To say the least, that caught me off guard. For some reason, I felt deceived. Exactly how could something that appeared to be so innocent be harmful?
Psychologists’ concept of “spiritual bypass” may hold the key to understanding the reason. In the 1980s, a psychologist named John Welwood used the term “spiritual bypass” to describe how people often turn to religion or other forms of spirituality to avoid dealing with hard feelings like anxiety, guilt, or shame.
Spiritual bypassing, according to integrative psychotherapist Robert Augustus Masters, necessitates hiding behind a spiritual veil of metaphysical ideas and practices. He says that as a result, “not only does this isolate us from our spiritual suffering and personal problems, but it also isolates us from our own real spirituality.” This leaves us stuck in a metaphysical limbo where we are too kind, nice, and shallow.
The following are eleven examples of “spiritual things” that hinder development:
1. Engage in “spiritual” pursuits in order to feel superior.
Indeed, this is one of the most pervasive features of spirituality, and it may take numerous forms. Reading Alan Watts might give some readers a false sense of superiority. Consider riding your bike to the office instead. and/or you could just stop watching TV. Eat just vegetarian food or something similar. Use crystals, alternatively. Alternately, you may check out the temples. Or try meditating or doing yoga. Then there are psychedelics.
Please understand that I am not trying to place blame on anyone for engaging in these behaviors. Like Alan Watts, I find great value in meditation and appreciate the insights he offers. To put it another way, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you’re superior to everyone else simply because you engage in spiritual activities like meditation and yoga. This kind of dysfunction gets in the way of real spirituality because it makes us focus on other people instead of the universe and on developing a poetic emotional response to the awesome majesty of life.
2. Change your interests or ideas merely because it’s trendy.
We’re social creatures that like feeling accepted. Having a group to feel a part of is essential to our well-being. People have always needed a place to call home, and groups of various stripes have emerged to provide that want.
There are numerous communities that form around a common interest in spirituality.It may be fantastic, but it seems gloomy at the moment.
3. Pass judgment on other people when they need to show rage or other strong emotions.
That saying, “Getting angry will not fix anything,” became my go-to response to folks venting their frustrations, but I recently learned that it was actually true. The other individual was not as informed as I would have liked, and I quietly condemned them for it. I used it as an excuse to avoid dealing with the real issues at hand.
Anger is a normal human emotion and a reasonable response to a variety of stimuli. It’s important to realize that anger is often a sign of deeper, more difficult-to-address problems in yourself or in your relationships.
Ironically, many spiritual people try to suppress any “non-spiritual” feelings while artificially amplifying “spiritual” emotions and traits like compassion, kindness, and serenity. This causes a lack of sincerity. If you keep trying to look calm, happy, and peaceful, people might think you’re trying too hard.
4. Use “spirituality” as a justification for doing drugs.
There is a widespread belief that the use of psychedelic substances may lead to enlightening spiritual experiences (both secular and nonsecular). However, this is used by others as justification to continue harmful drug habits.
In the most severe circumstances, those who identify as “spiritual” spend their whole waking day “planning cannabis ceremonies,” abuse psychedelics by using them too frequently or in inappropriate settings, and refuse to acknowledge that their behavior has negative consequences. Use caution and show respect for the drugs.
5. Have a strong aversion to and disdain for the evil side.
If you’re into spirituality, it’s easy to hold the Buddha or the Dalai Lama up as great examples of humanity, constantly making decisions informed by deep wisdom and compassion. This is by no means the case, though.
The truth is that we are all flawed human beings who make errors occasionally. No adult can go more than a few weeks without committing some sort of error, however trivial. There will be serious slipups as time goes on. As common as the flu is, we all get sick sometimes. Self-forgiveness is necessary. The best you can do is reflect on your failures and work to improve in the future.
CONCLUSION.
The takeaway here is that learning and development never cease. There are various ways in which you have destroyed yourself if you believe you have nothing more to learn. Recognizing that we have been mistaken or misinformed for a long time is really challenging, but the alternative is considerably worse. If you don’t challenge yourself, you risk dying spiritually and intellectually and being stuck in a rut where you convince yourself you’ve found the ultimate solution and can’t improve any more. Lifelong education is crucial in today’s ever-evolving environment.
Thank You