Is Spirituality about you and your happiness only?

Reflecting on recent events, and the posts and contributions of the good people on this forum, it occurs to me that some people see spirituality as "about me."

"My wealth"
"My experiences"
"My dreams"
"My growth"
"My wow-moments"
"My insights"

Anyone see spirituality related to helping "others" - our fellow brothers and sisters, peace in the world, narratives etc.

How do you see spirituality and it place in doing something that relates to the word "service"?

Thanks

JL

(This is a repost)

Well....it is about oneself really. One can't tread another's path - in fact part of waking up to spirituality surely is realising just how conditioning and materialism control people's mundane paths en masse. Once breaking away from that you're on your own path: self (or spiritual) development. You can try to persuade someone to follow your path, you can throw ideas, demonstrate how it works for you but it's up to those others what they do - how and what they can learn if they choose to.

Someone presents their ideas here and others can contemplate what they have to say, comment, add their tuppenceworth.

Helping others is not necessarily "spiritual" (in the sense that most benevolent people are charitable but don't try to explain their acts in spiritual terms. It could be that the more developed someone is (in non-material things) that they more readily help people or at least inspire them. Imposing one's spiritual ideas on someone isn't necessarily helping them. We might just show them signposts to help them develop, perhaps aid in solving their problems, offer support and so on but it's up to the other what they take up. You could make a case that it's dangerous with someone vulnerable. Bad advice could worsen their problems. But...it's their path.

Just my view, though.

[inavalan]

Originally Posted by janielee

Reflecting on recent events, and the posts and contributions of the good people on this forum, it occurs to me that some people see spirituality as "about me."

"My wealth"
"My experiences"
"My dreams"
"My growth"
"My wow-moments"
"My insights"

Anyone see spirituality related to helping "others" - our fellow brothers and sisters, peace in the world, narratives etc.

How do you see spirituality and it place in doing something that relates to the word "service"?

Thanks

JL

(This is a repost)

Spirituality is the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul, as opposed to material or physical things. (dict.)

So, spirituality isn't about helping or service.

If you're asking what should we be concerned about, you have to firstly get an answer to what is your purpose of coming here, on Earth now. You can't learn that answer from others, or rationalize it yourself.

[JustBe]

Originally Posted by Lorelyen

Well....it is about oneself really. One can't tread another's path - in fact part of waking up to spirituality surely is realising just how conditioning and materialism control people's mundane paths en masse. Once breaking away from that you're on your own path: self (or spiritual) development. You can try to persuade someone to follow your path, you can throw ideas, demonstrate how it works for you but it's up to those others what they do - how and what they can learn if they choose to.

Someone presents their ideas here and others can contemplate what they have to say, comment, add their tuppenceworth.

Helping others is not necessarily "spiritual" (in the sense that most benevolent people are charitable but don't try to explain their acts in spiritual terms. It could be that the more developed someone is (in non-material things) that they more readily help people or at least inspire them. Imposing one's spiritual ideas on someone isn't necessarily helping them. We might just show them signposts to help them develop, perhaps aid in solving their problems, offer support and so on but it's up to the other what they take up. You could make a case that it's dangerous with someone vulnerable. Bad advice could worsen their problems. But...it's their path.

Just my view, though.

Your post points to my own understanding Lorelyen.

Each individual plays its Own role, walks their own path. We are both individuals and a collective. There is no ‘’my way’ ‘this way’. The way and life is your own., it’s not necessary to project that as the way others should experience themselves and life. We are all unique pieces of the whole creation.

As for service, being myself and understanding myself through many streams of life, allows me to be an aware participant. The roles assigned as to what we should and shouldn’t be doing, is really just about the one who decides this. Spirituality is not about just being of service. Take out labels and people are just doing what they want and can do.

Life is not just about suffering. Life is about everything life is and offers. I prefer my cup full to move and live. So if I dont honour myself, It will catch up with me. Life is about living. Living your life is the dream you create. I like my dreamer self.

[Unseeking Seeker]

***

We cannot give what we ourselves do not have.

Love.

When we so be to become love as the unceasing outpouring, nondiscriminating, uncalculating, nonthinking, all embracing, caring & sharing ... we both give & receive love as a state of being. Without this transformation, the thought of love or the conditioned act of love is not love, just as the idea of reality is not reality Itself.

The ‘about me’ alluded to essentially means that we yearn to magnetically connect our consciousness in an unbroken continuum with the That Oneness awareness or all encompassing God presence, the very fabric of which is love absolute. As such, we then be to become ourselves ... love, even though the assimilation may be gradual, layer by layer, in the gross earth domain.

