Why Our Lack of Spirituality has Environmental Repercussions…
There’s an important distinction between religion & spirituality, and their correlation to environmental injustice.
The two words are used interchangeably, but they’re entirely separate concepts.
In my understanding…
Spirituality is an inherent trait of humanity. It’s our sense of connection and relationship to that which is greater than the self (the sacred). Guided by self-referral, spirituality is an intrinsic quest, an intuitive process to greater awareness and understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Religion is a system of extrinsic organized beliefs, behaviours and rituals designed to facilitate a closeness to the supernatural. Religion is not inherent or instinctive in everyone, as the ideologies are passed down from leaders and and adopted by generations. Religion is often a relinquishing of trust in the self in exchange for trust in a prescribed path.
When we look at the state of the planet and ask ourselves “how did we get here?” For me I land on our lack of spirituality.
The Buddha never prescribed a religion. In yogic philosophy, there is an understanding that the practice of mindfulness strengthens our discernment and inner accountability, we quiet the noise around us and listen for the truth inside of us. The Buddha recognized that change and action ultimately come from within, and that external motivation is not unsustainable, but can also leave us vulnerable to manipulation.
When we lack inner accountability, we can interpret scriptures written ages ago to suit our own agendas. The commonly quoted Christian words “Have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” We can take this to mean we have superiority over something, as opposed to a deep responsibility to care of it. Words and laws can be interpreted whichever way we choose in order to justify our actions.
Mindfulness is a practice of inner accountability, awareness of how our actions impact the world around us, and the subsequent consequences that follow. Acting selfishly is uncomfortable when self awareness means we have to live with ourselves and the consequences of each choice we make. Acting selfishly is uncomfortable when we are deeply aware of how interconnected we are - our actions boomerang right back to us - we have to live with our own bullshit.
We are inherently spiritual beings, and we cannot make lasting change from the outside in. If we want to mend the planet, it needs to come from the inside out.
