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Spirituality *********************************************** |
| Thought for the Day | |
| I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened. | |
| --Mark Twain | |
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Who am I? This question, so simple in its utterance and so infinitely profound in the breadth of human investigation initiated to answer it. I don't consider myself a particularly religious person, but I do believe I am a profoundly spiritual one. What's the distinction? For me, religious denotes adherence to a particular dogma, while spiritual more closely resembles my own eclectic approach to answer that simple question I began with. "What is spirituality?" I am sometimes asked. My answer: It's six billion different things to every person on the planet. It's our own journey to know the unknowable, to connect with higher power, if you will, and to know who we are and why we are here. But maybe that's not it at all for you. You tell me. I know, simply, that I am more than what I see in the mirror and at some subtly invisible level, I am connected to a greater whole. As Einstein said: A human being is a part of the whole called by us "the universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest--a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison to us, restricting us to our personal desires and affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening the circle of understanding and compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.Raised Irish Catholic, fascinated by Buddhism and Taoism, curious about occultism and mysticism, and currently practicing Unitarian Universalism, my own journey is a hodgepodge mix of spiritual investigation. I embrace the UU philosophy that all the world's religions and wisdom traditions have something to tell us about ther human condition and how to transcend our baser instincts to strive for greater things. I'm a sucker for all those spiritual aphorisms like "Wherever you go, there you are." They attempt to capture a substantial idea in a brief, sometimes trite, few words. And although one may argue that these weighty ideas are made trivial in the process, I believe rather that this distilled wisdom can inform and encourage deeper inquiry. There is power in the knowledge that we stand on the shoulders of our ancestors, that true wisdom will stand the test of time. And when all the complexity is stripped away, I firmly believe that real truth is simple. E=MC2. This little formula relates matter, energy, space and time in five brief characters. Wisdom and truth are like this. Please come join me for the journey. Further Inquiry: Arlington Street Church Gay Men's Spirituality Group The Secret of Life! - Kevin's Top 10 Spiritual Teachings More Secrets of Life! - Other Folks' Lists Favorite Spiritual Sayings, Poems and Inspirations One Member's Journey - a Pulpit Editorial Findhorn Experience Week Essay What do Unitarian Universalists believe? Favorite Books and Authors | |
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