On Becoming Spiritually Fearless

Our conventional way of thinking about the world remains profoundly dualistic. The physical and the rational in a supposedly eternal and inexorable battle against the unseen and the spiritual. In fact, the barriers between these two dimensions -- built by the narrow rationalism of the Enlightenment -- are now being dismantled by modern science and a growing chorus of personal experiences. What we're seeing -- if we are willing to look -- is that we are not alone in an indifferent universe. As Goethe put it, "This life, gentlemen, is much too short for our souls." If this life were sufficient for our souls, we would not go through it consumed with fear.

Reintegrating the spiritual and the everyday is the key to fearlessness. But ending this division is not easy when we've stopped even acknowledging that we live caught between these two worlds. When we're consumed with climbing the career ladder or just making a living, the spiritual seems unreal and far away. So we keep it conveniently penciled in one day a week, we seek it out only in moments of crisis, or we deny it altogether while trying to convince ourselves that we can overcome all fears and obstacles on our own.

Which is not to say we're not religious. Seventy percent of Americans belong to a religious organization and 40 percent of adults attend services once a week. "The downside to all this," writes Jeffrey Kluger in his 2004 Time article "Is God in Our Genes?" "is that often religious groups gather not into congregations but into camps -- and sometimes they're armed camps. . . .Why then do we so often let the sweetness of religion curdle into combat? The simple answer might be that just because we're given a gift, we don't necessarily always use it wisely."

Here's the bottom line: If you believe in a God who only judges and punishes, or if you believe that there is nothing but an accidental, indifferent universe, it's going to be incredibly hard to move from fear to fearlessness because, after all, the essential characteristic of fearlessness is trust. It's the trust that there is meaning in our lives, even when our limited minds are unable to see it, the trust that's captured in one of my favorite verses in the Bible: "Not a sparrow falls but that God is behind it."

The alternative is a pessimism and an impatience that despair of life and seek hope either in the end of the world or in worldly panaceas.

This excerpt was originally published in On Becoming Fearless by Arianna Huffington.

Comments

[mikmik]

or if you believe that there is nothing but an accidental, indifferent universe, it's going to be incredibly hard to move from fear to fearlessness because, after all, the essential characteristic of fearlessness is trust. It's the trust that there is meaning in our lives, even when our limited minds are unable to see it, the trust that's captured in one of my favorite verses in the Bible: "Not a sparrow falls but that God is behind it."
- - -

Sorry you see it this way Arianna. I am so disapointed that people cannot find meaning and purpose in their lives and have to resort trite explanations to placate themselves.

I guess reality isn't good enough for you. It is the most beautiful and infinitely priceless experience that I am awed.
But you go find your duality. Me, I understand reality and am grateful in ways you cannot imagine.

Say hi to Deepok for me.

[CPD]

Arianna wrote: "Our conventional way of thinking about the world remains profoundly dualistic. The physical and the rational in a supposedly eternal and inexorable battle against the unseen and the spiritual. In fact, the barriers between these two dimensions -- built by the narrow rationalism of the Enlightenment -- are now being dismantled by modern science and a growing chorus of personal experiences. What we're seeing -- if we are willing to look -- is that we are not alone in an indifferent universe."

We may be alone in an indifferent universe. There may not be any intelligent life on any other planets. And I'm an atheist. I don't think there are any Gods.

Also, I'm not sure what ideas Arianna thinks "modern science" and "personal experiences" are "dismantling." The idea that we are alone in an indifferent universe? We don't know yet whether there is intelligent life on other planets. There may be. And I don't know that there is no God. But there probably isn't. Analogously, I don't think there are any leprechauns or vampires.

[mommadona]

I've always loved the phrase:

"All that ever was or will be is here now."

Profoundly simple explanation of spirituality.

Then, when I heard the information that only 1 in every 10 cells in the human body is really 'human', it gave an even deeper perspective.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_(biology)

Macro-Micro = it's all one universe.

Spirituality is the real goal.
Religion is for control of the masses.
It has NOTHING to do with spirituality.
The sooner it is shed from the collective conscience, the better. It is killing us.

[eddiestardust]

I highly recommend St. Maria Faustina's Diary.
As a prayer I recommend "The Chaplet of Divine Mercy" which is the prayer that Jesus gave her and all of us to say.

Our Lord said to St. Faustina:

"Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you...Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death...
When they say this chaplet in the prescence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as just Judge but as the Merciful Saviour...Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if
there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My Infinite mercy. I desire ot grant unimaginable graces to those souls who
trust in my mercy...through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with my will".

-Diary of St. Faustina

[kumaraflame]

So glad to see you step forward in greater Truth and Light. I am feeling personally that the redemption of our density into Light is occurring within our planet, this Solar System, the Milky Way Galaxy, and our local universe simultaneously. To know that all life on this planet will soon be vibrating to the frequency of pure Light.
In my life right now all that is false and transient cannot offer me happiness and fulfillment. I have less and less to lean upon. There seems for my life less outer security and a greater desire to have real security in the force of Good or God or Spirit. I find that the key is only direct and personal relationship with the Eternal Father through the part of Him who dwells within me, can give purpose, meaning, and the inner direction.

Fostering and nurturing a relationship with the Universal Spirit is my means of building deeper connection to the All that Is. Purely spiritualized consciousness.
Each day I practice surrender, sacrifice, selflessness, and service to the spark of the Eternal in each heart. It is the means to attain this relationship fulfillment for me and I am so glad to know these things beyond the superficial religious perspectives of the day or organized groups. What you say I like so much:

"Reintegrating the spiritual and the everyday is the key to fearlessness. But ending this division is not easy when we've stopped even acknowledging that we live caught between these two worlds. When we're consumed with climbing the career ladder or just making a living, the spiritual seems unreal and far away. So we keep it conveniently penciled in one day a week, we seek it out only in moments of crisis, or we deny it altogether while trying to convince ourselves that we can overcome all fears and obstacles on our own."

