Is spirituality biased towards certain personality types?

[pixiedust]

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

QUOTE 20 EXCERPT:



Amen! Amen ! Amen !

I too could not believe the statement that was posted previously about people drawn to the spiritual path being "failures of society".

Yep ............

[ocean breeze]

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

I too could not believe the statement that was posted previously about people drawn to the spiritual path being "failures of society".

What better motivation?

There appears to be a lack of comprehension as i got the impression people might have took that comment personally or thought i speak for the majority. Which is expected here. I did enjoy people's reply to that comment especially when they share a personal experience. But i did feel your comment (and the one above) was passive aggressive. Perhaps i struck a raw nerve.

In the grand sham of things. Right, wrong, success, failure, does not exist. In the minds of many it actually does. Its a very real thing. And people do take offense when called or are seen as a failure. Nobody wants to be looked at as a failure. Especially by those close to them. But things like discomfort, hopelessness, worthlessness, feeling like a failure, the very things that people turn away from are the exact things i find rather motivating. It lights a certain fire under you to look inside yourself for answers. Much more so than when things are happy, peachy and everything is going right. But i get the impression only very few here can relate to that.

Later cats.

[Altair]

Originally Posted by ocean breeze

But things like discomfort, hopelessness, worthlessness, feeling like a failure, the very things that people turn away from are the exact things i find rather motivating. It lights a certain fire under you to look inside yourself for answers.

Yes, true.

It is the darkness that we become aware of the slightest sliver of light, don't we?

[Altair]

Originally Posted by ocean breeze

Later cats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2Cl...eCowardlyD og

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by ocean breeze

There appears to be a lack of comprehension as i got the impression people might have took that comment personally or thought i speak for the majority. Which is expected here. I did enjoy people's reply to that comment especially when they share a personal experience. But i did feel your comment (and the one above) was passive aggressive. Perhaps i struck a raw nerve.

In the grand sham of things. Right, wrong, success, failure, does not exist. In the minds of many it actually does. Its a very real thing. And people do take offense when called or are seen as a failure. Nobody wants to be looked at as a failure. Especially by those close to them. But things like discomfort, hopelessness, worthlessness, feeling like a failure, the very things that people turn away from are the exact things i find rather motivating. It lights a certain fire under you to look inside yourself for answers. Much more so than when things are happy, peachy and everything is going right. But i get the impression only very few here can relate to that.

I did not take offence at the statement regarding spiritual seekers being failures in society. I did think that it was completely off the mark, based on my own experience.

And it is true that we are more motivated to look for deeper meaning in life when life is difficult. But your comment above (in bold) is actually quite different to the original comment which has produced these various responses. If you had said this in the first place then perhaps we would all have agreed with you.

Peace

[pixiedust]

Agreeing with iamthat and speaking for myself personally, I just laughed simply because it is patently untrue. There are extremely "successful" people who enter its field, even though I agree these are all just categorizations of thought at the end of the day.

[Altair]

That's right. 'Spirituality' seems to be a huge thing among celebs and the like. They're successful people in terms of wealth and achievements. And then there's many poor folks that aren't successful by societal standards, that may be into spiritual practice as well. ''Spiritual people'' are kinda everywhere.

But certain paths seem more common with certain personality types, which is what caught my interest. Some personality types may be presented as 'more spiritual', for whatever reason, and this shows a bias. It can be society thinking introverts like INFPs as 'more spiritual'. I don't think that is true, and I'm an introvert myself. Being contemplative, needing alone-time, and focussing on one's inner world doesn't make someone interested in spirituality. There's other variables that need to match as well. For myself, I think growing up in a Christian context helped to kindle an interest in it. But overall, I think any personality type can be interested in spirituality.

[FallingLeaves]

Originally Posted by ocean breeze

But things like discomfort, hopelessness, worthlessness, feeling like a failure, the very things that people turn away from are the exact things i find rather motivating.

for me it is more than motivating; it is the essence of life.

Such things seem used by the powers that be as 'seals', preventing us from passing certain boundaries. We won't pass those boundaries, of our own volition, so instead of our usual proud ways where we try to do everything possible even when (especially when?) specifically told not to, here we just walk away and go listen to happy thoughts... as the taoists would say the things therein are 'valuably sealed'. Because with noone willing to unwrap a seal, the seal will never be broken.

Hi Lorelyen, wish you are alright

I agree with everything you said. What I meant by that was more of the start of a conversation. It starts as a show of superiority in belief(s), and what comes next is either a show of adaptation, or fleeing. Not that I'm pointing fingers to anywho, anywhere. Just been observing for quite a while now.

When this particular crossroads occurs, sometimes, some people, choose to leave behing the knowledge that brought 'em to it, so as to embrace new knowledge that will keep them going, and so on and so forth. You'd do it. Heck, there's no reason to be loyal to knowledge, it's just a tool ! And I fully agree, and I go by the same rules.

Sometimes I'm too much "into my own mind" I'm unable to make myself clear

Originally Posted by Lorelyen

Not so sure about that. It could be because they hope to learn something to add to their practices/lifestyle - or that they're just interested in people and their beliefs leading to an exchange of views.

It sometimes seems necessary to examine views that are being promulgated, something of which I'm guilty, to ensure they add up to something believable. Too often one finds contradictions, false logic and unprovable assumptions being paraded as facts. If I discover some such and raise the issue, am I being superior? I'd say not. I might be more analytical, more skeptical - not superior. And it might just broaden thoughts, as mine have been broadened across time. If my beliefs no longer satisfy the aims of my life I have to say goodbye to them...and there are many that went in the bin.

Here's a quote that seems quite appropriate in current-times spirituality. The question is why?

"It’s a simple question, but most who enter the world of magick and alternative spirituality never ask it, or never fully define the answer. As a result, they’re caught up in the “dazzling lights” of the New Age Pinball Machine, and bounced around between experiences, groups and teachers, never finding themselves or getting to their core issues and drives.

Projections and generalizations, however, are always revealing. [/quote]
And more than that, all I wish to a person who's projecting, is for them realize what it tells them. About themselves I mean !

Wish you are well Still_Waters

Originally Posted by Still_Waters

QUOTE 8 EXCERPT:



Some people "compare" to find common ground.'