What does it mean to be spiritual? According to the Google dictionary, spirituality is:
The quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.
However when you look at the Cambridge online dictionary for the meaning of the word spirituality, they define it as:
The quality that involves deep feelings and beliefs of a religious nature, rather than the physical parts of life.
These meanings are fairly different from each other; so which is right? What does it mean to be spiritual?
According to the University of Minnesota, and their online article, “What is spirituality?” spirituality is a broad concept that can be viewed from many different perspectives. It is a universal human experience that includes a sense of connection with something bigger than us, and involves finding a purpose and/or meaning in our lives.
And I agree with that. Spirituality can have varying definitions for everyone. The main takeaway for me is that spirituality helps you look at life from a different perspective so that you can find deeper meaning in your life and give yourself a purpose.
So now that we have a better idea about what spirituality is, let’s try to answer this question:
Can spirituality make you a happy person?
For me, the answer is, yes it can. CAN being the keyword here, because there is a small chance that you won’t find happiness simply by being spiritual.
Why do I say that? Because, like a lot of other things, spirituality is just something that helps you along; in the end, if you want to be happy then it’s up to you.
There are three main reasons why I don’t think spirituality is a guaranteed route to happiness.
The Pursuit of Happiness
The American Declaration of Independence has a well-known line, which states:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (If these weren’t the exact words or they are wrong, I apologise in advance. I just looked it up on the internet and this is what I found).
Pay attention to the last three words, they say “the pursuit of Happiness.” Why do you think it was worded this way?
There are many interpretations of this but I think it is because everyone is different. There is no such thing as a universal path to happiness, different things make different people happy, and sometimes it takes time for us to realise what that thing is, and so if we want to attain happiness, it is our job to figure out what it is and seek it. Also, the world owes us no favours, it already brought us here, and the rest is our responsibility.
Fickle Nature
I like to consider myself a spiritual person; it has helped me put things in perspective and gives me hope. But I still feel depressed, sad and hopeless sometimes, and that’s because of my fickle nature as a human being. I do feel happiness but after a while I get used to it, take it for granted and then start feeling down again. Happiness, while great, is fleeting, and so we keep going after it again and again, trying to find something new to make us feel better. While spirituality can help put things in perspective, it won’t stop you from feeling down every now and then.
Not for everyone
Not everyone wants to be spiritual and that’s fine. I wasn’t at all spiritual when I was younger and if anyone asked me to do anything remotely spiritual, I’d run away. Even now, I hesitate to call myself a fully spiritual person. However, I am somewhat spiritual and I became like this over time. You can’t force something like spirituality on to someone; they have to accept it voluntarily. And maybe being spiritual isn’t for them; maybe their current path is good because it works better for them.
So yes, spirituality can make you happy, but it isn’t a universal answer and it might not be for some people. If you would like to try it out then please go ahead, it’s good to experience new things and see the world from different perspectives, but if it isn’t your cup of tea then that’s fine too.
And that’s the end of this post. I hope you liked it and I hope you have a good day ahead.
Alternative Yoga 