We must make God the Universal Spirit a living reality in our lives to truly make this trip worthwhile. Thanks for your speaking up of what you know to be true.

[silentlotus]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feel The Peace

When
The orchard
Of your dreams
No longer bears fruits
Listen to the blossom of silence
Hear the vastness of the still ocean
Feel the peace of no leaves in the breeze
Touch the freedom of no illusions
And see that your signature
Reveals not a face or a name
As the climax lacks thunder
For divine light is gentle
And the silence
Is pure

silent lotus

©from the archive Listening To Love
www.silentlotus.net

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[racetoinfinity]

The answer is to understand that spirituality has levels of development, and there is a profound difference in altitude and depth and inner life between religion and spirituality (in a nutshell - the former is pre-rational, the latter is trans-rational).

The European enlightenment threw the baby of spirituality out with the bathwater of dogmatic mythic religion, and Western modernity (and postmodernity, the era we are in, now) has not recovered yet.

May I recommend the book "Integral Spirituality" by Ken Wilber (and all his writings) to further elucidate the different levels of religion/reason/spirituality (which are levels of personal [and cultural] growth).

[racetoinfinity]

The answer is to understand that spirituality has levels of development, and there is a profound difference in altitude and depth and inner life between religion and spirituality (in a nutshell - the former is pre-rational, the latter is trans-rational.

The European enlightenment threw the baby of spirituality out with the bathwater of dogmatic mythic religion, and Western modernity (and postmodernity, the era we are in, now) has not recovered yet.

May I recommend the book "Integral Spirituality" by Ken Wilber (and all his writings) to further elucidate the different levels of religion/reason/spirituality (which are levels of personal (and cultural) growth.

[SdRut]

Hi Arianna, my name is Sarah; I am a PR major at the University of South Florida. Our teacher gave us an assignment to contact an influential bloggers and basically pick their brain if you will. If you don't mind, I was wondering how you first started and how easy was it for you to make a name for yourself and get people to respond to your blogs? Also, if I had a cause I wanted to get your attention on and have you as an influential blogger help spread interest on, how would I do that? Thank you!!

[webmind]

There is no spirituality, there is no soul, there is no afterlife, there is no God, there is no truth, there is no immortality, there is no love. Suffering is all. Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.

[themodernleader]

Mrs. Huffington: Your language and ideas are oblique and opaque. You should consider saying what you want to express in clear definitive language. Are you trying to express that their is a spiritual force that gives life meaning, if only we could recognize it? Are you saying that we are here alone and we must find meaning for our existence for without meaning life is futile?
I have thought about human existence all my life. And I have come to sense that the only spirituality or godliness, or meaning derives from the human species. Therefore, we are the gods of the universe. We created ourselves so we could grow and learn and explore. We are meant to unravel the mysteries of the universe and make that knowledge to benefit ourselves and all other life. Our fate is to unlock the secrets of the universe and make them our own.
Traditional religious ideologies entrap men's minds and limit their dreams and possibilities. The role of theism is to turn ourselves into predictable "obedient subjects". Any new religion must expand rather than constrict our vision and dedication to our own survival, understanding and control of the universe. And it may begin with knowledge that we are gods for being the universe's only intelligence and consciousness.
Finally the hankering for absolute values, knowledge or final solutions is a puerile, ancient hunger that results in absolute positions, armed camps and dangerous days for the human species. Gods recognize that there or no absolute categories or quick fixes in this life or the hereafter. The only absolute is process wherein we follow equitable rules as an organization in addressing the mandates and goals towards making the universe ours. This process is absolute for it determines the success or failure of our organization, therefore, the rise or fall of our spiritual, rational destiny.

[stevesrant]

Whether one is speaking spiritual/religious or atheist/humanist, the opposite of fear is Love. Therefore, being fearless is acting with Love. I find it telling that this Word appears so infrequently in these posts - and not at all in Ms. Huffington's blog.

[situationcritical]

There is no separation between spirit and matter.

[deminmo]

I agree with you Arianna about spituality, but
I no longer trust organized religions.

If it is true that no God or higher power exists
then evil does have reign. I prefer to think
it has limited power only because God gives it
the ability to operate. Every day we humans
have the option to be honest, caring, people.
To have integrity in our private lives as well
as our business and social interactions. If
we chose to say take too much change back from
a harried clerk, then we lose a vital part of
our humanity. If we go to that person and say
"you gave me too much change," then God smiles
at his handiwork.

I pray that some integrity is left in those who
govern, and that our corporate CEO's will take
their money fairly and not out of the hands of
hard-working people. But its all up to personal
choice.

[GoreSavingPlanetForJesus]

Great piece. It will be fun to watch the surge of the new Christian Left try to swing the election.

Hillary talking about her "faith-based soldiers" (boston Globe, Jan. 2002)

Al Gore: "I believe the purpose of life is to glorify God" (Senate testimony, Mar. 2007)

ChristiansAndClimate.org...The Prayer Guide for Global Warming, Evangelical Climate Initiative.

Actuallyl, 78% of Americans are Christians, 12% non Christian, and 10% no religion.

Christians on the left and right are the Nations majority by far, but religious politicians (George Bush, Jesse Jackson, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore) often screw up the view people have of Christians.

This heavy push from the Christian Left is interesting to watch.