Spirituality Is Also A Science

Youngsters and even some adults become uncomfortable whenever I bring up concepts of spirituality in my conversations. They think concepts like meditation, mindfulness, abundance thinking, purpose, gratitude, compassion, acceptance, faith, etc. are for abnormal people who have problems. They contend that regular, intelligent people don’t need the crutch of spiritual orientation.

What is the meaning of science? It is a field of exploration undertaken by humans to explain what is happening in this universe. Science is the study of the physical and natural world through observation and experimentation. When human consciousness and intelligence directs itself to explain some objective phenomena, it evolves into a science.

• So, when people through the ages began to study the matter, the science of Physics was born. 
•  The study of the composition of matter became the science of Chemistry. 
• Biology was the study of life in matter.
• The study of resource distribution became Economics.
• Medical science was the study of the human body, disease, and cure.
• The study of celestial objects became the study of Astronomy….and so on.

Objective sciences are extroverted. Man, as the subject is exploring the external objects and phenomena in the universe. When the human race slowly evolved from being outward focussed to study the SELF, it moved into new territory- the subjective science of spirituality.

In the subjective realm of spirituality, everything is unique to the individual. Every human being has a consciousness that perceives and interprets what is happening in the world uniquely.

• The shirt is Red Colour is an objective reality.
• I like Orange and hate Red is a subjective perception.

• It’s been four hours since I did something. Objective reality.
• Time is moving very slowly . Subjective interpretation.

• The temperature today is 28 degrees. Objective reality.
• I am feeling hot and sultry. Subjective perception.

• Two people have $10K in the bank account. Objective reality.
• One feels rich, and the other feels poor. Subjective interpretation.

I realize that some people have discomfort with discussing spirituality because, unlike the objective sciences, there is no certainty or common interpretation. There is only ambiguity that comes from the subjective perception of every individual. The discomfort is, however, misplaced. Spirituality, though subjective, is a science like any other governed by some core principles that are universal and true. E.g., Emotions like gratitude, compassion, appreciation, love elevate human consciousness and make us more connected.

The science of spirituality is not in competition with the world of objective sciences. It is complementary. Again as an, e.g., Neuroscientific research shows that with the practice of meditation and mindfulness, the prefrontal cortex of the brain grows, with an increase in grey matter helping an individual perform better.

Spirituality comes from the Latin word of ‘spirit,’ which means ‘breath’ or ‘wind.’ We cannot see the wind, we cannot touch it, or measure it, but we can feel it. Just as the wind moves trees, the spirit moves humans.

Our intelligence responds better to anything that is scientific, with a clear cause and effect correlation. Everyone should be comfortable embracing spiritual practices because there is overwhelming scientific evidence indicating that these improve individual well being.