In the online world, including this website, there is a prevalent trend of people instructing others on what they should do. As someone who does this as well, I understand the urge to share personal stories, perspectives, and knowledge to inspire positive change or simply to be heard. Some individuals do this to impart valuable lessons learned through experience, while others seem to do it more for personal reasons, such as expressing grievances or reclaiming lost power.
Today, I fall into the latter category. I find it irritating when those who have not experienced spirituality themselves write off its existence. Although everyone has the right to express their opinions and logical arguments, skepticism towards spiritual experiences is understandable. It is also reasonable to debate the interpretation of spirituality and its influence on our society. However, it is not always logical for those without spiritual experiences to completely dismiss spirituality.
At first glance, this may seem reasonable. However, upon further examination, it is absurd to judge the validity of spiritual experiences without having any personal experience with them. To illustrate this point, consider the following analogy: Imagine reading a story by someone named Lars Andersson who wrote a piece entitled "Debunking the 'Mexico' Myth." Lars is disturbed by the growing number of people claiming to have visited a place called "Mexico," including some who claim to have been born and raised there. Lars is aware of the various stories and accounts of Mexico throughout history, from memoirs to guidebooks, and he finds it to be a bizarre collective delusion. However, as a resident of Sweden, he has never seen anything resembling Mexico in his daily life. He concludes that there are no Mayan pyramids, Tijuana, cenotes, or EZLN to be found, and is annoyed by his friends who have started learning Spanish and discussing their experiences in Mexico. Similarly, while it is understandable to be skeptical of spiritual experiences, it is irrational to dismiss them entirely without having had any personal experience.
This perspective may seem reasonable at first glance, but upon closer examination, it becomes clear that passing judgment on the legitimacy of spiritual experiences without having had one is completely absurd. To illustrate this point, imagine a man named Lars Andersson who writes a story debunking the existence of a place called "Mexico." Mr. Andersson is frustrated by the growing number of people who claim to have visited Mexico, a place that he believes does not exist. Despite countless historical accounts and personal testimonies, Mr. Andersson believes that Mexico is nothing but a shared delusion. He is concerned that people are wasting their time in a non-existent place instead of focusing on reality in Sweden. While Mr. Andersson is entitled to his opinion, it is clear that he cannot accurately describe a place he has never been to. Similarly, spiritual experiences are real and valid experiences that are recognized by numerous cultures and throughout history. While each experience may be unique and interpreted through an individual's cultural and belief systems, certain features are universally recognized as mystical, spiritual, or transcendent.
The individuals who have undergone spiritual experiences are not mistaken about what they encountered. While it is possible to interpret spiritual experiences in different ways and have discussions about how to utilize our revelations in our collective society, the legitimacy of spirituality itself should not be debated any longer. Throughout the majority of human history, altered states of consciousness and the belief in the sanctity of life were not only normal, but they were also the foundations of social structures and collective wisdom. It is only in recent times that humans have deemed spirituality to be false or made-up, which has coincided with the shift from a human society that coexists sustainably with the environment to one that destroys life on Earth. It is plausible that acknowledging the sanctity of the world around us motivated us to care for it more. Millions of people have been experiencing spiritual awakenings for millions of years, and we have been pursuing spirituality for far longer and with far better outcomes for humanity than we have been pursuing industry or Cartesian dualism. Spiritual experiences are as universal and prevalent as falling in love. Similar to falling in love, it is difficult to know what causes a spiritual experience, what defines it, or what makes it so remarkable, but once you have encountered it, you recognize it. It is conceivable that someone who has never been in love may have difficulty believing the accounts of those who have undergone that dizzying, euphoric, self-shattering madness that we refer to as love. Love is quite crazy if you think about it. The first time you fall in love, it is as if all the principles of your life, the things you believed were important, are turned upside down and inside out. You see everything in a new light. You had been pursuing one path, one set of aspirations and needs, and then all of a sudden, you experience something new. It is so significant and overwhelming that your life must change and broaden to accommodate nurturing and taking care of this new experience.
Experiencing a spiritual awakening is akin to falling in love, as it fundamentally alters one's perspective and priorities. It provides a new dimension to life that was previously unknown. Once you have glimpsed the light or the source, your perception of the world is forever changed. Attempting to continue with the same patterns and priorities you had before would lead to internal conflict and misery. Not everyone will experience falling in love or traveling to Mexico, but the countless accounts of people who have done so attest to the reality of these experiences, which are not merely delusions. It's understandable if you haven't had a spiritual awakening and find it difficult to relate to those who have. However, it's irrational to dispute the existence of Mexico simply because you haven't been there, just as it is illogical to dismiss spiritual experiences as "woo-woo."
Comments
Post a Comment