Religion is a touchy subject. So I hope you don't mind if I touch on it a little bit!
Personally, I have a fairly broad definition of what constitutes a religion - basically, if something is important enough to an individual, takes up enough of their time, or if it largely shapes their lives, how they live it, or how they view it, it becomes, again, in a very, very broad sense, their religion.
The traditional more concrete definition of religion paints a picture of a devoted follower spending time attending church, practicing rituals to assert one's faith, and taking part in their community.
Devoted followers can belong to non-religious entities as well. Have you ever heard of rabid sports fans described as following their teams with "religious fervour"? The Toronto Maple Leafs are known to have a "religious fan base."
Indeed, I was once myself a religious follower of the Toronto Raptors. And, strange to say now, my life was centred around the Raptors. I watched all their games, talked about it with friends, played basketball in my spare time. The Raptors encompassed such a large part of my life that, in my broad sense of religion, that's what it was for me.
Religious faith can also be placed in external objects, notably in nature. One of my good friends who I met in the Canadian Rocky Mountains told me that the mountains were her religion. I understand this too. Having spent a lot of time in those mountains, I can say that they changed my life, instilling in me humility towards nature. Sometimes I look up to those mountains and I see cathedrals.
Aside from such dabblings though, I was never part of any traditional religion. And it seems many of my colleagues in the modern developed society are also non-religious.
Why is this?
The connection I've made is that, moreso than in traditional societies, mine and my colleagues' lives were largely shaped by science (and technology). Some of us would describe themselves as atheist, others simply unsure or without faith. But based on my loose definition of religion, it seems to me that many of us "modern people" have, if subconsciously, placed our faith in science.
Why? Because science has shaped our lives in a big way, given us comforts that we cannot live without, and because scientific discoveries have largely displaced the teachings of ancient faiths. Hence the ongoing arguments such as does god exist? Or creation vs. evolution.
So while traditional religions offer explanations to life's most universal questions and requires unwavering devotion and faith, science proffers to have all the answers to the same questions based on objective inquiry. But there is a growing population raised in modern society that is becoming more disenchanted with having no faith, or having science as their faith.
There are still many questions about our universe that science has not come close to answering, such as the question of consciousness. Quantum physics is finding answers at the subatomic level that are matching the ancient wisdom of Eastern mysticism. And science is flooding our minds with so much misinformation to the point where we don't know which scientists to trust.
My Own Spirituality
I, among them, having at some point pondered these questions for far too long from behind a desk, decided to quit my job, renounce my devotion to the Toronto Raptors, slacken the restraints of my own previously unwavering belief in science, and head out into the world, seeking answers the only way I knew how - by gaining wisdom through direct experience, and finding solitude to think.
Through my travels, I joined a large stream of disenchanted individuals looking for the same answers. And together with such individuals I trundled down the "New Age" path, trying out meditation and yoga, observing exotic cultures and religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism.
While some individuals get stuck along the New Age path, finding and sticking with a community of "pilgrims" like them, I eventually constructed a faith that worked for me, what most people would label spirituality. I learned that I did not need to follow any single dogma, and that individuals such as myself can have their own spirituality, one worldview composed of parts integrated from different wholes; different wisdom and teachings learned along one's path.
If my spirituality was a venn diagram, it would intersect with circles of science, mountains, Buddhism, Taoism, the thoughts of friends and travelers, my own thoughts, and... the Toronto Raptors (I'm now just a casual follower).
Farther down this path, I realized that I had accumulated enough answers and it was time for grounding, and gaining practical life skills. I thought hard about how to make a living, about the possibility of growing food, or learning carpentry. Fortune favored me, and I found work this summer helping to build an off grid house. I also found in the job a wonderful teacher of both carpentry and life, and ripe conditions for interaction and learning in both aspects.
Through this job I found the grounding I was looking for, and learned an important lesson - that spirituality can come through practicality. Using one's hands to create something tangible and useful can invoke a connection with earthly materials and, thus, the earth itself. Building simple shelters invokes feelings of community through cooperation with neighbours and friends.
I've mentioned community on numerous occasions, and it's because everyone is in search of community, other like-minded individuals to form human connection, and reinforce their own paths.
Learning about the fascinating properties of wood invokes humility in the same grain that spending time in nature does - an awe of the beauty and impossibility of nature itself - a knowing of how little we know about nature, a realization of how science could never come close to having all the answers for it.
Humans were born to create, and to consume only as much as we need, and not more. Creating music is another strong spiritual activator. Thus, I spent time during the summer learning guitar. I have a long way to go, but I can just say it's a great way to channel one's emotions, and to communicate without spoken language with other human beings.
