Have you ever had a feeling that you might be doing something wrong, even if it is ‘spiritual’? That it’s not coming altogether to something that is harmonious, at the end of the day? That something just doesn’t feel right deep inside? There is a fear rampant in those who avidly follow and believe in spirituality and seek spiritual solutions in their everyday lives, a fear that can be also recognized as spiritual dissonance.
According to them, spirituality seems to be being molded into something that is not what it started out as and such alterations in practicing spirituality may induce some unnatural permanent changes in the way that spirituality is viewed, observed, and continued to be practiced. This is what is known in the spiritual world as spiritual dissonance and is viewed as a threat to the spiritual awakening process of people.
Myths are being confused with facts and religion is being used synonymously with spirituality. The occurrence of familiarizing distinct concepts with one another has in the past also converged two ideas into one or a hybrid of the two when in fact the two were separate concepts on their own but due to the widespread misinformation regarding the beliefs practiced in those concepts, the truth is altered and the mistruth ends up being believed as the new truth.
With such instances happening in the past and with spiritually being seen as an extension of religion, borrowing concepts from social and cultural aspects of the individuals who follow it, those who fear an alteration in the concept of spirituality do not have unsubstantiated fear. In this article, we’ll explore how misperceptions and perspectives of the concepts and conceptions of spirituality can be found nowadays, what the different factors are that are causing this spiritual dissonance to take place, and whether there is a solution that can stop this spiritual dissonance from spreading any further.
What Does Dissonance Mean?
To understand the essence of spiritual dissonance, we must first understand what exactly dissonance is. Dissonance can be explained with the example of Sam, who constantly goes on and on about how much he wants to change the world in a positive way because he feels that not enough people in places of privilege are doing their part in helping the needy and poor people and how this is upsetting the natural balance of the world in which the inequality of wealth between classes continues to exceed more and more and prevent true social justice to appear in our physical and spiritual world.
When you hear Sam talking passionately about this topic, it is almost impossible to not associate the qualities of a kind-hearted, selfless, positive thinking individual. However, when it comes to actions backing up the claims of wanting to help needy people, Sam falls short. In reality, Sam does not do anything meaningful for such underprivileged people who need help.
He explains this by providing excuses that he is too caught up with work and doesn’t have time at the moment to fulfill his passion. What Sam is actually displaying, by doing this while claiming his endless support for needy poor people is, is the very concept of dissonance between his actions and his claims. In essence, the dissonance is said to exist when there is a palpable difference between what is supposed to occur and what actually occurs.
Another classic example is the dissonance that exists in many religions, and the connection between religions to contemporary spirituality. The fact that many religions are not accepting homosexuality does not go along with the same religions’ values, of seeing the divine and God’s presence in every person. How can someone be less divine if they attracted to the same gender?
But these examples are far from explaining the depth of what spiritual dissonance is.
What Is Spiritual Dissonance?
Spirituality itself can be said to be a very diverse field that is made up of seemingly infinite components. So when we speak of spiritual dissonance, one might ponder upon how such a thing can possibly exist. As the foundation of spirituality is built upon oneness, togetherness, and unity, no matter what faith, culture, appearance, gender, and society you belong to, spirituality is one field of life that offers inclusivity like no other.
Hence dissonance between the beliefs of individuals is chalked up to the norm of spirituality as long as they have a strong belief in spirituality itself. It is easy to think in this manner when the topic of spiritual dissonance is raised which is why we have made it a point to make a clear distinction. You must not confuse spiritual dissonance with the dissonance between an individual’s beliefs among another.
Spiritual dissonance is limited to one individual and his set of ideals regarding spirituality. When there is a discontinuity between one individual’s spiritual ideals and the spiritual ideals that he actively follows in reality, spiritual dissonance is said to exist. Why this spiritual dissonance comes to exist despite the follower of spirituality holding clearly distinct spiritual ideals is a question that is frequently asked by many, both secular and religious.
Religion And Spirituality
The intertwining of spirituality with religion is the most prevalent among others that might be threatening the increasing of spiritual dissonance. This can be seen most visibly as large scores of people including learned intellectual personalities can be heard using spirituality synonymously with religion.
