Future and Spirituality

By Marvin X

Where is the spiritual community headed? We cannot continue treading water. Those who profess spiritual consciousness have a duty to let their little light shine throughout the land, throughout the world. We must dispel darkness with divine truths that are common to all believers in the spiritual path, which is the path of peace, not war, the path of love, not hate. No matter what you think about me, I am moving toward radical spirituality. At least I am on the road, I am in motion. What about you? If we don't get there, at least we tried, we made the effort. We do not claim perfection, but we are in the process, and what is life but a process—by degrees we obtain perfection, Al Qur'an teaches.

Religious and sectarian hatred is as much an abomination as racial hatred, ethnic and gender hatred, for the sun shines on us all, believer and nonbeliever, sinners and the saved. And who is without sin and who is beyond saving? Did not Lazarus come back from the dead? There was a time not long ago when I slept in alleys, doorways, parks and bus stations, when I ate in soup kitchens and wasted myself in dope dins. But when I got tired after a decade of madness, I made the effort to regain my sanity and recognized the truth: I am in God/God is in me.

This truth is in everyone and is everywhere, it is found in all religions, no one  has a monopoly on truth, no tribe, no sect, no denomination, no faith, no race.

Let those who believe believe as they believe. You are not the judge, you are not the jury, be sure you believe as you believe and are not fickle in your faith, for we shall be tested, then we shall know believers from non-believers.

And to whom shall it matter: your way is your way and my way is my way—lakum dinu kum waliya din.

What is the future of us all, nuclear annihilation or movement toward the realization of spiritual unity and thus toleration of differences. Or shall we fall victim to religious and sectarian violence that is contrary to the divine spirit that flows through us all.

Truth is eternal, not individual, personal or political. All the prophets taught the same truth: peace, love, and happiness. They taught freedom, justice and equality. They taught liberation of the oppressed, the poor, the broken hearted. They taught us to heal the sick, help the lame walk, and the blind to see. Feed the hungry, give homes to the homeless. This is the spiritual path. This is the way to walk in the sun. This is the way to tomorrow, there is no other way except continued strife, war, and eventual destruction of mankind. Haven't we shed enough blood, suffered enough pain, attended enough funerals of sons and daughters slain in the hood, slain on foreign battlefields. How many more mothers and fathers shall weep for their children?

The spiritual community must transcend dogmatism, sectarianism, and narrow mindedness to see the bigger picture—the divine picture that embraces all.

If Muslims and Christians what to annihilate each other for whatever reason, a new people shall arise from their ashes, a people who will truly reflect spiritual consciousness, not ignorance and lust for power and domination.

Share the wealth, share the truth, eliminate poverty, disease and ignorance and many of our spiritual problems shall wither away. And we shall be amazed to discover that they were not problems at all, merely illusions of petty minds that refused to see the Higher Power within themselves and without. The future is now, seize the time.

posted 4 July 2006