What are the benefits of being spiritual?

[Dargor]

After researching some stuff I came to realise I MAY have had several notable signs of what is called ''spiritual awakening''. However, I don't see the benefits of becomming spiritual. What will I get and how would it help bringing me closer to my dream(s) in life? I don't see how anything would become any better, and I care little about developing special powers like seeing auras and things like that. But above all, I absolutely do NOT want to become some hardcore New Age hippy (no offense meant to any New Agers) who loves everything and everyone for no reason and thinks he is one with this messed up world and it's bunch of loathful inhabitants. Is this really the only kind of spiritual path that is available?

[FallingLeaves]

I'm going to answer this but take me with a grain of salt.

A lot of the spiritual people seem to believe in 'love & light'. But a lot of times, such people don't often seem very nice, to me. They paint themselves positively, but when push comes to shove just act mean-spirited. So I personally have never been able to go that route. It just wasn't a 'fit' for me.

I started out hurting, badly, and wanting not to hurt. At the same time, I wanted to know how things work, and I wanted to help others navigate this. I quickly learned, I could NOT paint things in a positive light if I wanted to know how things work; painting things in a positive light is good for a salesperson to sell things but not so good when you are trying to determine how something works that is foreign to you... because you will just accept the first happy thing you can make up that sorta seems to fill the bill, you are more interested in making it light and airy and happy and positive than you are in knowing what is truly there.

So for me it has been a long path of alternately being deluded with one positive thought or another, then coming to the point between a rock and a hard place where I had to be learning about my delusions and why I was deluded, and ultimately learning ways of not being so mean to myself and to others as part of the path to clearing out the delusions. (or in one case being meaner than usual to someone I had always been forced to be nice to... but apparently it is what she wanted anyway sigh). So it hasn't been so much a path of trying to see beautiful pictures the way others think it should be, but it has been a path of seeing as best I can what is there and trying to adapt to the truths of life, instead of forever trying to make life adapt to me and what i want the way everyone else seems to want to do it. And there are other things to learn along the way as well... but as you might envision, compared to a good path being able to do this or that can end up just being another distraction. Might be fun for a holiday though!

[janesix]

Originally Posted by SlayerOfLight

After researching some stuff I came to realise I MAY have had several notable signs of what is called ''spiritual awakening''. However, I don't see the benefits of becomming spiritual. What will I get and how would it help bringing me closer to my dream(s) in life? I don't see how anything would become any better, and I care little about developing special powers like seeing auras and things like that. But above all, I absolutely do NOT want to become some hardcore New Age hippy (no offense meant to any New Agers) who loves everything and everyone for no reason and thinks he is one with this messed up world and it's bunch of loathful inhabitants. Is this really the only kind of spiritual path that is available?

One benefit to spirituality is that you come to pay attention to your behavior and thoughts. And you come to realize what you need to change in order to become a better person.

[Dargor]

Originally Posted by FallingLeaves

I'm going to answer this but take me with a grain of salt.

A lot of the spiritual people seem to believe in 'love & light'. But a lot of times, such people don't often seem very nice, to me. They paint themselves positively, but when push comes to shove just act mean-spirited. So I personally have never been able to go that route. It just wasn't a 'fit' for me.

I started out hurting, badly, and wanting not to hurt. At the same time, I wanted to know how things work, and I wanted to help others navigate this. I quickly learned, I could NOT paint things in a positive light if I wanted to know how things work; painting things in a positive light is good for a salesperson to sell things but not so good when you are trying to determine how something works that is foreign to you... because you will just accept the first happy thing you can make up that sorta seems to fill the bill, you are more interested in making it light and airy and happy and positive than you are in knowing what is truly there.

So for me it has been a long path of alternately being deluded with one positive thought or another, then coming to the point between a rock and a hard place where I had to be learning about my delusions and why I was deluded, and ultimately learning ways of not being so mean to myself and to others as part of the path to clearing out the delusions. (or in one case being meaner than usual to someone I had always been forced to be nice to... but apparently it is what she wanted anyway sigh). So it hasn't been so much a path of trying to see beautiful pictures the way others think it should be, but it has been a path of seeing as best I can what is there and trying to adapt to the truths of life, instead of forever trying to make life adapt to me and what i want the way everyone else seems to want to do it. And there are other things to learn along the way as well... but as you might envision, compared to a good path being able to do this or that can end up just being another distraction. Might be fun for a holiday though!

Thanks for the answer. That's a rather interesting alternative take on it, in contrast to some others who are indeed into that love and light stuff and seem to have become 'happiness zombies' of some sort.

[Dargor]

Originally Posted by janesix

One benefit to spirituality is that you come to pay attention to your behavior and thoughts. And you come to realize what you need to change in order to become a better person.

I am already doing that, so if that's the only benefit then I don't even feel the need to become spiritual.

[Blue Tiger]

What do I get out of spirituality? Nothing, really.

What did I give up by being spiritual? Lots of stuff. I stopped worrying about what was wrong with me, stopped wondering why I "didn't get" the religion stuff. I stopped trying to fit in, because it stopped seeming important. I actually forgave people who were unpleasant or judgemental to me. I stopped thinking it was somehow my fault that they were nasty.

For me it's not about becoming a better person or learning to read auras. Then again, with the other expectations dropped I now feel free to be myself and looking back I HAVE become a better person. That was never my goal though.

It's weird, I guess. People are accustomed to thinking of action/reaction. I don't think spirituality works that way.

If I had to think of something that I have gained from spirituality... I'd have to say serenity.

[janesix]

Originally Posted by SlayerOfLight

I am already doing that, so if that's the only benefit then I don't even feel the need to become spiritual.

I don't think it's the only benefit. Just the only one in my personal experience. Which has been pretty bad so far.

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by janesix

One benefit to spirituality is that you come to pay attention to your behavior and thoughts. And you come to realize what you need to change in order to become a better person.

Hello janesix,
I like this answer,short,sweet and neutral!

Kind Regards Billy.

In short, you drive your own life.

♥

[shoni7510]

For me it is knowing that there is a world out there beyond the one I am in and experiencing that world personally makes me happy. I no longer fear death and I can't wait to go to the other side.