Alienation and Spirituality

Divided Against Ourselves

Alienation occurs when the physical and supra-physical aspects of our system are separated from each other and prevented from working together. Fear, greed, and desire keep the two major aspects of our system not only separate and divided, but also in conflict with each other as well. The more we permit the three forces of alienation to run rampant in our psyches, the more difficult it will be to find our true identity. When we are divided internally, it is easy to be in conflict and extremely difficult to be at peace.

Our world is a product of our internal alienation. Through that alienation we have created a world rife with conflict of all sorts and on all levels. It is a world that has too much violence and too little peace. If we can’t find peace within ourselves, how can we expect the world to provide that peace for us? The world is not responsible for our well-being. Quite to the contrary, we are collectively responsible for the world’s well-being. Unfortunately, because of the pervasive problem of alienation from the spirit and soul that plagues humanity, as well as the selfishness that alienation habitually breeds, we typically fail to consider the ramifications of our behavior on the world in which we live until it is too late.

A Peaceful Nature

A peaceful nature has always been the foundation of higher consciousness. As long as we are alienated from ourselves we cannot be at peace, and we will find it impossible to complete ourselves, move forward into the light, and elevate our lives. When we are only aware of part of ourselves, we cannot know who we really are. The problem of alienation is not only universal but is also the source of the silent epidemic of imbalance now plaguing the world. When we are alienated from ourselves, our spirit and our soul are absent from our lives. Without their influence, we can neither be in balance nor in tune with a reality larger than our own selfish interests. If we are not in touch with a larger reality, we will lack a cohesive and integrative vision to guide our lives, and with- out that vision we will be unable to find our purpose. Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and the Dalai Lama, for instance, all had a coherent vision with a common theme. That common theme was serving the greater good of their people. Those visions were unselfish and motivated by unconditional love.

When the spirit is active in our lives, we can find common ground and resolve our differences. However, when the spirit is absent from our lives, those same differences quickly become insurmountable. In the aggregate, the three forces of alienation promote the increasing escalation of conflict and polarization throughout the world. They affect the individual by keeping him stirred up and focused on ambitions that do not serve his higher nature or allow him to fulfill himself but that lead him, instead, farther from inner peace and personal fulfillment. In the words of Christ, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul?”