Spirituality: The Journey

Last issue, I introduced the idea that spirituality was a unique search for knowledge. Yet, spirituality is much more than merely a passive search for knowledge; it is an enterprise of interwoven knowledge and action.

Spirituality is an introspective search for happiness, which involves action to remove the negative emotional barriers that smother that pure goodness that lies deep within our hearts. As described in the last issue, spirituality is a unique search for knowledge of self. Perhaps the first epiphany one experiences is to grasp the ultimate goal of life (of human life), to realize that the sole goal of the human mind is to maximize happiness. A closely associated realization is that as happiness is an emotion, inner factors have more to do with happiness than external ones. Perhaps the second critical epiphany is that opening one’s heart to allow the goodness within to shine throughout is the key to achieving true happiness. One discovers that the path to happiness lies in cultivating feelings of goodness, which I call the Good or the Light, by overcoming the negative feelings which impede the Light. Challenges to be met along the way include overcoming arrogance, close-mindedness, insecurity, and issues with self-esteem.

I regard spirituality as a journey. Spirituality is a search to understand self, a quest for happiness, and this quest requires action to achieve the goal. Spirituality is not a one step search for knowledge, but neither is it a two step process. Spirituality is an iterative process- knowledge enables action; emotional progress sets the stage for further insights. It’s like taking steps on a journey. Knowledge is the right leg, action the left. One may take the first step with the right leg, but without the left, one doesn’t get very far. The following step with the left leg puts one in a position to take another step with the right. In this way, one makes progress on the journey.

© 2004 Kurt Venables      

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