Where there is a lot of theories in religion that are similar to those of spirituality, there are also a large number of differences that nobody seems to talk about or elaborate on and this synonymous exchange between theories of religion and spirituality keeps taking place. The exchange of theories between the two taking place means borrowing of concepts that have taken hold and continue to do so in the minds of the general public.
This distortion of spirituality if continues to proceed, will result in high amounts of spiritual dissonance for many who are currently practicing spirituality and especially for those who are newbies and want to start connecting to their spiritual nature and practice spirituality. And the danger of that is that people can stop following any sort of spiritual search and development, only because they’ve been let down by a specific set of beliefs and practices that was not right for them.
Christianity in particular has obviously had a large portion of influence on the concepts of spirituality. Which is most likely because both are observed in large numbers in the west. This influence dates back to as old as hundreds and more years and it can be attested to by researching different definitions of spirituality that got morphed with Christian ideals and beliefs.
The fact is that spirituality and religion are not the same. Yes, at the heart of every religion lies a spiritual basis, that states that we are a lot more than matter, and more than who we appear to be on the physical level. And yes, they both attest to a higher power in play that has control over the cosmological events and connectedness of those cosmological events, and both are essentially a direct pathway to God and redemption. But that is where the similarities end.
The two concepts are individual concepts and philosophies belonging of components that are well distinct from each other. Spirituality claims to exist on its own without ascribing to any religion in particular. How can it then be morphed with definitions, rules, and ideas from one particular religion? In essence, how could there be so many religions that are sure their set of beliefs is the ‘right’ one, when spirituality accepts all?
This creates a catastrophe of chaos, given that our world is divided into countries that are divided into states that are divided into cities and towns and further divisions do also exist, and they all have different religions that they associate themselves with, which they then associate with spirituality and in this way, thousands of definitions of spirituality emerge and the real one gets lost in the chaos of false spirituality, that can be dangerous.
Culture, Society And Spirituality
Culture and society may not have as big of an effect on spirituality but it is substantial enough to warrant concern regarding further spiritual dissonance. In the same way that philosophies and concepts are getting borrowed and exchanged between religion and spirituality, culture and society are doing much of the same, when some even say that culture and religions are the same.
The different divisions, sub-divisions, and who knows how many more subcategories of those divisions exist in the plane of the existence of earth, all have their different kinds of cultures that are promoted and observed in different kinds of societies. There is, of course, no exception to who can practice spirituality and that very fact might be the reason for the downfall of the trueness and oneness of spirituality as a concept.
As all these different societies and communities with their different cultures have inculcated their own roots and faith in the following of their spirituality, furthering a much worrying case of spiritual dissonance, as almost every society and culture have their hierarchy and social ladder. I.e., some people are more important and privileged than others, something that is a complete dissonance to the principles and nature of spirituality.
How Can Spiritual Dissonance Be Solved?
It would be madness to say that there is a clear cut simple solution to such a gigantic problem that has been prevalent for hundreds of years. A victory can be sensed in the recent developments regarding an increase in secularism and that secularist groups not disassociating themselves from spirituality, but only religion.
This puts forth and reinforces the idea that spirituality is a concept in itself and doesn’t borrow ideals, values, and ideas, from other facets of life including that of social ones, cultural ones, or religious ones. Spirituality is expressed from the soul of a human being and since that soul exists without the existence of social, cultural, and religious norms, spirituality will also continue to exist outside the bounds of these norms.
A remarkable and rare example of an ultra successful spiritual awakening that sprouted despite many religious, social, and cultural prejudices, and false beliefs, is the amazing story of Anita Moorjani. In her truly mind blowing story of literally coming back from the dead, Anita tells the story of her miraculous spiritual awakening that took place after she had been suppressed by her entire social, cultural, and religious environment throughout her entire life.
This idea must be perpetrated and awareness around it must also be created in a structured manner so that it can take root before the ideals that are contrary to spiritual beliefs take permanent root. Individuals who want to engage in spirituality must be brave and question the world that they are living in, so they can create a new and harmonious reality for them and for their environment, and perhaps even awaken into a new awareness.