Moving forward, I feel comfort knowing I have gained a valuable skill that puts me closer to my ultimate tangible goals, as well as providing me spiritual nourishment.
The traditional more concrete definition of religion paints a picture of a devoted follower spending time attending church, practicing rituals to assert one's faith, and taking part in their community.
 |
| Church in Trujillo, Peru |
Devoted followers can belong to non-religious entities as well. Have you ever heard of rabid sports fans described as following their teams with "religious fervour"? The Toronto Maple Leafs are known to have a "religious fan base."
Indeed, I was once myself a religious follower of the Toronto Raptors. And, strange to say now, my life was centred around the Raptors. I watched all their games, talked about it with friends, played basketball in my spare time. The Raptors encompassed such a large part of my life that, in my broad sense of religion, that's what it was for me.
Religious faith can also be placed in external objects, notably in nature. One of my good friends who I met in the Canadian Rocky Mountains told me that the mountains were her religion. I understand this too. Having spent a lot of time in those mountains, I can say that they changed my life, instilling in me humility towards nature. Sometimes I look up to those mountains and I see cathedrals.
Aside from such dabblings though, I was never part of any traditional religion. And it seems many of my colleagues in the modern developed society are also non-religious.
Why is this?
The connection I've made is that, moreso than in traditional societies, mine and my colleagues' lives were largely shaped by science (and technology). Some of us would describe themselves as atheist, others simply unsure or without faith. But based on my loose definition of religion, it seems to me that many of us "modern people" have, if subconsciously, placed our faith in science.
Why? Because science has shaped our lives in a big way, given us comforts that we cannot live without, and because scientific discoveries have largely displaced the teachings of ancient faiths. Hence the ongoing arguments such as does god exist? Or creation vs. evolution.
 |
| Science and Technology has enabled me to fly to far flung places, and keep in touch with loved ones |
There are still many questions about our universe that science has not come close to answering, such as the question of consciousness. Quantum physics is finding answers at the subatomic level that are matching the ancient wisdom of Eastern mysticism. And science is flooding our minds with so much misinformation to the point where we don't know which scientists to trust.
My Own Spirituality
I, among them, having at some point pondered these questions for far too long from behind a desk, decided to quit my job, renounce my devotion to the Toronto Raptors, slacken the restraints of my own previously unwavering belief in science, and head out into the world, seeking answers the only way I knew how - by gaining wisdom through direct experience, and finding solitude to think.
Through my travels, I joined a large stream of disenchanted individuals looking for the same answers. And together with such individuals I trundled down the "New Age" path, trying out meditation and yoga, observing exotic cultures and religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism.
 |
| Getting my spiritual on in India, 2014 |
While some individuals get stuck along the New Age path, finding and sticking with a community of "pilgrims" like them, I eventually constructed a faith that worked for me, what most people would label spirituality. I learned that I did not need to follow any single dogma, and that individuals such as myself can have their own spirituality, one worldview composed of parts integrated from different wholes; different wisdom and teachings learned along one's path.
If my spirituality was a venn diagram, it would intersect with circles of science, mountains, Buddhism, Taoism, the thoughts of friends and travelers, my own thoughts, and... the Toronto Raptors (I'm now just a casual follower).
Farther down this path, I realized that I had accumulated enough answers and it was time for grounding, and gaining practical life skills. I thought hard about how to make a living, about the possibility of growing food, or learning carpentry. Fortune favored me, and I found work this summer helping to build an off grid house. I also found in the job a wonderful teacher of both carpentry and life, and ripe conditions for interaction and learning in both aspects.
Through this job I found the grounding I was looking for, and learned an important lesson - that spirituality can come through practicality. Using one's hands to create something tangible and useful can invoke a connection with earthly materials and, thus, the earth itself. Building simple shelters invokes feelings of community through cooperation with neighbours and friends.
I've mentioned community on numerous occasions, and it's because everyone is in search of community, other like-minded individuals to form human connection, and reinforce their own paths.
Learning about the fascinating properties of wood invokes humility in the same grain that spending time in nature does - an awe of the beauty and impossibility of nature itself - a knowing of how little we know about nature, a realization of how science could never come close to having all the answers for it.
 |
| You only find a saw this big in timber framing! |
 |
| Same as this hammer! |
Humans were born to create, and to consume only as much as we need, and not more. Creating music is another strong spiritual activator. Thus, I spent time during the summer learning guitar. I have a long way to go, but I can just say it's a great way to channel one's emotions, and to communicate without spoken language with other human beings.
Moving forward, I feel comfort knowing I have gained a valuable skill that puts me closer to my ultimate tangible goals, as well as providing me spiritual nourishment.
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