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Spiritual Activisim—an Oxymoron?
Andrew Paterson—03/2002 |
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Spirituality is often seen as an avoidance
of reality, a hinderance to change in society.
After all, people in spiritual practice are usually
focused inward and upward. Paradoxically, however,
it offers the only path to true global healing. |
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 T
IS VERY EASY to
become frustrated with this world: we see stupidity
causing so much suffering — suffering
not just of humans, but of animals and the environment.
When we feel that we know solutions, our natural propensity
is to reach out and try to change things, to make a
difference, to show "them" the suffering "they" are
causing not only to others, but ultimately to themselves.
Every activist knows that feeling of incomprehension
that human society could organise itself in such a
cruel and self-destructive way, that society is so
blind to continue on a reckless path of unrestrained
greed and consumption. |
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| The world is full of problems, and if only. If only!
The two words that sum up the activist's grasping:
if only the society was just; if only people were more
conscious; if only governments were wiser; if only
everyone stopped at "enough"; if only people
could respect the sanctity of all life. But that grasping
for solutions is the same as the grasping which is
at the heart of our problems — grasping that has
manifested an unjust world. The politician grasps for
power and validation (and sometimes justice); the businessman
grasps for status and comfort; the activist for justice
and a future. |
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| Whilst grasping for a vision or a dream is often
regarded as a prerequisite for achieving goals and
building society, at the very same time it is the ultimate
cause of our psychological dissonance, that restless
frustration that is the hallmark of the addict. Much
of the world is addicted to fulfilling itself in ways
that are destructive and cruel, just like the alcoholic
or the druggy. Although many of us would have that
addiction moved to more constructive activities, addiction
is addiction; grasping is grasping. And the very essence
of addition and grasping is destruction. You cannot
be a healthy addict! That is the message of all true
spiritual traditions — we have to let go in order
to ultimately stop destruction, and to reach human
fulfilment. |
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| Of course, that last statement sounds like an invitation
to do nothing in the face of our desperate times, a
call to inactivity. What good would that be? On the
face of it, it would do absolutely no good at all.
But we are more than just a face; much more than just
this human façade. We are connected to something
much greater (call it Spirit, God, All That Is, Divine
Love, Cosmos, the Universe or whatever). And when we
let go to that greater part, and find our place in
the order of things, we are plugged in to true power
and influence. Not the kind that corrupts, or that
which demands personal acknowledgement, but the kind
that knows the right thing to do at the right time.
the kind that can heal. Only then can we end suffering
and injustice on this planet. |
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| But that requires a large amount of faith, made even
larger by our cultural obsession with the potential
and sanctity of the human individual. When the individual
is God, what room is there to let go to something greater?
In our modern hubris, we have closed the door that
leads to transcendence, but ONLY transcendence can
lead us out of our problems. Otherwise we just continue
playing the game of grasping and dissatisfaction, desperately
trying to build a whole society with fragmented people. |
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| Traditional religions offer transcendence, but they
have often controlled our natural drive to something
greater for their own political means. There is no
force stronger than our desire to be reconnected to
the greater, whether it be through spiritual ecstasy,
bible-bashing or sexual union. Harness that human drive
and you have a huge weapon at your disposal — the
fanatic who will kill and be killed in the name of
God. But you also sow the seeds of your own destruction,
for the power of transcendence is a two edged sword
which will destroy any abuser. |
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| So we learn to take the "religion" out of
religion. We distil spiritual practice so that what
is left is only its essence. And in that essence we
find true transcendence, uncorrupted by the limitations
and connivance of human understanding. And those that
have reached that place, and there have been many,
have taught us that we are all, in fact, connected
to that place already, but our concept of a separate
identity — our ego — is preventing us from
realising this. And without realisation, we are unable
to bring the power and resolution of the greater through
our human vehicle and into this world. |
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| Unfortunately, letting go of our identity is extremely
difficult, especially because we live in a society
that, at every opportunity, reinforces that identity.
We live, breath, eat and sleep our identities! We tenaciously
hold on to them because they are "us". Otherwise
we would be lifeless zombies. So our egos think! And
so the ego is constantly laying claim to its existence
precisely because it knows, in the larger picture,
that it is an illusion. And the realization of non-existence
is terrifying! |
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| Dispelling the illusion of our separate self can
be done, but it is tricky: for we have to use the mind
to get past the mind. The way it is usually done is
by focusing, single-mindedly, on a simple act or activity
such as our own breath, our footsteps when we walk,
playing tennis or cooking. This activity is known as
meditation and is formally done sitting still in a
quite place. Meditation is the practice of filling
our minds with non-self, until this becomes a habit.
For example, when we focus 100% on our breath — the
feel of the air on our nostrils — we are so engrossed
that we forget our self. Of course, as soon as we realize
that we have forgotten we conjure up our self with
a jolt, for we are afraid of no-self. But given time,
we find that we can "be" quite comfortable
with non-self. In fact, we can be VERY comfortably
with non-self! But it takes time and patience. |
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When we learn to get ourselves out of the way, we
connect with the greater. And we become part of the
natural healing process. We become true activists.
But, paradoxically, only by first letting go of the
desire to change the world. Spiritual activism, therefore,
is not an oxymoron if we have worked on reconnecting
ourselves to our greater being. Then, right activity
flows effortless. In fact, spiritual activism is the
only effective activism. And it only takes a small
number of spiritual activists to make huge changes
in society. So our focus must be working on dissolving
our limiting selves, otherwise we remain trapped in
the energy of compulsive grasping, and our "activism" serves
only to further the world's suffering. |
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| Be still and
you will move forward on the tide of the
spirit. |
| Taoist Meditation |
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| Andrew Paterson is an independent writer currently living in London. He has no affiliation to any religious or political organisation. To contact him, please email . |
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