¶ … misunderstood -- and to some, the seemingly mysterious -- subject of spirituality. Within the each person's worldview, there are always personal questions to be asked as we learn the skills needed to serve others -- and spirituality has a place within this question. This paper will examine spirituality and worldview, along with the personal views of the writer vis-a-vis the seven questions to be addressed. Thesis: each person should not only have a spiritual outlook or worldview, but each person should be constantly examining and challenging his or her own approach to what role spirituality plays in our profession and in our personal lives.
What is spirituality? A good place to launch a search for a meaningful understanding of spirituality is in Psychology Today. The article explains that for some people, spirituality relates to being involved in organized religion, and attending weekly services in a church, a synagogue, a mosque or a temple. "For others, it's more personal -- some people get in touch with their spiritual side through private prayer, yoga, meditation, quiet reflection or even long walks" (Psychology Today).
However, for me, spirituality means simply being out in the natural world, whether at a beach, a forest, on a windy hill, in a lush valley, or just under a tree in the back yard. I have become skeptical of organized religion because there are so many dramatically diverse dogmas within the various religions that each present a single way to achieve heaven (or paradise) upon one's passing. They can't all be true, of course. But I believe in God, the Creator of this enormous universe. I see our earth as a small spinning planet among a bewilderingly untold number of billions of stars and galaxies -- and some powerful force clearly created the Cosmos. I am humbled sitting outside at night looking up at the universe; that, for me, is spirituality.
What is Prime Reality?
Author James Sire writes in the publication...
We hold these presuppositions either "consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently," and basically our worldview is a commitment, a matter of the soul and the heart. It's how we live and view life, and how we work interact with those around us.
Prime Reality logically should be considered as God, or the Cosmos, or as Native Americans view it, The Great Spirit. The word "prime" means of the highest importance, and "reality" is the condition or thing as it actually exists" (Christian Shepherd). Hence, God must be considered "prime" because He is of the highest importance to our existence on this planet. In Colossians 1, it is written: "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18).
Moreover, the article in Christian Shepherd explains the God's Word must also be thought of as prime reality. In Luke Chapter 21, the Lord explains that "Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away (Luke 21:33).
What is the
nature of the world around us?
This depends on how we see the world around us. Because there is chaos,
violence,
hunger, bigotry and
poverty, does this color the world around us as all dark and mean spirited? The way in which the world is viewed certainly depends on the individual. If the individual has a positive worldview, as I do, the dark, unfair situations are indeed there but on the other hand there are wonderful acts of giving and unselfishness to be appreciated. There are millions of
refugees seeking a better life for their families, and those who reach out to refugees are being guided by the prime reality in their lives -- their God, their hopefulness, and their spirituality.
What is a human being?
The human, technically, is a biological specimen. Humans face great complexity when it comes to trying to understand the difference between "the good and evil forces of life" (Ventegodt, et al., 2003). In fact being a human means finding "a balance between hundreds…
