Spirituality as affirmation of life & implications re JWs & the like

by Markfromcali 8 Replies latest jw friends

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  Markfromcali

  At the socal fest I was talking to 4JWY and her hubby, and he made a point about doing something well which got me to think about this. There is such an emphasis on the new system and being no part of the world with the JWs that you effectively have a denial of life, certainly life as it is now today. Even if you believe in the new system, it would be rather like not giving first-aid or CPR because the doctor is the one that will fix it. Or even like not eating now because in a few weeks we're going to enjoy gourmet goodies so why not wait for that. I don't know how it is now, but atleast back when I was in they made an effort to try to sound like you are still concerned with life in this system to an extent. I mean even according to that belief system, isn't there a lot of things here now that is created by God for man's enjoyment? Does 'putting the kingdom first' somehow conflict with the enjoyment of these things? Sure maybe not all JWs go to the same extreme, but we all know that mentality is out there.

  But I also don't mean it just in the sense of enjoyment, but frankly on a functional level you simply ignore things so your perception becomes warped. In other words, by simply dismissing the world as evil, not worth the effort because of the new system or whatever, not only are you not enjoying it but you are ignorant to it. You are actually not conscious of what is going on around you because of that preconceived perception.

  So I say religion is not necessarily an issue, but when you squeeze out life by all the behavioral restrictions you essentially squeeze out the spirituality. You have in effect replaced reality (life) with a fake mental version fashioned after your belief system. If you look at things in the larger context of life, you would be able to put beliefs into perspective - that they are a small thing in comparison.
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  seeitallclearlynow

  when you squeeze out life by all the behavioral restrictions you essentially squeeze out the spirituality.

  So true Mark, and add to this the insistence that by so doing you are supposedly enhancing spirituality.

  What a sham.

  Good thoughts Mark.
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  LittleToe

  Excellent post, though I'm trying to make the link between the thread title and the subject matter.

  I would, however, like to raise the profile of the distinction you make between beliefs (which are in reality a small portion of life) and spirituality (which is often all-pervading).
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  Markfromcali

  Well I guess I didn't point it out very explicitly, but if spirituality is an affirmation of life, then the attitude of denying this life whether it's JWs with the belief in the new system or whatever, is in effect a denial of life in the here and now - the exact opposite. The implication is that such a way of worship is not very spiritual at all, it may be mental with all the focus on beliefs - but that is using your own mind (which is filled with beliefs you got from someone else anyway) as a context rather than life itself as the big picture.
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  LittleToe

  So would you say that ascetics are lacking in spirituality?
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  Markfromcali

  So a direct question that gets at this is how well do you live? We can forget about all the beliefs and dealing with the nitty gritty that that would involve, but you can tell there's a difference with how someone carries themselves when they are open to life.

  Of course this doesn't mean enjoying your own life in a selfish way, but don't the JWs even talk about (atleast they used to) giving a Witness by virtue of your behavior? The thing is it's not about faking it right, if that's really going to happen it's just because it comes naturally for you and it 'rubs off' on people. How often does that actually happen, compared with the individual publisher trying to contain his or her own inner conflicts and issues while being in service, putting on a happy face when that is actually not how their life is going?
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  LittleToe

  Spontaneity and living in the moment, with all it's passions and refrains.
  Yeah, that works well for me
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  Markfromcali

  So would you say that ascetics are lacking in spirituality?

  I would then say ascetics are lacking in ways to manifest spirituality in daily life, and ways to relate with others. In that sense of course everything is spiritual, but even if you are spiritually blissed out through your path of asceticism what good are you doing anyone else? If we can find spirituality in all things in life, why limit the way that's expressed? Maybe, maybe such a path accelerates an individual's development, but the shortcoming is you can be out of touch with everyday life, the life that regular people have. Sure at some point the ascetic may come down from the mountain and 'teach' like some do, (maybe) but then how well can they relate to the householder that's been leading the regular life? So as profound as the teachings may be regarded, it is a bottleneck by virtue of the different life context. At some point the spiritual seeker would realize it's not just about me and my path, and there's nothing to be afraid of or avoid in the world - no separation.
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  M.J.

  Hmm. Well probably one example is the account of Jesus. He did not alienate himself from the world but made it his aim to relate to the world--so much so a JW would condemn him for it like the religious leaders of the day.

  The thing is it's not about faking it right, if that's really going to happen it's just because it comes naturally for you and it 'rubs off' on people.

  Ahh, the results of spirituality established and managed through a publishing corp.