23 Mar 2024
When I was an undergraduate, I was fascinated with religious hermits. Early Xnty, as well as many other religions, had individuals who went off to live alone and contemplate their deities. I was taken by the idea of having all the time in the world to read, contemplate, pray, etc. It seemed like the ideal, with me stuck in the practicalities of going to university lectures, paying for textbooks, working evenings and nights - no wonder I found the hermit existence appealing!
When I began my meditation practice in 2003, I once again returned to the idea of having the time to go on long retreats, to take my meditation to much deeper levels. I remembered my earlier fascination with the aesthetic life, contemplating the beauty of the divine.
After nearly 40 years of these considerations - and some practical experience with theology and meditation - I would say that if you attempt to get away from everyone long term for religious contemplation, you are denying your responsibilities to others. Don’t get me wrong, weekend retreats, week-long retreats and time away to balance yourself emotionally and spiritually can be a good thing, but if you are intent on leaving behind others indefinitely as some sort of spiritual pilgrimage, you are being self-indulgent. You have profited from others throughout your life and you have a spiritual obligation to not only give back, but to attempt to create a better world.
Generations have grown up thinking, “It is all about me!” These people will find these statements offensive. They are not accustomed to thinking of the common good, of their responsibilities. They want freedom without responsibilities. You have your current “freedoms” because others before you understood their obligations and pushed (often at risk to themselves) for what you take for granted.
What does all of this mean in a spiritual context? If your spirituality is only a personal experience, only a personal journey - it is a personal indulgence that leaves your spirit underdeveloped. If you think you can go away by yourself and become a great spiritual being, you do not understand the communal aspects of your spirit. You do not understand the empathic and compassionate aspects of the spiritual journey. You are starving a large part of yourself in an attempt to feed another part. This reminds me of a fella I saw at the gym a few years ago - his upper body was very bulky, but he had such tiny and weak legs. He looked like he could fall over at any point. He lacked balance and was not as strong as he imagined himself to be.
Your spiritual development is dependent upon your shared journey. If you do not try to live what you feel inside, it is simply an internal cinema - you are entertained, but the world is impoverished.
I was going to write an entire post of why I don’t intend to go to another Quaker meeting, but it feels right to discuss in this context. Among the things they advocate - including these terms in large letters outside their meeting house - are the principles of “Peace” and “Equality”. I did a bit of research and have only found vegan Quakers in the UK. If you advocate for peace and equality, but this doesn’t include other sentient beings, you are living in delusion. My spiritual journey has taken me beyond such delusions.
So - live your spirituality! Find others with whom you can grow, but don’t settle for those who will pull you back. You will only grow so far on your own and once you get to that point and still refuse the company of others, you are in hiding and acting selfishly.
Your spirit needs others and they need you!
Aroha nui,
Lee Sturgis
leesturgis.eth
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