Spirituality

“Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need!”

People everywhere recognize the need for spirituality in their life and assume that once found, it will bring them happiness. What, though, is the meaning of the term “spirituality”?

One dictionary defines spirituality as “sensitive or attachment to religious values.” Just about every religion claims to know the path to spirituality; the directions to spirituality given are about as numerous as the religions themselves. A Protestant claims to be saved at a revival meeting, a Catholic seeks communion with God at mass, a Buddhist pursues enlightenment through meditation, a Hindu strives for release from the cycle of rebirths through self-denial, and a Christian finds it when they belong to a church. Spirituality can mean, to some, to believe without belonging (that is to believe in a god or deity or anything without belonging to a “church”).

Spirituality refers, not to a religious experience but to a desire for inner peace and meaning in life. Those seeking spirituality need not look to religion at all. You need to look inwardly, to your innermost feelings. One writer said: “True spirituality is something that is found deep within oneself. It is your way of loving, accepting, and relating to the world and people around you. It can not be found in a church or by believing in a certain way.”

Clearly people differ greatly in their ideas about spirituality. As far as their being a correct path to follow (the best path) I don’t agree with the idea that there is only ONE way. Everyone has their own view on being spiritual. Some people want to join spirituality and religion into one, and that’s fine … if that is what you want, but let me define both of these words.

Religion is a set dogma, there are sets of rules and behaviors that one should follow; religion has an organization to it. By definition, it involves belief in a deity or worship of a deity. Religion is the personal set or institutionalized attitudes, beliefs, practices, or a cause. Most religions tend to follow a certain format of worship or service in a manner that brings about a feeling of unity. So, it would be safe to say that most religions are manmade institutions where individuals with the same religious attitudes gather in order to achieve a sense of harmony with that which they consider to be divine.

Spirituality, on the other hand does not place the emphasis on rules, ideals or textbooks. Spirituality is what you feel without being told and without having to belong to something in particular. It does not (necessarily) have anything to do with religion... it has to do with self-realization. It is the search for one's own spiritual truths. Many spiritual seekers choose not to join into an organized type of religion, but prefer to discover the answers from within themselves rather than through manmade rituals.

Religion often tends to build walls of mistrust, fear, and even hatred through its rigid, in most cases, adherence to the “rules.” Spirituality, on the other hand is free of dogma, and allows tolerance and discernment to others beliefs, rather than intolerance and judgment.

This is not to say that religion is bad and spirituality is good. Religion by its very organization promotes a sense of unity, and spirituality can have a down side when the seeker starts relying on leaders who profess to have all the answers and they just end up leaving us confused.

In my opinion, religion and spirituality don’t fall hand in hand; you can’t use these two words interchangeably like most people do. I am not saying in any way that either is more logical than the other, I am simply expressing my thoughts and feelings.

Where's Mandela?

"I heard somebody say, Where's Mandela?' Well, Mandela's dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandela’s," – Bush

Those were the exact words Bush used when speaking at a press conference; his intent was to explain the sectarian strife in Iraq and defend his administration's Iraq policy. Sometimes I wonder if Bush thinks before opening his mouth to speak, Nelson Mandela is still very much alive!

When I read this I remembered an episode of America’s Next Top Model (Yes, I watch that show from time to time … don’t judge). The girls were taken to see Nelson Mandela's cell. Keenyah, who feels a “stronger” connection because she is black, cries when hearing of Mandela's ordeal for democracy. Before that she knew nothing about Mandela, still, she manages to talk about how great Mandela is. Then she turns and asks one of the girls if he is still alive.

Like I said before, he IS alive. Mandela is eighty-nine; he retired from public life in June 1999 and currently lives in his birth place Qunu, Transkei. He was jailed for 27 years for fighting white minority rule, and in 1994 Mandela became South Africa's first black president. He won a Nobel Peace Prize for preaching racial harmony and guiding the nation peacefully into the post-apartheid era. Mandela accepted the Nobel Peace Prize as an honor to all people who worked for peace and stood against racism. It was as much an award to his person as it was for all South Africa s people.

“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die,” Nelson Mandela

OBESITY

Kids, teens and adults continue to get heavier. One-third of children and teens in the USA (about 25 million kids) are either overweight or will become over weight. Even babies in the USA are heavier than they used to be. Being obese means having so much body fat that your health is in danger. When you take in more calories than you burn off, you gain weight. How you eat, how active you are, and other things affect how your body uses calories and whether you gain weight.

