Spirituality Reflection
How do you define “spirituality”?
At first, the simplest definition of spirituality was that it is a kind of proof or justification for the human soul and spirit. I also think spirituality deals with the immaterial; it deals with the ethereal –it is a way of giving meaning to things in the world that are perhaps not satisfactorily explained by science, logic or reason. It is a reason to have a human spirit and soul. There are some things – for instance, the crippling beauty and feeling of profundity one feels at the top of a mountain with the beauty and vastness of the world around you – which prompt feelings of deep spirituality. It is the (while completely logically explained) unexplainable feeling that we are connected to the earth and the earth is connected to us; there is an unseen but not unfelt energy that flows between the vessels of nature and human spirit. So, perhaps spirituality is the connection to nature. On the other hand, perhaps spirituality is merely the collective hope that humans are meant to be here on this planet, and it is the shared hope that creates energy enough to give those that seek it some realm of understanding and peace.
Does spirituality differ from religion?
I believe spirituality does differ from religion, because it is a more individualized sense of belief in a higher power of some sort. There are not necessarily rules which govern one’s path to enlightenment or peak spirituality, whereas religion thrives on the utilization of rules in order to control mass groups of people at once. Some things that set religion apart from spirituality include its strong affinity for organization, some sort of hierarchal system of worship, and a dense set of rules for those who practice must follow to reach some sort of “better place” or peace whether that be nirvana, heaven, etc. Spirituality, I believe, offers peace within oneself and with others around us as we are here on earth.
How would you define “creativity”?
Creativity is the use of imagination. I think there are varying degrees of creativity, but generally, it is the use of imagination to generate or create original ideas, concepts, objects, etc. I believe that one-hundred percent pure originality is hard to achieve, but varying degrees of originality definitely exist. For example, a new shoe designer may be plenty creative, but they’re still designing a shoe, which has already been invented. Originality is still present in the specific designs, so I would define such a thing as creativity. I believe this analogy applies to most other forms of art, if not all.
What is the source of creativity?
The source of creativity is complex to be sure, but I believe it stems from the raw emotions, from the spirit and soul of the creator. This kind of creativity (whether considered high quality art or not) is evident; I think people can definitely sense when someone has poured more than just paint on a canvas. There is a reason paint was used, a reason it was poured, a reason it was created. The reason comes from the artist or creator first, but I believe it stems further than that; it stems from a connection to the ethereal or transcendent, and thus becomes meaningful and powerful. Grey says, “meaning in art is the transmission and reception of symbolic density,” (Grey, 104) and I think this describes well the process of creativity, whose source lays in the realm of the spiritual, whatever that means to the particular artist.