to dominate our lives.