My Spirituality and Welcome to It

Introduction

This article was initially intended to be about spiritual atheism. But as I worked on it, I realized I was actually writing about my own spiritual journey. Since I am in fact an atheist, I figure I should be a spiritual one.

The heart of the article is about a description of spirituality I wrote a couple of years ago. It consists of five statements which will be discussed in order. They can be summed up in three words:

Everything is connected.

It took me a while to understand how profound this simple statement is.

By the way, the article’s title is a tribute to one of my favorite authors, James Thurber. He wrote a collection of short stories called My World and Welcome to It.

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Fun Story: How I Became A Spiritual Atheist

The congregation at the church I attend is discussing “next steps” for its future direction. In part, this is because the congregation is both shrinking and aging. (No they’re not getting tinier, there’s just fewer of them).

Discussions are held in small groups. I recently attended one and mentioned that I’m a non-believer. A good friend who I’ve known for years said, “Oh, you mean you’re agnostic.” “No,” I responded, “I’m pretty much an atheist.” He paused for a moment and then said, “Yes, but you’re a spiritual atheist.” Everyone laughed. Later, I did some research and discovered that spiritual atheism is an actual thing.

I’m what is known as an agnostic atheist because, while I don’t believe god(s) exist, I’m not absolutely sure. This is contrasted with a gnostic atheist who is certain there are no gods (Ehrman, 2021). But you can just call me an atheist, it’s shorter.

So there you have it. Now, to find out my version of a spiritual atheist, read on.

The Essence of Spirituality: Connection

A few years ago, I wrote an article titled “The Two Great Commandments” which you can read at this link. In it, I described my view of spirituality. It focuses on the concept of connection. It incorporates elements typical of spirituality like a sense of purpose through love and compassion. Here’s an updated version:

1. The creative energy of the universe connects and interacts with all that it encompasses, inspiring awe and wonder.
2. In turn, all that is encompassed connects with every other thing, living and non-living.
3. For human beings, that connection is most deeply expressed as love, compassion, and service for ourselves, each other, and all things living and non-living.
4. Suffering is an inherent part of the human experience, a shared thread that binds us together and deepens our empathy and understanding.
5. Everything is connected. It’s how we connect that gives our lives meaning.

With-in, With-out. All.
Ev’ry-where. Ev’ry-when. One.
Web eternal. Binds.

Stanley Baptista

The Creative Energy of the Universe: Connection, Awe, and Wonder

1. The creative energy of the universe connects and interacts with all that it encompasses, inspiring awe and wonder.

I can recall several times in my life when I’ve experienced the awe and wonder of the universe.

Grand Canyon: I visited the Grand Canyon years ago. I was filled with an overwhelming sense of awe as soon as I saw it. It was a completely new experience for me. I also felt a unique energy in the air, a sort of buzzing or vibration, which added to the feeling. Interestingly, I didn’t have the same experience on my second visit. The buzzy/vibration-y feeling was definitely real. But what was it?

Big Island Trip: A few years ago, my wife and I visited the Big Island in Hawaii. Soon after arriving, I felt the same strange buzzing vibration, which seemed to emanate from the island itself. This feeling persisted throughout our trip, leaving me wondering why I had never experienced it during earlier visits. I couldn’t help but ponder whether there was a deeper, even spiritual meaning behind this sensation.

Qi (“Chee”): Cathy and I have been attending a stretching and Qigong class for years. I asked the instructor to teach me Qi. She gave me an exercise: imagine holding an “energy ball” with both hands, palms facing each other. I was to move my palms towards and away from each other as if the ball were expanding and shrinking. She advised me to spend a few minutes each day on this exercise until I “felt something”. After a few days, I experienced a sensation between my palm like two magnets repelling each other. Was I experiencing Qi? What is Qi? What do I do with this?

So many questions, so few answers.

In all of these events, energy was a key factor. Is it possible that what I felt was some sort of connective force of the universe?

Also, my view on spirituality suggests that the universe is made of creative energy. That creativity is everywhere and is truly awe-inspiring.

What I mean by creative energy is this: Suppose you descended to the deepest part of the ocean. You then spent an hour anchored to just one spot. You would see an incredibly diverse, astonishing, and even alien world. And that’s just one tiny spot, on one planet, in one solar system, of one insignificant galaxy, among billions. In other words, the universe is tremendously awe-inspiring in the richness of its continuously unfolding complexities. That’s the creative energy of the universe.