So is it about me? Yes & no. Yes ... because we make the choiceless choice to entwine with the divine. No ... because we are all interconnected as one.

Love & Light

***

Originally Posted by inavalan

Spirituality is the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul, as opposed to material or physical things. (dict.)

So, spirituality isn't about helping or service.

If you're asking what should we be concerned about, you have to firstly get an answer to what is your purpose of coming here, on Earth now. You can't learn that answer from others, or rationalize it yourself.

Merriam-Webster

Definition of spirituality

1 : something that in ecclesiastical law belongs to the church or to a cleric as such
2 : CLERGY
3 : sensitivity or attachment to religious values
4 : the quality or state of being spiritual

Definition of spiritual (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit : INCORPOREAL
spiritual needs
2a : of or relating to sacred matters
spiritual songs
b : ecclesiastical rather than lay or temporal
spiritual authority
lords spiritual
3 : concerned with religious values
4 : related or joined in spirit
our spiritual home
his spiritual heir
5a : of or relating to supernatural beings or phenomena
b : of, relating to, or involving spiritualism : SPIRITUALISTIC

Originally Posted by Lorelyen

Well....it is about oneself really. One can't tread another's path - in fact part of waking up to spirituality surely is realising just how conditioning and materialism control people's mundane paths en masse. Once breaking away from that you're on your own path: self (or spiritual) development. You can try to persuade someone to follow your path, you can throw ideas, demonstrate how it works for you but it's up to those others what they do - how and what they can learn if they choose to.

Someone presents their ideas here and others can contemplate what they have to say, comment, add their tuppenceworth.

Helping others is not necessarily "spiritual" (in the sense that most benevolent people are charitable but don't try to explain their acts in spiritual terms. It could be that the more developed someone is (in non-material things) that they more readily help people or at least inspire them. Imposing one's spiritual ideas on someone isn't necessarily helping them. We might just show them signposts to help them develop, perhaps aid in solving their problems, offer support and so on but it's up to the other what they take up. You could make a case that it's dangerous with someone vulnerable. Bad advice could worsen their problems. But...it's their path.

Just my view, though.

Thanks for your honest response, Lorelyn.

I guess it comes down to how "Spirituality" is defined (see post #5 above)

I've noticed that on this forum spirituality is indeed quite liberal. I started a thread some time ago on how people define/d awakening and it also affirmed my observation that on this forum, it's quite varied.

I'll share more of my thoughts later, but I wanted to thank you for the sharing.



JL

Originally Posted by JustBe

Spirituality is not about just being of service.

I never said it's "just" but this is a theme I see in nearly all religions and spiritual traditions. Interesting that it's not perceived as relevant by you, JustBe.

Originally Posted by JustBe

Take out labels and people are just doing what they want and can do.

Yes, a butcher is just doing that, and a farmer is just doing that, a mother is just doing this, and a shooter is just doing that other thing.

The danger of spiritual thinking is thinking that spiritual higher truths are equal in subjective reality. It's not that "labels" matter - it's that actions (or lack of) do.

JL

Originally Posted by Unseeking Seeker

So is it about me? Yes & no. Yes ... because we make the choiceless choice to entwine with the divine. No ... because we are all interconnected as one.

Love & Light

***

And how did YOU become love? How does that translate in your real (not online) life, Unseeking Seeker?

Love and Light also.

JL

[Unseeking Seeker]

Originally Posted by janielee

And how did YOU become love? How does that translate in your real (not online) life, Unseeking Seeker?

Love and Light also.

JL

***

Unceasing state of bliss irrespective of external circumstances is the visible manifestation of the so being to become love, albeit as of our gradually ascending ability to imbibe & assimilate the divine energy.

There always is the downward pull of inertia but we may egolessly see that we are no longer what or who we used to be, the fulcrum of consciousness having shifted or rather continuously shifting by our choice to so be & allow ourselves to dissolve into the flow.

The actuality as in graphically may be just simplistically said as that we are unceasingly bubbling with the effervescence of the elixir of life, nonjudging & uncalculating, unfettered & free flowing.

As the love energy occupies the voids within, we are centred and all energy points synchronous in a dance synced to the divine vibration.

Being as such, the analytical component of thoughts rest, employed only when needed and the default orientation of attention is intuitive. Rephrased, we may say that the doer transitions to a non-doer, an exuberant observer.

***