Out of the three pillars that this project is looking at soul may be the most misunderstood. The western perspective that we are all so accustomed to knows a lot about what it takes to have a healthy body. We are starting to grasp what it means to have a healthy mind, but when it comes to soul we know very little. Of course there is organized religion but even that is losing its grip on our world-view. Of all the religious categories in America, people with “no religious identification” is the fastest growing category.
In the 21st century we tend to worship human creations. Money, power, social status, the latest new gadget, political affiliations, these are the things that get us excited. We determine our level of success based on whether we have these things or not. In recent years our society has begun to understand the toxicity of these pursuits and a movement has emerged that focuses on happiness. This movement says that happiness is the most important thing in life. That we should just do what makes us happy. This is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t go deep enough. We need something much more profound to aspire to than happiness. At its best, happiness is just a symptom of a good life, not the final goal.
Just like humans have lived close to nature for 99% of our history, the majority of those people have been spiritual. It’s a part of human nature to believe in something greater than ourselves. Now that the popularity of traditional religion is waning in our society, there is a hole in our belief systems that we are trying to fill. We see people’s tendency for religious devotion channeled towards things like politics, conspiracies, celebrities, or even sports teams. It’s not to say that these things are inherently bad, but we can find better things to put our faith in.
We need to return to a belief system that puts something above humans on the hierarchy of importance. These days humans don’t act as if we are subordinate to anything. We act as if we have it all figured out. Clearly we still have a lot to learn, so why not put our faith in the force that created us? This force is universal to all human beings. It is compatible with both religion and science. Everything we know has come from it, and if we are willing to listen again nature will show us the way forward.
Just like humans have lived close to nature for 99% of our history, the majority of those people have been spiritual. It’s a part of human nature to believe in something greater than ourselves. Now that the popularity of traditional religion is waning in our society, there is a hole in our belief systems that we are trying to fill. We see people’s tendency for religious devotion channeled towards things like politics, conspiracies, celebrities, or even sports teams. It’s not to say that these things are inherently bad, but we can find better things to put our faith in.
We need to return to a belief system that puts something above humans on the hierarchy of importance. These days humans don’t act as if we are subordinate to anything. We act as if we have it all figured out. Clearly we still have a lot to learn, so why not put our faith in the force that created us? This force is universal to all human beings. It is compatible with both religion and science. Everything we know has come from it, and if we are willing to listen again nature will show us the way forward.
The Mission
The soul pillar of this project will explore some of the ways that we can find a spiritual connection with nature. It does not aim to change anyone’s religious or spiritual beliefs, rather it will introduce ways that we can incorporate a more nature centered world-view into our lives. One that sees nature as a place to seek answers and find meaning in life.
