Growing at the Speed of Failure
SpiritHacks: 4 Steps to Deeper Spirituality
In this article I am not going to tell you what to believe, just how to believe. You may be angry at me already for my boldness in telling you what to do. That’s okay, anger is one way to show that you care enough to have an opinion about something.
If you believe in your spirit, life force, energy, inner power, infinite intelligence, etc. or some power higher than yourself inside you or out there at the edge of space – read on.
Here are four points on how you should believe.
1. Identify & Define Your Beliefs. If you have spiritual beliefs, you should be able to explain them to anyone. Chances are if you can’t explain what you believe – and you say you believe in the spiritual self – then you probably have never taken a moment of solitude to figure things out.
Your core beliefs may change from reading a book or watching a documentary, but it shouldn’t from every book or event. Keep open to new knowledge, but also keep track of yourself to see if you are a serial belief-shifter. For other people, core beliefs may never change or they may over the course of decades. It is okay to change beliefs along this journey called life. It is healthy and lets you know that you have not closed off a world that doesn’t fit into your mold of spirituality. Have an open mind, open heart and always seek truth.
2. Don’t be Lazy. Your spiritual beliefs should not be based on convenience – if it is, you may spend your life living a lie. Almost every religion (organized or not) has some code of ethics and wisdom that challenge people to live beyond who they currently are and to become more (or less) in the grander scheme of things.
3. Have an Opinion. Saying that you kind-of-believe everything is not an answer. It’s cheating you out of any meaningful discourse about it and it isn’t really making yourself vulnerable to share what you really believe. Saying that there is no absolute truth is an easy way out as well. Absolutely no absolute truth? Could you apply this logic to an answer to religion/belief to anything else in life?
- All religions are the same – All national government laws are the same
- No absolute truth – The First Law of Thermodynamics is an opinion
All religions don’t say the same thing; just pick 3 or 4 holy books and read for an hour in each – many teachers within a religion differ on opinions and teachings. Saying so is a discredit to you and those who follow the wisdom of certain spiritual teachers. It shows that you haven’t taken time to respectfully acknowledge any other spiritual teaching and just group all people of faith as the same. Would you say that about any ethnicity - they’re all the same? Of course you wouldn’t.
I understand that you believe that you are being respectful or tolerant of all religions by saying so, but having an opinion would actually serve you and others much better. An individual with a more thoughtful and respectful perspective may state, Though the Tripitaka said X and the Bhagavad Gītā says Y, the Torah says Z… I think they are each saying variations of the same thing, which I too agree with.
Acknowledge that they have differences and that you have made your conclusions based on study and not merely parroting, I heard they’re pretty much the same.
4. Practice what you Believe. Tony Robins says, “I don’t care what you believe personally. The only advice I have for you is that whatever you believe, practice it.”
The easiest thing to do is say that all religions say the same thing and that you don’t judge anyone. Statements as such basically say to people, I live by my own code, I have nothing to live up to beyond what I believe (which I don’t really know what that is yet) and how I am currently living and you can’t judge me, because I live the way I choose.
Yes, we all live the way we choose. If that has been working for you and you feel spiritually whole, great. My question to you then would be, What do you truly believe? The real, down and dirty, difficult, ugly, beautiful, amazing, impossible stuff.
Dare to have an opinion of your own that you can define. Dare to say, I believe X, but I don’t see how that would be possible for someone like me to live up to; be it a vow of poverty or living as a servant to the needy.
Dare to say that you are not satisfied with the way you are living right now if it isn’t up to the level you visualize someday living. Believing in one thing and living a totally opposite way either makes you a hypocrite or merely human – and can make you miserable because of the constant disconnect as to who you know you can be if you were to challenge yourself to have the discipline. At least admit your shortcomings – then pony-up and do something about it.
My writings are merely to encourage and challenge you to live on a higher level than you currently are. Don’t make every spiritual decision you make for the rest of your life from a negative spiritual upbringing or experience. Find your way and own and defend it!
No matter what you believe, live out those teachings and beliefs daily. Just say what you believe. The chances are we all have it wrong to some degree; we may as well be honest about it.
Don’t be afraid to be wrong, hold an opinion or say I don’t know. People will respect you much more than if you have no opinion.
