Does the title seem like an oxymoron to you?
As a Christian, I believe that Christianity is one of the few (have not researched enough to say that it is the only one; not the aim here anyway) religions that exalt the human body. Still, there has been an inclination amongst those who put their trust in Jesus as Saviour to have a hostility or disdain for the body and material things that the body needs. Gnosticism and asceticism are two examples. However though, thought I should indicate that this post is written as a Christian (my spirituality as a starting point), about spirituality in general.
This topic is on this SWE blog because the BPSS framework underpins much of the social work profession. It assumes that wellness/un-wellness stem from the interplay of biological, psychological, social and spiritual (BPSS) factors (more info here).
The spark for this post came from a verse in the Bible passage from today’s sermon (italics in square parentheses are my explanations)-
“For while we are still in this tent [metaphor for the temporary human body], we groan, being burdened — not that we would be unclothed [metaphor for escaping bodily existence], but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life [referred to the eternal life with God where Jesus followers would be given new eternal bodies].” (2 Corinthians 5:4)
As I reflected on this verse together with my personal experience of living in a very human, questionably healthy, definitely aging body, I am struck by a few things:
1. The physical is not lesser than the spiritual
The body is a good thing. Physical matter like food, wine and things that bring our bodies pleasure are good things. We believe as Christians that when God created the earth and the first human (embodied) beings, He celebrated them all. They are expressions of His infinite love!
2. A huge part of spirituality is learning to live in our bodies
This ties in with my recent re-exploration of interpersonal neurobiology- a super cool interdisciplinary framework that ties in the BPS domains with empirical science. The underlying principle of this framework is that interpersonal relational dynamics shape the neurocircuitry of the brain- hence integrating body, mind and relationships (BPS).The spiritual domain has yet to catch up but there was a mention in Badenoch (2008)’s book, ‘Being a Brain-wise Therapist: A Practical Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology‘.
I quote: “Even when we have clear thoughts about the world of spirituality, our felt sense of this domain can be profoundly clouded by childhood experience [which shapes neuropatterns in the brain]” (p.248).
3. A huge part of learning to live in our bodies is owed to spirituality
The religious can attest to that- Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims etc- each religious belief system have ways to ‘cope’ with living as embodied beings on earth. Of course, one can be spiritual without being religious- having perhaps a syncretic set of beliefs about life and afterlife (if any). Spirituality allows one to make sense of life’s sorrows, including the helplessness at world events. It is not only for the unhappy parts of life though, as spirituality often teaches one to hold the happy/pleasurable things in life loosely. A simple example might be, something really delicious can be fully enjoyed as it is in the moment, without the craving for more and more of that pleasure the food gave.
Hope this post makes sense and encourages you to get in touch with your spirituality too πWhat can be helpful is perhaps to train yourself to find ways that you are connected to a broader creation/humanity/Ummah/Ubuntu, asking “How am I connected to the people, animals, plants, and other things on planet Earth?” I believe starting with yourself and connecting better to your spirituality, can make the world a better place π
13.11.23 Edit: This LinkedIn article by organisational change management thought leader Shiao-yin Kuik is a great example of how spirituality has been integrated into her leadership!
07.12.23 Edit: I keep coming back to this post because it is so intimately related to living. I thought I should share this wonderful video to the Native American hoop dance. The dancer’s physical finesse [B], exuberance [P], cultural links to his tribal traditions & how he shares it with the next generation [S], and spiritual expression through hoop dance [S] were amazing and even brought tears to my eyes (the pure-hearted cheers of the children as they gave him rapt attention was part of the reason too). Enjoy!
Social Working, Everything 