I have never been one to worship a personified God and perceive myself as somewhat of a skeptic when it comes to religion. Ever since I can remember, my mom has desperately tried to engrave the teachings of the Bible and the so called truths of Christian ideology into my life. As i grow older, I have found myself straying further away from my traditional religious beliefs and ironically closer to developing an innate sense of meaning and everlasting happiness. This idea of relative separation between spirituality and religion is introduced in Daniel Pink’s right brain recollection, A Whole New Mind. However, he fails to effectively display this disjunction and prove the true meaning of spirituality and it’s role in determining individual happiness.
In concurrence with Pink, the topic of religion and spirituality ”is [a] tricky and controversial territory” that has erupted intellectual debates for centuries. Although religion can embrace certain aspects of spirituality, both remain significantly contrasting. The primary difference between the two lies in approach. For example, religion is the epitome of the past. It emphasizes The Holy Bible as the only mean of attaining salvation, while spirituality “believes in the eternal now,” asserting the importance of living in the present in order to obtain peace of mind. Taking this into account, being a modern-day skeptic, I approach spirituality in a different manner than that of a Christian. To me, in the noble words of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, ”birth is a mystery. death is a mystery and life itself is certainly a greater mystery.” Through my own spiritual experience, I wish to embrace life’s mysteries in the moment and learn more about my inner self. Thus, instead of achieving a spiritual relationship with a personified God, I develop a spiritual relationship with myself through speculation and admiration of nature’s essence instead of adopting a false faith out of ignorance. In many ways, my beliefs resemble the recollections described in the Vedas, or Vedic Scriptures which reveal the reality of spirituality. Guru Sri Sri derives much of his teachings from this accumulation of historical texts and knowledge revelations.
Furthermore, i believe love is an important aspect of spirituality that Pink failed to explore. When I speak of love, I don’t necessarily mean passionate love , but love for humanity and the universe in its entirety. In order to love anyone or anything unconditionally, “we must first love ourselves.” Once this universality is reached, a whole new spiritual experience is awakened-It is then when everlasting happiness will begin to be achieved.
However, In A Whole New Mind, Pink mainly emphasizes happiness and prosperity achieved through religious dogmas. He points out that “people who go to church regularly seem to live longer than those who don’t,” and therefore have higher levels of happiness according to scientific studies. However, little research has been done involving the influence of spirituality and religion on children’s happiness until recently. Dr. Mark Holder from the University of British Columbia and his colleagues Dr. Ben Coleman and Judi Wallace conducted a recent study on the these influences and produced interesting results. Three-hundred and twenty 8-12 year old kids, from four public schools and two religion-based private schools, completed six different surveys to rate their happiness, their spirituality, their religiousness and their temperament. Those children who rated themselves with more spirituality,personal value, and good quality relationships proved to be the happier of the bunch. On the other hand, the study proved that the children’s religious dogmas, such as attending church and praying, had little influence on their happiness. Thus, the elements of spirituality, not strict religion, promote personal and ultimately universal well being.
Whether you worship a personified God, or value your own means of acheiving true spirituality, the discovery of meaning is essential in such a time of swift modern advancement and loss of appreciation.This integration of spirituality into your life can truly evolve your separated mind into one of peace and create a beautiful “big picture”- A Whole New Mind.
