What Does Being Spiritual Mean To You?

by sweet pea 26 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Terry

  Let's be honest here, shall we?

  When a person who was once religious smacks into the brick wall of reality about the empty nonsense of ritual they are left with a very harrowing set of choices.

  1.Give up a world view which is comforting, familiar and descriptive of everything

  2.Cling to the emotional aspects of what was nourishing about "God thoughts" whilst abandoning the rituals.

  3.Leap out of the frying pan of religious affiliation and into the fire of irrational thinking by detaching a Concept from its Defining aspects. (i.e. substituting a meaningless word :Spirituality)

  Our mind operates conceptually.

  If we substitute the waxed fruit of nonsense words with fuzzy edges of emotional content for genuine terms clearly defined we become idiotic in the process.

  Why?

  If you don't know what you think (can't define your concepts clearly) then you can't think at all!

  Spirituality is a concept which lays cuckoo's eggs in your consciousness by substituting a meaningless word for actual words with actual definitions. When the egg hatches, you are a blubbering, incoherent boob with drool running down your cheek!

  We all get to have our own opinions. We don't get make up our own facts.

  Words are vital to clear thinking.

  If you have a word that means different things to different people--HOW DO THEY COMMUNICATE with each other meaningfully?

  Answer: THEY DON'T and they CANNOT.

  A word that can mean anything actually means nothing.

  Think about it.
• 

  quietlyleaving

  Terry

  Spirituality is a concept which lays cuckoo's eggs in your consciousness by substituting a meaningless word for actual words with actual definitions. When the egg hatches, you are a blubbering, incoherent boob with drool running down your cheek!

  All human concepts do that imo to an extent.

  We all get to have our own opinions. We don't get make up our own facts.

  Some of what we call facts today may well turn out to be the opinions of yesteryear in the future.
• 

  changeling

  I no longer believe in the need to worship. There may or may not be a "creator" but I don't think he/she/it needs, wants or demands worship.

  I don't know if "spirituality" is the word I'd use, but for lack of a better one, to me it means to be in touch with the needs of others and aware of the beauty that sorrounds us in everyday things.

  changeling

  PS: I see Terry is not in a "warm and fuzzy" mood today. lol
• 

  jaguarbass

  I used to think it meant concerned with godly things. Why was I concerned with godly things? Probably because I was raised in a cult.

  All those years I spent at the kingdumb hall, I could have been watching tv. Or maybe gotten an education that would pay me big dollars. In this world money is where it is at. Money is protection, health and welfare and enjoyment in comfort and luxury. All lost for the pursuit of the spirit.

  Now me and my spirit are down in the dumps.
• 

  AudeSapere

  Great question. It was one of my first independent thoughts that I held on to and acted on. It was on of my first steps out of the org.

  jaguarbass wrote: All lost for the pursuit of the spirit.

  We were all more focused on the outward evidence appearance of spirituality rather than actually 'being' spiritual. We were really just acting spiritual.

  -Aude.
• 

  Mysterious

  Feeling connected to nature and to the world. Being in touch with myself and my partner. Being sensitive to the needs of others and wanting to do good with my life. Absolutely nothing to do with a higher power at all.
• 

  eclipse

  Spirituality means something different to everyone, without the correct definition and meaning, that word is meaningless.

  1. Being in tune with the goodness within and treating people how you would like to be treated.

  1.Ethical

  2. Being in tune with nature and appreciating the beauty and complexity of the universe.

  2.Aesthete *

  3. Recognising there is a higher power and worshipping in a way that feels right but does not
  include meetings 3x a week, field service etc, or going to a church. Just talking internally
  to this 'Being' counts, together with the above.

  3.Superstitious

  * Relating to the sense of the beautiful and to heightened sensory perception in general.
  www.ackland.org/tours/classes/glossary.html

  Since I could not open that link, I looked up the word aetheste:

  aes·thete / '?s?it or, especially Brit. , 'is- / Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation [ es-theet or, especially Brit. , ees- ]

  –noun

  1.	a person who has or professes to have refined sensitivity toward the beauties of art or nature.

  2.	a person who affects great love of art, music, poetry, etc., and indifference to practical matters.

  1. One who cultivates an unusually high sensitivity to beauty, as in art or nature.
  2. One whose pursuit and admiration of beauty is regarded as excessive or affected.

  I think it is possible to appreciate beauty, art, music, etc and be moved by them, and still be balanced and non superstitious. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source spir·it·u·al·i·ty / ?sp?r?t?u'æl?ti / Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation [ spir-i-choo-al-i-tee ] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun, plural -ties.

  1.	the quality or fact of being spiritual.

  2.	incorporeal or immaterial nature.

  3.	predominantly spiritual character as shown in thought, life, etc.; spiritual tendency or tone.

  4.	Often, spiritualities. property or revenue of the church or of an ecclesiastic in his or her official capacity.

  From this definition, I am not spiritual. What does it mean to me? (and I most certainly could be wrong.) To me it means to feel an attachment to the peptide chemicals produced when in an euphoric state perceiving that euphoria to be from a divine source. All emotions are chemicals. It's an emotional state. I am not saying those emotions are not valid. (Just like the feeling of being in love is also a chemical peptide storm within your grey matter) Just saying that spirituality originates from within your brain.