Spirituality Zoo

Pick what you want from these

The problem of our time is a lack of spirituality. In my experience, college students (without religion) were all worried about the meaning of life and didn't know what to do.

There is a need for a way to gain spirituality in a non-religious form. I intended to create a catalog so that people can conveniently obtain spirituality and the meaning of life whenever they need it, like a vending machine. Does spirituality have to be so inconvenient?

Essentials for Non-Religious Spirituality

You don't need the supernatural for spirituality. Here's what I think is needed to give spirituality and meaning to life:

  1. Transcending yourself.

  2. Continuity - It must be continuous, not something short-lived like intense pleasure or awe-inspiring experiences. To derive meaning from short-lived experiences, you must repeat them regularly, which is inefficient and offers no guarantee of consistently having those exceptional experiences.

Types of Spirituality

  1. Becoming one with something greater than yourself.

  2. Connection - The object doesn't have to be greater than you.

  3. Immortality.

  4. Doing something tremendously important.

There are no clear boundaries between these types; in fact, they could all be considered the same thing. Now, I will present a Spirituality Zoo. Choose what resonates with you from the following options.

1. Becoming One with Something Greater Than Yourself

System

Every system has its own independent tendencies (or will) that arise from the system itself, so that can be considered a pseudo-god. But to choose 'something greater than yourself' from among them, you have to choose a system that includes yourself. It can also be called 'flow'.

Examples:

  1. Nature - The most popular and safe option. Just be aware that you are part of nature, and optionally contribute to it.

  2. Nation - The advantage is that patriotism is encouraged in society. The downside is that it can feel a bit corny or old-fashioned.

  3. Technium - A concept created by Kevin Kelly, meaning that from the birth of the universe, more and more complex things have emerged through self-organization - a flow that extends from atoms to life, humans, and technology. Just be aware that you are part of that flow, and optionally contribute to it.

  4. Economic systems or social systems.

  5. Humanity - There is even an experimental religion about humanity that regards historical heroes as saints.

There is a subtle point: something that is not a system cannot rely on it for its purpose. But it's a matter of personal perspective. For example, when it comes to the imaginary gender "emale", someone who doesn't give it much thought wouldn't consider the "emale" group they belong to as a system. However, for a person who has a specific idea of what the "emale" group should be like and believes it changes dynamically, the "emale" group is a system.

Self-realization

Reaching a certain state. If there is an ultimate state that you truly want to reach in the end, no matter what it is, you can make the road to achieving it your spirituality. However, there is one thing to be careful about: you better not think too deeply about your goal.

Beliefs / Values

For example, by making the value of 'altruism' your value and dedicating yourself to it, you can become one with that value. Any belief or value should be fine. But if you choose a value like 'altruism', you'll have to do volunteer work and such to uphold it, so choose carefully. (What I mean is ordinary altruism, not Effective Altruism.) It's difficult to simply abandon a chosen value at will, as you need to have a narrative. If you abandon it without the narrative, everyone will look down on you.

2. Connection

The advantage of this option is that it doesn't have to be grandiose - it's the least burdensome option. The disadvantage is that you can become overly dependent on that object, and you can lose that object, which would make you suffer a tremendous blow.

Examples of objects you can connect with:

  • Specific individuals like family, lovers, friends, Sungho, pets, etc.

  • Natural objects like pebbles or leaves.

  • Artificial objects like MacBooks or robots (though current artificial objects are still lacking something, so it's hard to make them the object of connection).

  • Anything around you.

3. Immortality

What this actually means is leaving something behind in the world. The advantage is that it may be the most productive option. The downside is that failure and frustration are common.

Examples of this type:

  • Children - There's also a theory that 'women can satisfy their desire to create by having children, which is why their creative achievements are low' (I'm not saying I agree with this).

  • Creative works, research, or a company.

  • Actions that go down in history - These could be unique and meaningful (great if you could do it but at a high difficulty level) or simply shocking actions that don't have to be original or meaningful (easy difficulty level), like stripping naked and dancing on a crowded street, or Herostratus, who burned down the Temple of Artemis because he 'wanted to go down in history'.

4. Tremendously Important Work

Could be objectively tremendously important projects like the Voyager space probe program. Or cults - I think the core of a cult is 'the cult's interests are infinitely important, therefore compared to that, things outside the cult are infinitely trivial'. So, joining a cult can provide a sense of spirituality. And from what I've heard, when you join a cult, everyone is kind and treats you well.

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