Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Spirituality
Just because I don’t believe in an immortal soul does not mean I am without a desire for a meaningful or spiritual existence. Many people think that spirituality is confined to religion but I think they are not synonymous. I define spirituality as a longing to look beyond the self and feel at one with the universe. I suppose it is all in the mind and no doubt there is a perfectly good evolutionary reason for why we feel this way. Whatever the reason, I think there are many ways to be spiritual. I think you can achieve it through any activity that absorbs you completely. Some people find it through observation of nature, through meditation, through music or through art.
I most often achieve this by looking at the stars. I find the infinite and eternal nature of the night sky incredibly soothing. All my worries, anxieties and irritations fall away into insignificance and I realize that nothing really matters as I am a tiny finite speck in the universe, yet nevertheless I still am a part of it. It contains me yet it is indifferent to me and for some inexplicable reason that makes me feel peaceful and happy rather than scared or alone.
I have also found meditation very beneficial and sometimes I can achieve a similar feeling to star-gazing through just clearing my mind and listening to the silence. It kind of feels like the barrier between the body and the world has disappeared and you are just floating openness. Apparently it is called the oceanic feeling. It is very strange but not unpleasant and on one or two occasions I swear I have felt bliss. I know it must just be some chemical reaction but whatever causes it, it is good! I think that is why Eastern religions or philosophies can be appealing as you learn to look inward for your own salvation or enlightenment.
But at other times I think spirituality is whatever makes you feel really alive. It is when time appears to stand still or no longer matters. You can feel it sometimes when transfixed by a painting from another place and time or when reading books written long ago that resonate with you and you realize that despite everything it is good to belong to the human race. I know there is much we can change or improve about our world but I feel gratitude for life rather than despair. I agree with Andre Comte-Sponville when he says “Why dream about Paradise? The Kingdom is here and now.”
[The Book of Atheist Spirituality, Bantam Press, Great Britain 2008]
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The only time I felt that feeling was on a hike up onto Dome Glacier in Jasper National Park. The glacier spills off the top of Columbia Icefield over more than a 1000 m of sheer cliff. The cliffs wrap right around, so that when you're up on the tounge all you can see is towering cliffs and massive sheets of ice. And other than the wind there is nothing making noise. An amazing feeling to just stand there and look - loss of self!
ReplyDeleteSounds amazing - some people say it is the ego dissolving for a moment or two and that your consciousness alters briefly before returning to normal. After all it is a little dangerous to stay like that for too long as who knows when a giant woolly mammoth might appear from its cave wanting a feed!
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling that there are degrees of atheism. I would call what you describe here a form of religion, just not with a conventional monotheistic god. Pure atheism is a complete disregard for anything at all spiritual.
ReplyDeleteActually the Oxford English dictionary defines Atheism as simply "disbelief in the existence of God"- it says nothing about spirituality. Dawkins himself, the great non-believer in new age mumbo-jumbo admits that he finds his awe and mystery through observation of nature. He just uses more scientific terminology. Remember I did an Arts Degree!
ReplyDeleteBeing an atheist brings the realization that we are all impermanent, but through this realization, we can contribute to improving/understanding/nuturing humanity and this fragile planet in our own way and as an inclusive, compassionate& progressive society. Removing the need to blame our actions/mistakes on god or devil and instead, take ownership of our thoughts and actions is the most liberating experience of my entire life.
ReplyDeleteHear, Hear. Couldn't have said it better myself. I just thought of a new slogan - Atheists Unite!
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