For the “busy bee’s” it is easier to reach for prepared foods, go out to eat, or go to the drive-through. What do all these alternatives have in common? They are all high in fat, high in calories, and are usually more than what we should eat. We are all aware that we must burn more calories than we take in, and still we wonder why we get bottom heavy when we do very limited physical activity.

FINAL WORD (KIND OF RANDOM): Illinois is the only state that requires daily physical activity for grades K-12.

Faith, Part II

Faith can be interpreted in many different ways. Some people would say that faith is the basis of all knowledge. According to Hector, faith is defined as: “the adoption of one believe wholeheartedly and completely, such a definition is idealistic, dangerous and foolhardy.”

I don’t consider myself a religious person, but I am very knowledgeable when it comes to the bible. One of my favorite scriptures is Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Pursuant to what Hector wrote in his essay regarding Mother Teresa and her faith I have a personal response. I quote him, “They cling to their ideals, fearful of allowing themselves to act and think and feel the way they were born to, as human beings.”

Why would someone who has faith in something, anything, be considered to be afraid of allowing themselves to be human? (This sentence still refers to the quote above, inserted from Hectors faith essay.) There are many different interpretations of this word; it all depends on who your demographic audience is.

God gave human beings free will; no other living creature has this quality. It is what makes us such complex mechanisms. First of all, does free will even exist? Many will fight that it does not. I argue it does. I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness. I have never practiced any other religion. I was not baptized as an infant; rather I was given the choice to decide when to dedicate my life to God … so to speak. God does not force his/her power over individuals; we are given will and the freedom to choose. Each and every one of us is responsible for our own actions, which requires free will. However, Hectors essay is not about free will, it is about faith. (I got a little carried away ☺) So let’s get back on the topic and focus. Like I said before, faith can be considered the basis for human knowledge.

I used to only know what I was told by my parents or teachers, but I have looked for answers and I have researched topics that interest me, such as this one. This doesn’t mean I don’t have faith, I most certainly do! The idea of "faith seeking understanding" was set forth by St. Augustine in his statement "Crede, ut intelligas" ("Believe in order that you may understand"). That is what I am going to base my argument on. If we don’t believe in anything and have some sort of faith in either a person, place, thing or idea then how do we expect to understand anything? It does not necessarily have to apply to the idea of religion but rather the totality of knowledge.

Hector said something about children being taught to believe in things such as Santa, the Tooth Fairy, etc. Well, don’t children typically hold parental teaching as credible? When our parents tell us something we usually believe it, it becomes a foundation upon which future knowledge is built. Not everything our parents tell us will be correct, of course some things are said to scare us or refrain us; some of what we learn will be wrong, and some will be rejected. When we have no other sources of information our parents become our teachers. Of course, it is irrational to cling to everything we were taught but it is the foundation of our future knowledge.

Faith can be applied to merely anything and everything. For example, how many people have faith in a specific sports team, a parent, a lover, or most importantly themselves? Faith must be present in order to know anything. In other words, one must assume, believe, or have faith in the credibility of things in order to have a basis for knowledge.

We also base our knowledge to "authorities." Sometimes we just don’t have time to evaluate all the details so this is were "faith" is used instead. Faith is a commitment. "Faith" can be used in the sense of "fidelity." For a lot of people, faith or the lack thereof, is an important part of their identity.

I agree with Hector when he said that we sometimes say to know something “simply because everyone around us claims to know the same fact,” and “we might not even review the legitimacy of the idea.” We should always ask questions and find our answers but being faithful in something does not mean we are naïve. I want to leave this clear, asking a question does not mean we lack faith in any way, shape, or form; it is simply a way of strengthening our faith and becoming more knowledgeable.

Until we possess all knowledge in totality, we will need faith in order to believe something to be correct or incorrect.

