Posts Tagged New Age
Does spirituality need a definition?
I think I know what spirituality is, but I also think its definition varies from person to person. Some people are religious and spiritual. Others are non-believers but still spiritual. Religion and spirituality are not mutually exclusive, but they’re also not the same.
I find that a lot of people who are spiritually oriented struggle with what being spiritual means. In part, that’s because spirituality is too broad. It has all sorts of different meanings and associations for people. Some people feel embarrassed about their spirituality because of the New Age movement of the 80s and 90s, while others feel like they can’t own it because they’re not Zen enough, or they don’t meditate on a regular basis, or they’re not hippies. I’ve heard all kinds of self-doubts.
In creating Three Intentions, I’ve thought a lot about spirituality, since it’s at the core of what we’re doing here. I read this article about spirituality being arbitrary and losing meaning, in which the author calls for a definition, saying that he proposes “we either give the buzzword a concrete definition or stop using it.” This guy is a senior in college, so part of me thinks he has a lot of life experiences before him and that he might be wrenched out of his rigidity at some point down the road, but I think this opinion is widely held.
As I read and realized that I disagreed with the idea that spirituality must be defined, it brought with it some relief. Professing that you’re spiritual can be burdensome, bringing with it a whole host of supposed-to’s: you’re supposed to be enlightened, not cuss, be in tune with nature, you name it. But spirituality is a feeling, it’s a connection with something bigger than us. It’s a way to be religious for many of us who have felt failed by religion, or for whom religion has simply not been able to provide the answers or be the support that we need—for whatever reason.
Having grown up in a Christian household, I find my current experience with spirituality is not so different from my childhood relationship with God. It’s a feeling. It’s a support. It gives me ground. And it doesn’t have to be the same as anyone else’s. How about you? What does spirituality look like, feel like to you? Do you have your own definition for what it means to you?
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