| To grow spiritually in a world defined by power, | | | | and psychology is the end of self-development: |
| money, and influence is a Herculean task. Modern | | | | Christianity and Islam see that self-development is a |
| conveniences such as electronic equipments, gadgets, | | | | means toward serving God, while psychology view |
| and tools as well as entertainment through television, | | | | that self-development is an end by itself. |
| magazines, and the web have predisposed us to | | | | To grow spiritually is to search for meaning. |
| confine our attention mostly to physical needs and | | | | Religions that believe in the existence of God such as |
| wants. As a result, our concepts of self-worth and | | | | Christianism, Judaism, and Islam suppose that the |
| self-meaning are muddled. How can we strike a | | | | purpose of the human life is to serve the Creator of all |
| balance between the material and spiritual aspects of | | | | things. Several theories in psychology propose that we |
| our lives? | | | | ultimately give meaning to our lives. Whether we |
| To grow spiritually is to look inward. | | | | believe that life’s meaning is pre-determined or |
| Introspection goes beyond recalling the things that | | | | self-directed, to grow in spirit is to realize that we do |
| happened in a day, week, or month. You need to look | | | | not merely exist. We do not know the meaning of our |
| closely and reflect on your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, | | | | lives at birth; but we gain knowledge and wisdom from |
| and motivations. Periodically examining your | | | | our interactions with people and from our actions and |
| experiences, the decisions you make, the relationships | | | | reactions to the situations we are in. As we discover |
| you have, and the things you engage in provide useful | | | | this meaning, there are certain beliefs and values that |
| insights on your life goals, on the good traits you must | | | | we reject and affirm. Our lives have purpose. This |
| sustain and the bad traits you have to discard. | | | | purpose puts all our physical, emotional, and intellectual |
| Moreover, it gives you clues on how to act, react, and | | | | potentials into use; sustains us during trying times; and |
| conduct yourself in the midst of any situation. Like any | | | | gives us something to look forward to---a goal to |
| skill, introspection can be learned; all it takes is the | | | | achieve, a destination to reach. A person without |
| courage and willingness to seek the truths that lie | | | | purpose or meaning is like a drifting ship at sea. |
| within you. Here are some pointers when you | | | | To grow spiritually is to recognize interconnections. |
| introspect: be objective, be forgiving of yourself, and | | | | Religions stress the concept of our relatedness to all |
| focus on your areas for improvement. | | | | creation, live and inanimate. Thus we call other people |
| To grow spiritually is to develop your potentials. | | | | “brothers and sisters” even if there are no direct |
| Religion and science have differing views on matters | | | | blood relations. Moreover, deity-centered religions such |
| of the human spirit. Religion views people as spiritual | | | | as Christianity and Islam speak of the relationship |
| beings temporarily living on Earth, while science views | | | | between humans and a higher being. On the other |
| the spirit as just one dimension of an individual. Mastery | | | | hand, science expounds on our link to other living things |
| of the self is a recurring theme in both Christian | | | | through the evolution theory. This relatedness is clearly |
| (Western) and Islamic (Eastern) teachings. The needs | | | | seen in the concept of ecology, the interaction |
| of the body are recognized but placed under the | | | | between living and non-living things. In psychology, |
| needs of the spirit. Beliefs, values, morality, rules, | | | | connectedness is a characteristic of |
| experiences, and good works provide the blueprint to | | | | self-transcendence, the highest human need according |
| ensure the growth of the spiritual being. In Psychology, | | | | to Maslow. Recognizing your connection to all things |
| realizing one’s full potential is to self-actualize. | | | | makes you more humble and respectful of people, |
| Maslow identified several human needs: physiological, | | | | animals, plants, and things in nature. It makes you |
| security, belongingness, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, | | | | appreciate everything around you. It moves you to go |
| self-actualization, and self-transcendence. James | | | | beyond your comfort zone and reach out to other |
| earlier categorized these needs into three: material, | | | | people, and become stewards of all other things |
| emotional, and spiritual. When you have satisfied the | | | | around you. |
| basic physiological and emotional needs, spiritual or | | | | Growth is a process thus to grow in spirit is a |
| existential needs come next. Achieving each need | | | | day-to-day encounter. We win some, we lose some, |
| leads to the total development of the individual. | | | | but the important thing is that we learn, and from this |
| Perhaps the difference between these two religions | | | | knowledge, further spiritual growth is made possible. |