Healthy Relationships and Sexual Orientation

So the story goes: Boy meets girl, girl likes boy, then boy and girl become a couple! Sometimes we become overly excited that we blind ourselves from what is really going on and we don’t see that a relationship isn't as healthy as it should be. We get all goo goo ga ga and then don’t even realize that we don’t want to be in a relationship like that, but by the time we figure it out we’ve already been affected in some way. What makes a relationship healthy? Most importantly, there needs to be mutual respect. Respect in a relationship means that each person values who the other is and understands the other person's boundaries. Trust is also a must. Jealousy is a natural emotion, but how a person reacts when he or she feels jealous is what matters. There's no way you can have a healthy relationship if you don't trust each other. I mean, think about this, both individuals had a life before they met each other, a life that involved other people. If you can’t trust your partner with their own friends, then maybe you shouldn’t be together. And if it is a big problem why not hang out with each others friends. It isn’t necessarily good if it is always one person’s group of friends that the couple hangs out with, mix it up a little. Things get bad really fast when a relationship turns into a power struggle if one person is always fighting to get his or her way. Everyone needs to make compromises, but neither person should have to pretend to like something they don't like or give up seeing friends.
I was in a relationship a couple years ago where my boyfriend was mean, disrespectful, controlling, and abusive. Some people who have grown up around this kind of behavior might see it as normal or OK, but it's not! I remember he used to get angry when I wouldn’t drop everything for him and he would keep me from seeing friends or from talking to any other guys. It's not healthy to stay in a relationship that involves abusive behavior of any kind, but of course I didn’t see that until it was too late. My friends would all tell me what I should have seen, but I just ignored them and justified what he did any way that I could. It’s not easy to see all the red flags, but there are some obvious ones.
I finally realized that I just wasn’t ready yet, so I took time off and used it to find out who I was! Relationships can be one of the best (and most challenging) things that happen to us. They can be full of fun, romance, excitement, and intense feelings, but just make sure the relationship brings out the best in both people.

Sometimes it is so hard to find someone who's right for you. So when it happens, either with the same or the opposite sex, we’re usually psyched. Does it really matter who it is as long as that person makes you happy and treats you fabulously? Most medical professionals believe that sexual orientation involves a mixture of biology, psychology, and environmental factors. In other words, sexuality is not simply chosen. Then we have those that don’t agree with that. Some believe that we can choose who we are attracted to — and that people who are gay have chosen to be attracted to people of the same gender. If we really think about it, can anyone control who they are attracted to? Some people believe that any sexual orientation can be chosen and switched by preference, like any other lifestyle choice, and if this is true, who cares? Why do we, as humans, feel the need to criticize anyone who might be a little different from us? And maybe the person isn’t even homosexual but we make assumptions based on looks which can lead to the wrong conclusion. Having a more "feminine" appearance doesn’t mean that a guy is gay and having a more "masculine" appearance doesn't mean a girl is lesbian. And what about friends that seem “too close?” Over time activities associated with sexual-orientation have changed. For example, it is assumed that same-sex kissing, especially between men, is a sign of homosexuality, but in other countries it is a sign of friendship. In my opinion, everyone should be free to love who they want to love, without being judged. Happiness comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and sexes!

ADAPT says these are Not Our Lives!

National Action in Chicago, September 9-13, 2007

For years, people with disabilities in Illinois have:

* Fought the unnecessary segregation of people with disabilities in institutions

* Lobbied against service cuts and increased fares to mainline transportation and paratransit services

* Been denied their right to a choice in long-term care services even though more community options would save millions of dollars.

Disability concerns cut across all communities fighting for better access to: Health Care, Housing, Transportation and Economic Opportunities. After years of empty promises and broken plans, people with disabilities around the country are coming to Chicago to demand change. We invite you to join us! For five days in September, hundreds of ADAPT members will rally, demonstrate and protest against Illinois systems that starve people with disabilities and others of their rights and their independence. Chicago ADAPT invites all community members who support equality, choice and access to join us in September!

What: ADAPT National Fall Action
When: September 9-13, 2007
Home Base: TBA, please contact us.

For more detailed information, email Gary at garnold@accessliving.org or Amber at Asmock@accessliving.org or call 312-640-2199

The Good Samaritan

This allegory (the story Jesus told of the Good Samaritan) was told to illustrate that compassion should be for all people, and is one of the most famous parables today. When someone is said to be a “Good Samaritan” they are described as a generous person who is ready to provide aid to people in distress without hesitation.

I attended a screening of the documentary Dying to Get In (a film by Brett Tolley) on August 29, 2007. It was an intimate perspective of the people that cross the border everyday and what they go through. In 2005 the number of deaths in the Arizona desert reached a record high, the Mexican/US border in San Diego built a wall separating the two borders, trade policies have forced people off of their own land, the list goes on, but how far is too far?

Legally, law enforcement officers have a right to interfere on immigration matters. This new policy says that when someone has been arrested for a serious, indictable crime, police are not just entitled but obligated to ask the suspect about their citizenship, nationality and immigration status. The questions will be put during the booking process to all those arrested. And if the officer doesn't like what he hears? Well they must immediately notify Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. If an officer determines that the person they have arrested is an illegal alien, he or she can initiate eventual deportation, regardless of the outcome of the criminal accusation. Previously there had been no statewide policy on the matter.