rhonjon

I do think that we ALL know deep down that we are connected to “God”/”The Great Spirit” whatever you want to call “it/him/her.” (insert gender pronoun here lol)….but….I think people who call themselves atheists do not like to admit this because they cannot see/touch/feel/put under a microscope…it.

Fine if you think that but I do not believe in go…[Read more]

@JodyLee, if you’re looking for some kind of spiritual practice, then the go-to one of Eastern religion is meditation.  Apparently there are two kinds: divided into “chanting” and “looking”, both of which work to distract the ego, either by chanting a mantra (I don’t do this) or by one-point concentration on some particular present-moment…[Read more]

At the same time, it seems that the area of spirituality is pretty f***ing vast, and I’m not sure I can do it justice in the same way as morality, although I can scratch the surface and come up with some kind of animating framework that will work for some people, depending on their mindset (abstract and scientific works for some but not all).

lol, at least we can say we know what we’re talking about now.  I think it’s important, that if we use a word, we know what it means.

I think that spirituality is equally accessible to religious (God-believing) and non-religious people, depending on the frame of reference.  It’s easier for religious people because it’s their meat and drink.  Wo…[Read more]

…..and if we’re fixated on the idea of defining “spiritual” – good luck. There’s over 27 definitions (or more) because again – it REALLY depends on the lens by which you see the world. We go into this with a confirmation bias (@Davis whether you accept that or not it is the truth).

I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I think we DO connect wit…[Read more]

@Simonpayton

The essence of living’

communing with this Great Spirit (God)
I think these are two versions of the same thing, if you examine the concepts.  If you want to be scientific about it, translate them into science.

No, I think the former is a watered down PC non-commital version of the later. The later presumes the existence of a de…[Read more]

‘The essence of living’

communing with this Great Spirit (God)

I think these are two versions of the same thing, if you examine the concepts.  If you want to be scientific about it, translate them into science.

Science in this case is a very abstract and systematic way of referring to a lived experience, which is rich and immediate.

Here’s my 2 cents for what it’s worth on definitions:

I think it’s really hard for an atheist to feel comfortable using a word like spiritual because by very definition, atheists do not believe in spirits of any kind.

I really like the Native American concept of the Great Spirit, which is for all intents and purposes – God. I’ve become…[Read more]

“A spirit” as a noun is a supernatural being. Holy Spirit, a ghost, a god, a soul, etc.

Used a descriptive adjective the word may or may not be nonsensical.

I have noticed that people often invoke “spirituality” when they want to add weight or power to their statements. ‘Godspeed’ sounds so much more substantial as a spacecraft leaves the…[Read more]

@Unseen

Sure… on a most basic level. ‘The essence of living’ resonates with me moreso. Are you really THIS hung up about a word?

Jody Lee wrote:
“The origin of “spiritual” is the Latin word spiritus meaning breath. Breathing, an essential element of human life, thus informs that spirituality has something to do with an essence of living.”

Spirituality=breathing. That is your working definition now?

“The origin of “spiritual” is the Latin word spiritus meaning breath. Breathing, an essential element of human life, thus informs that spirituality has something to do with an essence of living.”

Maybe just adding fuel to the fire, but I like this definition.

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

Yeah you’ve just defined something referring to two other things that are extremely vaguely defined. “The human spirit”? Sounds like an enormous box where you put everything that’s difficult to sum upto words. “Soul”. I think there are about…[Read more]

@davis – we can give you definitions til we’re blue in the face, but you will probably continue to ignore them.

That’s because you rarely give a definition that actually describes things in meaningful ways. They are full of weasel words, vagueries, subject avoiding, non-committal references and basically ever device imaginable to avoid making any…[Read more]

Unseen wrote:
Why does it have to be that word?

That’s a good point, and I don’t know the answer entirely.  I think it’s linked to the word “inspire”.

Spirit:

1. the non-physical part of a person which is the seat of emotions and character; the soul.
2. the prevailing or typical quality, mood, or attitude of a person, group, or period of…

[Read more]

Simon Paynton wrote:
@davis – we can give you definitions til we’re blue in the face, but you will probably continue to ignore them.  For example: The Spiritual Soldier

From that article: “I relaxed my opposition to spirituality after reading George Vallaint’s (2008) “Spiritual evolution.” I summarized his position as that it is the exper…[Read more]

@davis – we can give you definitions til we’re blue in the face, but you will probably continue to ignore them.  For example: The Spiritual Soldier

Simon Paynton wrote:
improved well-being

That would be “general well-being” in the form of emotional and physical well-being together with better prospects for the future.

The Buddhist monk that I know talks about “bio-social-psycho” aspects, meaning physical, psychological and social well-being.

Ivy wrote:
I think there are both physical and spiritual aspects of our being

For me, they’re one and the same thing: spirituality (1: improved well-being; 2: connection with something greater) is accessed through physical actions (1: putting the right conditions in place; 2: appropriate activities).

Arrieros somos y en el camino andamos.