subject: What Is Spirituality? [print this page] What Is Spirituality? What Is Spirituality?
For every person, spirituality is something different. All across our world, people are celebrating spirituality in a way that's rewarding to them. For one person, it may be going to church twice a week and following all the rules of his religion. For another person, it might be not going to church everyday and rising to pray at dawn each day.
Some people follow the traditions of their family, while others strike out on their own to find a personal meaning. In some parts of the world, meditating in a temple may bring enlightenment. Yet another person may find spirituality in doing yoga. The spiritual path is not confined to any one thing. It's a personal journey that only you can take.
While the definition is not strict, spirituality does not condemn others for their beliefs. it focuses on your place in creation and how you can be true to your highest self. Spirituality is more about doing what you do and believe, while letting others do what they do and believe. If you feel like you have to judge or 'convert' someone to your way of thinking, you've stopped thinking about spirituality, and started thinking about who's right and who's wrong.
You may disagree with another person's belief system, but someone will surely disagree with yours. Conflicts arise over this all the time, but the spiritual path can overcome differences of this type -- not easily of course. The elements of spirituality -- prayer, reflection, meditation, self denial -- all work together to make you think more the Creator and less like the creation.
If you truly care about other people, you won't feel like you need to convert them. You'll want to help them. Living your life as an example of the spirituality you believe in will be the greatest influence to change people's hearts and minds, and in turn people will want the inner peace that you have.
I, nor anyone else, can tell you what spiritual path is best for you. You have to follow your own path and come to your own conclusions about what you think and believe. The journey is a long one, but should prove to be a rewarding one.
