Instead of dwelling on the superficialities of our culture,
which are well known to every sensitive reader of this book,
let us think of some ways to move beyond triviality.
Most of the institutions of our culture do not support living deeply
because most practical affairs depend on our being superficial.

     Our economy does not grow when we enrich our inner lives
because the life of the spirit does not generate much ‘cash flow'.
Materialism is one of the main features of our culture,
so becoming deeper spiritually may require separating ourselves
at least to some degree from our former economic striving.

     What can we do to live more fully as persons of spirit?

A.  A Spiritual or Personal Journal

     Perhaps the best means to enhance our lives of spirit
is to write about our deepest thoughts and feelings.
We have already noted that words mark of the life of the mind.
But it is possible to use words
as a means of tuning-in to our deepest levels of being.
We will discover if writing helps us tune-in by trying it.

     Getting started is the most difficult part of keeping a journal.
But once we begin to put words on paper (or into a computer),
we will probably want to continue if writing enriches our spirits.

     Once we begin to express whatever is happening in our spirits,
new insights emerge, facilitated by writing down our first thoughts.
If we do not express our first level of awareness of spirit,
we inhibit the deeper movements of spirit from emerging.
But preserving something on paper—however trivial it seems at first—
allows our minds to roam free into unexplored spiritual territory,
previously unknown to us, because we kept re-surveying the old land.

     We may keep a spiritual or personal journal in many formats:
a hand-written journal in a bound blankbook or spiral notebook,
typewritten pages in a loose-leaf notebook, tape recordings,
or some form of electronic memory such as a home computer.
We may try a variety of different ways until we find one
that helps us to get in touch with our spiritual level of being.
The process of writing a journal is valuable in itself.
But if we wish to re-read something we have already written,
we will need some kind of table of contents or index.
If we use an electronic memory, it may ask us to name each file,
which will help us to find those entries at a later time.

SPIRITUALITY FOR HUMANISTS: SIX CAPACITIES OF OUR HUMAN SPIRITS by JAMES PARK 4

B. Other Disciplines of Spirit

     Reading books by people with some spiritual depth
can also help to mobilize our latent spirituality.
Here again we are using words—the instruments of mind—
as a medium thru which to stimulate some deeper movements of being.
We can keep trying different kinds of writing and different authors
until we find the books that really help us.
Many of these books may come from particular religious traditions;
but if we question the beliefs of a specific religion,
we can attempt to separate the genuine life of spirit
from the cultural trappings of that particular school of thought.

     I have found the writings of Thomas Merton, Søren Kierkegaard,
Rudolf Bultmann, and Martin Buber all helpful at various times.

     If we know personally some other persons of spirit,
then we can cultivate those friendships—for mutual deepening.
We can exchange letters about matters of spirit,
perhaps creating a written record that might be helpful to others.
Or we can have spiritual dialogs with them by phone or in person.

     We might even be able to locate or create groups of people
who are discussing the deeper dimensions of life.
Classes and seminars about spirituality can stimulate us to grow.
Such meaningful interaction with other persons of spirit
may be a good way to nurture spiritual growth for all participants.

     If we are serious about deepening our spiritual lives,
we will discover other practices that stimulate our spirits to grow.
But we can begin with writing, reading, personal sharing, and classes.
Later we may seek out a compatible spiritual guide,
someone with enough experience on the level of spirit
to help others in their spiritual quests.

C. Learning from Women

     Women have much to teach about the life of the human spirit.
For some cultural reasons that are not entirely clear,
women have been allowed to develop as more spiritual persons.
Certainly there are spiritless women as well as spiritless men,
but it seems that men in general tend to be more superficial.
Women have been encouraged to develop their inner resources.
Perhaps being female has somehow stimulated inward growth.

     The human spirit may also be seen in the women's movement.
In part, feminism is a response to the insensitivity of men.
Where sensitive, inward women have influence in shaping our culture,
freedom, creativity, altruism—marks of spirit—are more deeply valued.
Organized religion has mostly ignored women as spiritual leaders.
But as women's spirituality is recognized more broadly,
women may lead our whole culture into living more deeply.

SPIRITUALITY FOR HUMANISTS: SIX CAPACITIES OF OUR HUMAN SPIRITS by JAMES PARK 5

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