“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, scientist, philosopher and teacher
Many people are intrigued by this topic because they don’t realise that spirituality is simply a natural way of living that is part of our human nature. People frequently ask me why I don’t drink alcohol or why did I give up on non-vegetarian food. Is it because you are a spiritual person? Spirituality is to a great extent affiliated with religion, and in Indian context many people around the world associate spirituality with Hinduism. Spirituality, on the contrary, has nothing to do with religion. All religions, I feel, have their own unique beauty and wisdom.
Now to get back to my answer when I am questioned about my life choices, I no longer consume alcohol because I don’t feel the need to fill myself with toxicity since there is no void within me. Generally, but not always, when you are addicted to something, it implies that there is a vacuum or void within you. You are attempting to fill it with the addiction. Because of our conditioning, we are made to believe that this void needs to be filled. However, it only needs to be healed.
Regarding non-vegetarian diet, I realised one day I wanted to quit it and I did so. My body didn’t sense the need for it, and I listened to what it said. I was 17 years old at the time, and I made a decision and adhered to it. Modern lifestyle has nothing against spirituality. Once you begin to align with yourself and the divinity inside and around you, you will be directed to the right actions. That is something I have experienced in life. I just made efforts to align myself, and I began to practice spirituality as a result.
There is another myth about being spiritual. It says that you can control your tears, you don’t get angry and you are all love and light. Being spiritual doesn’t mean you do not feel human emotions. What it really means is that you become more aware of your inner struggles. With all of the self-healing work and meditation that you do as you go down this path, everything within you begins to heal itself. We are always striving to heal our wounded bits for inner child, ancestral history, past life traumas, and collective consciousness baggage. So, it is certain that you will experience lows, upsets, depressed phases, rage, and a long list of other negative emotions during this process. The only difference is that you learn from your tears and don’t cry about the same thing again. At the very least, the seriousness of your frustrations is acknowledged and worked upon. That’s awe-inspiringly spiritual!
Louis Hay, Waye Dyer, Osho, and Bert Hellinger are among my favourite personalities. Healing and acceptance are the common threads that run through them all. They have taught me how wonderfully simple life can be should one wish for it.
Once you feel yourself yearning for a simple life, you know that you have already reached a spiritual realm.