Anyone can participate in and benefit from spiritual practices, even if they do not belong to a particular religion.
The first and perhaps the simplest spiritual act a person can perform is service and generosity to others. Serving others and putting their needs before your own is a kind of ritual that makes us feel good.
Serving animals is also a ritual worth practicing. For example, making a dog happy is very easy and satisfying, and giving them love, playing with them, and giving them food are small things that go a long way toward our own mental well-being. It’s an act of service.
Gratitude is a habit that anyone can practice. This doesn’t have to take a lot of time, and with a little creativity, you can easily incorporate gratitude into your daily life.
Don’t just take my word for it. When asked by NPR why she continues to bang pots and pans at the same time every day to honor New York City’s first responders, years into the pandemic, Charlotte Phillips replied: I think we’re a little weird. But still, if he can find one thing to do every day, that’s great. In the larger scheme of things, it matters. ”
Many spiritually inclined people find inspiration and awe in the natural world. Consider that hundreds of millions of years ago, the Cambrian explosion marked a period of rapid diversification and evolutionary innovation in the animal kingdom.
By sheer coincidence, some might call it a miracle, but there is a thread that connects your life during that tumultuous time to the life that is coursing through your veins now.
We are all inheritors of an ancient legacy on timescales unfathomable to humans, and science has yet to explain the origin of life. I encourage anyone to think deeply about great mysteries without feeling a connection to something deeper.
Although it’s a little counterintuitive, taking care of your body is consistent with spirituality. Regular exercise, going to bed early, and eating a healthy diet can help you feel better overall. I’m a huge supporter of plant-based eating, and choosing to eat a whole-food vegan diet (like a simple curry or rice and beans) is about feeling compassion for animals and connection to the life around us. It overlaps with
Finally, fasting and avoiding luxuries are great ways to deepen your spiritual life. Although these are major religious traditions, anyone suffering from food insecurity is encouraged to utilize Eastern food pantries and should consult a doctor if considering fasting.
This has the potential to develop a sense of gratitude through voluntary sacrifice of something that most people take for granted. Personally, I’ve found that I have more energy and focus when I go 16-18 hours without eating.
Abstaining from junk food, smoking, and alcohol will strengthen other healthy habits and ensure you have a clear head to witness life’s subtle wonders.
Culturally speaking, college life includes recreational drug and alcohol use, but abstinence exists as well. I believe it is wise to practice moderation in order to deepen your spiritual life and avoid being bound by bad habits formed during the experimental stage of life.
According to Axios, 33% of Gen Z identify as religiously uninterested, which appears to be a continuation of a trend shaped by the generation to which I belong: Millennials.
Obviously, I don’t think it’s a big deal that younger generations are less likely to follow major religions, and I don’t claim to have covered everything there is to say on the subject.
Indeed, describing yourself as too noble and pious can come off as unpleasant and abstract. Spirituality often appears to be elusive, lacking in tangible results, and belonging to an outdated orthodoxy.
However, if you experience it physically and put it into practice, you will realize that anyone can live a rich spiritual life. It begins with engaging in acts of self-care, consideration for other living things, and fostering perspective and appreciation.
Dan Hahn can be reached at 581-2812 or at: [email protected].