I try my best to cultivate a sense of awe, wonder, and connection to the universe. It helps me develop resilience and compassion when dealing with life’s challenges.

Ask not: What is Chi?
Ask not: Why, How, When is Chi?
Who is Chi? You are.

Stanley Baptista

Everything Connects, Living and Non-Living

2. In turn, all that is encompassed connects with every other thing, living and non-living.

Christianity is primarily human-centric. Of all of the Creator’s creations, it focuses on only one of them — us. Further, we are elevated. After all, we’re created in God’s image and given dominion over all the earth.

But not all religions share this view. For example, Hindus emphasize the cyclical nature of life. They focus on the quest for moksha (liberation). Hindus view humans as part of a larger cosmic order. Buddhists aim for enlightenment to break free from the cycle of samsara (suffering). Humans are just one of many sentient beings striving for this.

From a spiritual perspective, the centrality of human beings varies in different religions or spiritual philosophies. This variation shapes our understanding of our place in the cosmos.

We are the center.
That is quite true. But of what?
True too: Not center.

Stanley Baptista

The Deepest Connection: Love, Compassion, and Service

3. For human beings, that connection is most deeply expressed as love, compassion, and service for ourselves, each other, and all things living and non-living.

We are inherently social creatures and connection is fundamental to our nature. Further, connection through love and compassion are among the highest forms of human interaction.

As for service, the original version of my spiritual description did not include it. But, I came to realize that deep connection involves action, not just feeling. This is anything from small acts of kindness to dedicating one’s life to helping others or a cause.

Also, it is very important to emphasize that expressions of love, compassion, and service must start with ourselves. You can’t fully share these with others until it is given to yourself.

Service. Compassion.
First, nurture yourself. It blooms.
Then re-blooms to all.

Stanley Baptista

Suffering: Shared Pain, Shared Humanity

4. Suffering is an inherent part of the human experience, a shared thread that binds us together and deepens our empathy and understanding.

As beautiful and awe-inspiring as the universe can be, life is also filled with suffering. I used to question the purpose of suffering, but now I accept it as part of being human. Regardless of your spiritual path, dealing with suffering is inevitable. Because suffering is universal, we can draw on our experience of suffering to help each other.

One thing: Some suffering is so devastating that it feels like being thrown into an abyss of despair. I’ve experienced it and have known others who have too. There’s no magic bullet that makes deep suffering go away. But those with a strong spiritual foundation often find resilience and hope within themselves and their connections with others.

Plunging. Gasping. Bleak.
Cat purrs, sleeps. Moon shines above.
I climb slowly. Hope.

Stanley Baptista

It’s not If We Connect but How

5. Everything is connected. It’s how we connect that gives our lives meaning.

Many spiritual traditions, ancient and modern, highlight the interconnectedness of all things. For example:

• “Indra’s Net” in Buddhism
• “Oneness” in various mystical traditions
• “Interbeing” in Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings
• “The Web of Life” in ecological spirituality

This excerpt from Thich Nhat Hahn’s “Interbeing” elegantly expresses the notion of interconnectedness:

If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper. Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without trees, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist. If the cloud is not here, the sheet of paper cannot be here either.

Thich Nhat Hahn

These perspectives are reminders that everything is connected. Every being, object, thought, and action is intricately linked to everything else in the universe. The connections extend beyond the physical realm into the emotional and spiritual dimensions of existence.

The second part of line 5, “How we connect is what gives our lives meaning,” is about the impact our awareness and cultivation of these connections can have on our lives:

1. Relationships: Connections with others — family, friends, community — form the core of our life’s meaning.
2. Nature: Feeling connected to the natural world inspires awe, gratitude, and a sense of belonging.
3. Inner Self: Connecting to our own inner wisdom, intuition, or higher self is a path to self-realization.
4. Universal Energy: Connecting to something greater than ourselves provides ultimate meaning and purpose.

Embracing these connections provides a powerful source of meaning and fulfillment in life. We live with greater awareness, compassion, and reverence.

Cloud to Rain to Tree.
Wind-swept, birds chirping. Muddy.
But paper is dry.

