Hey internet friends! Today’s post takes three concepts and aims to break them down and see their interrelatedness. How do spirituality, ethics, and detachment relate to each other? What are the similarities and what philosophy lies behind them?
Spirituality
According to the dictionary app, Spirituality is the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.
I like this definition as I find myself relating to it. There is no assumption of new age in it, and it eloquently places the belief in being concerned with the human soul. As a philosopher, the greatest question I can ponder is what the meaning of life is. I know that I am more than my body, and my mind, I’m greater than the sum of my parts, but how is that greatness defined?
Is it defined by the vastness of the universe, and theoretical sciences based on mathematical instincts of measurement, or is it defined by my own ability to understand faith, belief, and trust?
This is a question that requires much more thorough arguments and critical analysis of what other great thinkers have argued, but for the time being, for the purpose of this post, the answer lies in the connection of the questions. What can we learn about spirituality from science? And what does epistemology – the study of where knowledge comes from – teach us about the limits of science?
Ethics
The area of philosophy regarding right and wrong actions is called ethics and morality. Morality is the justification of personal values within actions. If an action is moral, it follows that it must also be ethical.
Ethics are also guiding rules to follow and abide by, when practicing Reiki, selling Arbonne, and being a true human. These ethical guidelines can be found as the Ten Commandments, or a document of ethical practice. Sometimes they can lead to a group of people who determine whether you have acted ethically, in some grey areas. I’ve been watching Brooklyn 99, and it often happens that a group of police officials assess the actions that are somewhat questionable from the detective characters.
Interestingly enough, ethics often leads us to thought experiments. A thought experiment is a proposed hypothetical situation usually containing an ethical or moral dilemma. When taking on the thought experiment, it is necessary to use rational, logical, reasoning to justify the actions taken in the scenario.
If we take spirituality, and build onto it with ethics of how to be spiritual, we land in a place where doing things for the highest good is the best spiritual intention we can have.
Detachment
Now that we’ve built our spirituality ideas, and the basic concept of ethics, we can proceed to contemplate where detachment fits within this philosophy.
Detachment is taking your ego out of the attachment to expectations.
For example, I am doing something to help out a friend, and expect them to help with something in return. This example shows the condition to which the action is bringing a gain for yourself.
When you are detached from the outcome, there is no expectation for a return on your action. The action of helping others is simply, to be of service to others.
Remember…
Spirituality is the belief in being more than your mind, and physical body. It is the belief that there is a universal life force within us that personifies us in a way that other animals are not personified. The soul of spirituality, is connection, oneness from fragments, and belief in a loving universe.
Ethics are principles based on personal values, that help us determine if an action is just, or unjust. It dictates the grey areas based on consideration of how actions affect others, and can be seen in a similar light to personal boundaries.
Detachment allows these two concepts to work together without expectation of a favourable outcome. There is no ego behind the action asking for something in return, or to seek revenge and be spiteful if the action doesn’t result in their favour.
Implementing these three concepts in one’s life would lead to a trifecta of philosophical being.
With love and light,
~~ stay true, stay weird ~~
~~ Kristi