What’s our role in society? What is our role in solving the bigger problems of the world? How can we contribute to make the world a better place? These are some of the questions one may face at some point in their life. Spiritual practices tend to focus more on the inner state of individuals rather than the outer world of forms. So how does being spiritual help the world?
There’s no doubt that great acts of kindness can lift humanity and give hope to people and there are many people doing great things to solve big, difficult problems. All that is fine and we should do what we can to the best of our abilities. But in our everyday life, many people including myself probably operate on a smaller scale. We all have our lives to focus on and there are many personal matters we need to attend to before we can move on to bigger issues. I believe this is probably the case for the majority of people on this planet.
Most people simply have enough on their plates. Our relationships, finances, jobs, personal goals and desires are all very real things and often require our immediate attention. It makes absolute sense to address them before we move on to save the world. In fact, I would argue that many of the problems we face today come from the fact that many of us are unfulfilled and unsatisfied on an individual level. In short, for the majority of us ‘common people’ (for a lack of a better term), it is vital that we take good care of our personal matters first.
Spirituality offers exactly that. The practice side of things offer practical tips and serve as guides to help us become more equipped to deal with life’s challenges. At a deeper level, the essence of spirituality is about becoming aware of our true selves which also leads to finding our purpose in life.