Stanley Baptista

Final Thoughts

“Everything is connected”. Seems somewhat trite, doesn’t it? It did to me, until I thought about it…and thought about it…and then felt it. “Everything” really does mean EVERYTHING.

Connections start with the creative energy of the universe. Everything that the universe encompasses is infused with its energy. It can feel like vibrations from an island or experienced as a comforting and calming stillness from within. Spirituality includes the deepest human connections of love, compassion, service, and suffering.

But to be clear, these connections are not different things. They are all manifestations of the same thing: the creative energy of the universe. In fact, the universe doesn’t “have” energy, it is the energy.

Maybe this can help: Science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein introduced a new word in his 1961 novel, Stranger in a Strange Land. It’s the verb, grok (“grahk”). To grok is to empathize so deeply with something that you merge or blend with it. Truly understanding the depths of the universe’s infinite connections is to grok it.

Did that help? Not yet? Oh, well.

By the way, “the creative energy of the universe” might look like God to my theistic friends. Could be. I did say that I’m an agnostic atheist.😉

I ponder often:
Connected, Ev’ry thing is.
I do not grok. Yet.

Stanley Baptista

Appendices

References

1. Cardenas, Konin, Mark Unno, Thubten Chodron, and Bhikkhu Bodhi. “Understanding Dukkha”, Lion’s Roar, N.D., https://www.lionsroar.com/forum-understanding-dukkha/.
2. Chi, Tom. “Everything is Connected – Here’s How”, TEDx, https://youtu.be/rPh3c8Sa37M?si=g3d4cnROLH7l5IAF (YouTube Video)
3. Contributors. “What Is Atheism?,” American Atheists, February 10, 2021. https://www.atheists.org/activism/resources/about-atheism/.
4. Dasa, Pandit. “Why Suffering and Spirituality Go Hand-in-Hand.” HuffPost (blog), December 7, 2017. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/suffering-spirituality-hand-in-hand_b_1127190.
5. Ehrman, Bart. “On Being an Agnostic Atheist,” The Bart Ehrman Blog, May23, 2021. https://ehrmanblog.org/on-being-an-agnostic-or-atheist/
6. Klussman, Kristine PhD. “Find the Meaning of Connection Through Oneness.” Purpose Project, Inc., March 26, 2020. https://www.kristineklussman.com/find-the-meaning-of-connection-through-oneness/#:~:text=In%20essence%2C%20oneness%20is%20a,everywhere%2C%20in%20everything%20and%20everyone.
7. Kushner, Harold S. “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” Anchor; Reprint edition (August 24, 2004), https://www.amazon.com/When-Things-Happen-Good-People/dp/1400034728
8. McCormack, Matt. “Atheism,” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, N.D., https://iep.utm.edu/atheism/.
9. Contributors. “The Nature and Role of Human Beings in Creation,” BBC Bitesize, January 5, 2023. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zdhmtv4/revision/2.
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11. O’Brien, Barbara. “Indra’s Jewel Net,” Learn Religions, January 24, 2018. https://www.learnreligions.com/indras-jewel-net-449827
12. Hanh, Thich Nhat. “Interbeing. Peace Is Every Step,” Chaplaincy, Tufts University. https://chaplaincy.tufts.edu/wp-content/uploads/Priya-Sraman-Interbeing-Exercise-Thich-Nhat-Hanh.pdf.
13. McMahon, Meghan. “The Web of Life: How All Living Things Are Connected,” Forest Preserve District Will County, Joliet, IL, March 3, 2023. https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/news-events/big-features/web-of-life-all-living-things-connected/.
14. Spencer, Maya PhD. “What is spirituality? A personal exploration,” Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2012. https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/members/sigs/spirituality-spsig/what-is-spirituality-maya-spencer-x.pdf?sfvrsn=f28df052_2. [PDF]
15. Staff Writers, “Spirituality,” Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/spirituality.
16. Tzounis, Efthymios. “Constructing and Deconstructing the Terminology of Spirituality: A Journey Back to the Greek Roots,” Journal of Traditional Medicine & Clinical Naturopathy, Volume 6 Issue 4, 2017.https://www.omicsonline.org/pdfdownload.php?download=open-access-pdfs/constructing-and-deconstructing-the-terminology-of-spirituality-a-journeyback-to-the-greek-roots.pdf&aid=94448

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