Comments on: What is Spirituality?

By: Spiritual Growth | Top 7 Practical Benefits | Spiritual Mind

Spiritual Growth | Top 7 Practical Benefits | Spiritual Mind — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:44:35 +0000

[...] you hear about Spiritual Growth, you might think it’s all about the white-bearded guru sitting in a cave, or some hippie [...]

By: gweneet

gweneet — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:15:23 +0000

Nice overview. I think these terms are confusing for people, and though some people are familiar with them, there are a lot of people who are not. And if we are to have a discussion, we need to define the terms. (Also: Yey, Alan Watts shout-out!)

By: Alex

Alex — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 06:04:29 +0000

Oh good. His writing style is very, very good, and funny.

By: Reggie Uecker

Reggie Uecker — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:02:00 +0000

I read a little bit about Schopenhauer. Seems very interesting.

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:06:27 +0000

@Gil Malonzo. LOL – how nihilistic of you

I think you really might like Arthur Schopenhauer. 19th cent German philosopher – wrote The World as Will and Representation. Look him up.

Not only is he thought of as one of the greatest German philosophers, he’s thought as one of its greatest writers period. His writing is funny, clear (as opposed to a lot of philosophers), and I think you’ll like him very much.

I don’t want to write 2000 words on him right this sec, but here’s something I wrote a while ago:

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), if you’re unfamiliar with him, is a very interesting German philosopher. If anything, his messed up personal life is just as interesting as his philosophy – in fact, Schopenhauer’s mother issues inspired some of Freud’s work. In the early 1800s, he was one of he first philosophers to introduce Eastern Philosophy (Buddhism & Hinduism) to Western Europe, and probably the first to meld it into a system of thinking (though its still debatable).

His most famous work is “The World as Will and Representation” which is incredibly well written and clear (for a philosopher). It’s also pretty funny, since he’s got a crotchety, acerbic personality, and loves to crap on other philosophers of the time, especially Hegel. But don’t let the book title fool you. There’s a funny (yet irritating) habit many German philosophers have where they take a normal word that we’re all familiar with, and give it a completely different meaning that’s not at all intuitive. In this instance the word “Will” and “Representation” have very little to do with any definition in the dictionary. To be fair, it probably also has to do with the translation. Anyway, his books and essays are very enjoyable.

By: Gil Malonzo

Gil Malonzo — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:25:49 +0000

Great post Alex. I commend you for your honesty and courage. Spirituality is a subject that is difficult to tackle. Unless, of course, if you’re a satirist like me. People have different experiences. We can’t deny or favor one’s personal view of reality over another. We can only laugh at them. Kidding aside, I believe that whatever you (and you readers) believe, you are right. Nothing really matters. In the end, we all die. : )

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:07:09 +0000

@ James – thanks. Your kind words mean a lot

I also stopped by your blog too. Those photos of Joanne Kustra’s Bohemia are very cool.

By: James

James — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:00:51 +0000

Great blog friend… there is truly a large amount of inspirational content here, speaking of the blog as a whole…

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:33:22 +0000

@ReddyK – very interesting. So to be clear, for you, an important distinction about whether someone is spiritual or not, is whether they’re an active learner.

I would agree with that. I think active learning is a prerequisite of spiritual growth. (I know, I know, that sounds obvious. – LOL)

Chances are, if you’re passive and not actively pursuing learning, you wouldn’t be tempted to call yourself “spiritual” anyway.

And let me be clear, when I say “learning” I mean a broad foundation of different philosophical and spiritual teachings on the human condition (not just one particular niche philosophy).

Thanks for your comment

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:21:24 +0000

@Kat. thanks for sharing. I’d read a little bit about centering prayer. It’s almost like a type of meditation that was adopted from buddhism into some catholic circles in the 70’s. It’s interesting stuff. How do you practice it? (roughly).