DEFINITIONS OF SPIRITUALITY
• The definitions chosen to represent the spirituality reflect the author’s various cultures and traditions.
• Perkins offers a clearly non-religious definition of spirituality calling it: “the inner felt experience of a connection to something greater than our thoughts, feelings and material existence or even the people and creatures with which we relate. It is described as energy and is defined uniquely by each of us.”
• Another tradition that more overtly includes a religious possibility comes from Kimball et al. “The process of growing the intrinsic human capacity for self-transcendence, in which the self is embedded in something greater than the self, including the sacred. It is shaped both within and outside of religious traditions, beliefs, and practices.“
• David Tacey comes to define spirituality as “an innate human capacity to experience transcendent reality.”
• “Spirituality is about what we do with the fire inside us, about how we channel our eros” says Rolheiser.
IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUALITY FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
• Spirituality is a concept dealing with aspects of principles, purpose and meaning of Life.
• To lead a disciplined and meaningful life spiritual awareness is necessary.
• Spiritual Education is to Mind what Physical education is to body.
• For grooming a mind along the lines of morality and ethics, it will help.
• It will teach about purpose of life i.e, what one has to do in life so that eternal happiness is achieved.
• It teaches about service to mankind, humility, and attitude towards fellow beings, being down to earth and on how to live an austere life.
• In a way all these are necessary for a meaningful life as in one or the other situation when humans face difficulties along the life it is these qualities that can come to one’s rescue.
• Spirituality will help in making a person a real human being who is not attached to material things and respecting the every person irrespective of the rich or poor economic status.
• All the riches can be shattered by a simple natural disaster but that resilience to recover from the ruins will be provided by the Spiritual awareness.
• The mental strength to endure difficulties or suffering, moral values, ability to live a dignified life, respecting people with equality, humility etc all can be imbibed through spirituality and one can become a master of self i.e, knowing self is possible which is a must before knowing the world.
• Human development is inevitable when one is aware of self and the world and Spirituality becomes a catalyst in such a process.
