About Spirituality

A major discussion we tackled a while ago on my summer class on anthropology 274 (my elective subject) is about the topic of spirituality. It is inline with the studies that we would be required to undertake on our field study next week at Bauang, La Union. Over our discourse I found the idea of spirituality very interesting and brain stimulating. Most of my fellow students view spirituality as, a mode of mindset and control imposed by a concept of a higher being to an individual. Also they view it as a relationship of an individual to a faith or a higher being. Interestingly there is only one view that differs between our definitions of what is spirituality, mine.

How do I view spirituality? I relate spirituality with the human “need” for salvation. Salvation or the continuance of life after death is the common factor present in all of the world’s religions (as far as I know). It is with this common belief that I hypothesis that spirituality, then is a product on the need to rationalize a concept of continuance of our fleshly bodies to a soul that would experience an eternal life, or in other religion the development of the human soul through reincarnation to achieve nirvana. This need for a concept of salvation then root out to other factors affecting an individual’s spirituality like faith or religion.

Salvation and its relation to culture

Need for Salvation à Personal Faithà Belief on a Higher BeingàWith the convergence of individuals with the same faith to a community or group becomes bodies that compose a RELIGION, SECT, or in some instances a CULT. Which later own forms a distinct culture that radiates to other form of social interactions like through art, politics, and etc.

My main theory in this philosophy is that the belief on salvation and the practices on achieving salvation is a major method that can be use to trace the characteristic or identity of a culture or society. An example of which is religious performances or productions; like dances, prayers, feasts, the production of santos, church designs and other religious relics to name a few. This practices is able to form an identity or practices that can define or identify a society’s culture. Examples are the unique practices of burials, weddings, baptismal, feast celebrations in the different parts of our country. This practices varies from ethnicity like from the practices of the Ilocanos from the Tagalogs, and through religion like of Catholics from the Aglipayans. If we are to trace the roots of these practices, we can go back to the collective religious belief of a society. Which is based on their common “interpretation” of faith on God or on a god/s, which then is the Supreme Being that grants them their salvation.

Spirituality on my personal level

A lot of people, including my mother has a connotation that spirituality has a lot to do with going to church. They picture individuals that don’t frequent churches or interact with the religious community has a poor spirituality. With this concept I would like to differ. Spirituality roots out from the personal relation of your body to your spirit, or in other words yourself to your God. This practice on communicating or believing to your God is personal. Is there any right procedure or dogma on communicating to God? Some religious would say there is, but I personally believe spirituality is personal. Your communication with your God is based on your personal faith, understanding, and approach. I don’t go to our church (born again) for I have issues with some of the teachings and of the social approach of some of the churchgoers. But my ethics, morality, and faith are deeply rooted on my Born Again upbringing and belief. Though I have a different approach on my view of salvation. I find it greatly hypocritical to practice divinity and avoid sins and ask forgiveness for sins just for the concept of going to heaven. I am human I am design to sin. Though I want to live my life in a concept of goodness I admit I don’t aim for divinity. I plan to live my life on the basis on what I believe is good or moral. In the end if ever the “reality” of eternal judgment comes, I am prefer to present my life. If ever God find my life ok then hallelujah, if not then ill be sorry to experience hell. My point is, the rules of divinity is greatly interpreted and misinterpreted by men, who themselves are prone to sin. If a person can charge his or her life to the responsibility on the interpretation of others of God’s word, it is their choice and I have no arguments about that. I communicate to God my own way, I pray on my own way. It may not be on the way that other people expect, but I do it. It is not my responsibility to conform to others especially on my relationship with God. It is between Him and me as far I am concern. I can put into analogy my relationship with my father (I once read in an article that a person’s relationship with God is comparable to that person’s relationship with his/her father). We don’t usually talk, we greatly have our differences, and at times argue about it. But in the end of the day he is my father and I am his son. From childhood to even the time I was working, he still provide me of the things I need, though not all I the things I want. In return I obey him as a son and pay homage to him, one of it is following his footsteps by taking an MA (hopefully an doctoral after). To other’s point of view our lack of verbal communication is a sign of disfunctionality. But for the two us there is nothing wrong, it is the best way we communicate and we try to adapt to that. It can be said also with my relationship with God, we have are own communication.