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What is Spirituality? As long ago as 1755 Dr Samuel Johnson defined spirituality as; Ò...acts independent of the body; pure acts of the soul; mental refinementÓ1 although it has been a term not widely used until recent times, when it seems to have taken on a far more general meaning. It does not, however, appear to be one that is easily or clearly defined and, although the word spiritual is listed in the Chambers 21st Century dictionary, there is no mention of spirituality, except to refer to it as a noun.2 Given that it is, in the sense of its usage, a ÔmodernÕ term, one would expect to find reference to it in an up-to-date dictionary. The fact that it is not may be an indication of the difficulty in pinning it down and defining it in such a way as to be acceptable to everybody. Spirituality can mean different things to different people, if not all things to all people! The task then is to find a concise definition that encompasses the essence of spirituality that is both relevant and accessible to modern perception and acceptable to those with, or without, a firm religious belief. If spirituality, or spiritual, can be said to refer to that which is not material,3 there is a sense in which it may be considered to reflect that which Ôis notÕ, rather than that which ÔisÕ: Spirituality has become an all-purpose word, but one that describes what is felt to be missing rather than specifying what is hoped will be found.4 Perhaps it is this negative connotation that accounts for the lack of precise dictionary definitions, but to describe something in terms of what it is not, rather than what it actually is, is evasive and clearly insufficient! That there is a feeling, in modern western society at least, of disenchantment with materialism and distrust of institutionalised religion, in the face of scientific discoveries constantly shrinking the parameters of accepted religious truths, is surely undeniable. It is our notion of spirituality, unrestrained as it is by religious dogma, that is so appealing to contemporary society. Spirituality as the antithesis of materiality. There is no denying the fact that spirituality, as a generalisation, frequently finds a place alongside that of religion, indeed many people, Ò...consider the spiritual and spirituality as the heart of religion or its highest ideal...Ó5 and all religions seem to encompass spirituality as an intrinsic part of faith. We talk of Buddhist spirituality, Christian spirituality, Islamic spirituality, Jewish spirituality and so on, but what do we actually mean? Speaking after the break up of the Soviet Union and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, The Dalai Lama declared that, ÒNo matter what governments do, the human spirit will always prevailÓ.6 An affirmation of the strength of that part us, collectively and individually, that is somehow beyond our material comprehension.
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