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Learning How We
Can Grow Spiritually
The world around us is too much about power and money – this
really puts a great, big dampener on our spiritual growth.
Then there are so many distractions around us – all the gizmos
and gadgets in our house are adding to these – that we are
only concerned about what we physically want. Who will feed
our minds? We are only thinking about our material gains, and
there is no clear idea of what self means. It is high time
that we made a state of equilibrium between our inner and
outer selves.
Looking into our inner selves is what spiritualism is all
about.
Self-reflection is not just about contemplating upon the
things that we did in the past day, week or month. It is about
an analysis of our beliefs, faiths and what motivates us. We
have to look into what we are experiencing currently, about
the decisions we have made in the past, about the things that
keep us hooked onto life. We must also think about the good
and bad within us, and think about ways in which we can
improve the good and weed out the bad. Introspection is about
an analysis of the way in which we act and behave in any
circumstance. It is about how zealous we are in seeking the
truths inside us. When we reflect upon ourselves, we need to
be practical, compassionate for ourselves and be sure of the
places where we can make improvements.
Spiritual growth is about unleashing our potentials.
You will find the concept of spirit being defined quite
differently in religion and in science. In religion, all
people have a spirit that temporarily resides in them as long
as they are alive. But in science, the body is the important
thing, and the spirit is just a projection of it. In both
Christian and Islamic religious beliefs, one of the most
important things to achieve is to control the self. All bodily
needs are actually the needs of the spirit. The qualities that
we possess, the principles and values that we stick to, the
experiences that we have; they are all responsible for the
amelioration of the spiritual being that defines us.
Psychology tells us that we must be practical about our
spirit. Human needs are classified into physiological needs,
needs of belongingness, need of esteem, need of security,
cognitive needs, esthetic needs and needs of self improvement.
According to an earlier definition of needs, there are only
three of them – material, spiritual and emotional. Once the
physiological and emotional needs are satisfied, the spiritual
needs become important. When all the needs are fulfilled, the
individual's development is said to have taken place. In
religion, the development of self is all about being of
service to God; in psychology, there is no such purpose of
self-development. It must be done for its own sake.
Spiritual growth is about looking for more purpose in life.
Religions that believe in a divine entity believe that the
purpose of human existence is to be of service to the Master
Creator. In psychology, human existence in itself gives more
meaning to it. We cannot be sure of what the exact purpose of
life is – it could be preordained, or we might have to search
for it throughout our existence – but the moot point is that
we have to grow in spirit. No one is born with a sense of what
life is, but that knowledge does come on as we live. As we
make more interactions with the society around us, and act
within its ambit, we are learning the true meaning of life.
And as the discoveries happen, we make our beliefs and
principles to guide our existence. We find the purpose of why
we are alive. The purpose is an amalgamation of various
aspects – physical, emotional, intellectual – but that is
something that directs our lives. The purpose keeps our lives
from going adrift.
Spiritual growth is about understanding how you are connected
with people.
All religions lay a lot of emphasis on our worldly
relationships. People are usually referred to as brothers and
sisters. In some relations, there is also a direct allusion to
a bonding of humans with the Divine One. This is totally
objected to in science, especially through the Theory of
Evolution. Whatever be the case, it is very certain that all
things on earth follow a close-knit bond with each other. We
only have to look at an ecological system to understand the
profoundness of this statement. In an ecological system, there
is also dependence between the biotic (living) and the abiotic
(nonliving) factors. When we understand these relationships,
we can become more condescending and humble, and we become
more attractive to others around us.
Growth can be simply defined as a phase of improving in body
and mind. It happens every nanosecond of our lives. With
spiritual growth, there can be both decline as well as
enhancement, but the knowledge always improves. With that
knowledge, a better spiritual being can always be made to
emerge.Source:
http://www.lifesatori.com |
