no split

there is no division between those who consider themselves "spiritual" and those who prefer a more "worldly" approach to living. these terms are just labels; convenient perhaps for communication's sake, but not pointing to an absolute reality.

in truth, we're all playing by the same rules. there is but one standard against which our destinies are measured, and that's the degree of our spiritual development.

but why call it spiritual? it's not spiritual; it's just life. calling it spiritual seems to relegate it to a separate compartment of life, as if a person could choose to be spiritual or not in the same way they can choose to be a sports enthusiast, a butterfly collector or a professional cook.

the difference is, if we're not into collecting insects we remain relatively unaffected by the world of entomology, while if we don't consider ourselves to be a "spiritual person" our subjective experience of life continues to be entirely determined by our level of truth-awareness.

claiming to be "non-spiritual" doesn't get us categorized differently and make us answerable to a different set of rules, exempt from the "spiritual" consequences of our actions. in the same way, merely claiming to be "spiritual" doesn't win us any favors. the realization of truth and happinness is arrived at through each step we take on the path, not by making statements about what kind of person we are.

spirituality in its most basic, real and powerful form is a mode of living that dissolves the obstacles to enlightenment, transporting us from confusion and ignorance to realization and on to growing levels of awareness of the true nature of reality (to say "the true nature of reality" is equivalent to saying "the truth about ourselves").

existential ignorance and all the forms of suffering and negativity it spawns are present to one degree or another until the realization of one's true nature dawns. once this recognition occurs, sincere love and its tremendously powerful healing potential is manifested in ever-expanding ways. in this sense, spiritual development is the most relevant aspect of life, and should logically be the prime object of focus for those who wish to bring an end to their suffering. it's the most important factor regarding one's own welfare and that of humanity.

this doesn't mean that everyone should drop what they're doing and take up a particular spiritual practice. since spirituality points directly to the subjective experience of life itself, "spiritual" lessons can be learned through any endeavor as long as there is a willingness to progress in one's understanding of "self" and life. information traditionally denoted as spiritual, however - if genuine - can be enormously catalytic for those who are consciously striving for truth in the same way an umbrella is more effective at keeping you dry in a storm than throwing a shopping bag over your head; it's specifically designed for the particular purpose of facilitating awakening.

bananas

if you put too much energy into creating a new identity for yourself as one who is waking up, spiritual, more aware, loving, compassionate… you’ll miss many opportunities to see things that, once acknowledged and understood, can free you from the suffering you currently experience.

if you merely choose a new label for yourself – no matter how "different" from your old labels – and hold on to it firmly as you’ve held on to previous self-definitions, you’ll be preventing yourself from seeing your situation in its entirety and in complete honesty.

you'll bend yourself and your life's circumstances around the label, pass everything through an interpretation machine to make sure your label remains intact.

what you’ll end up achieving is that you’ll continue, for a time, to believe in the label, which gives you a temporary sense of pleasure and self-worth. but this “success” comes at the expense of not having learned anything real about yourself.

you’ll have succeeded in continuing to pretend you’re something you’re not (no label will ever correctly encompass what you are and the many manifestations of your nature).

don't expect a label to give you truth; don’t waste too much energy trying to understand – and classify within your belief structure – the terms “enlightenment,” “nirvana,” or “happiness.”

don't expect the word banana to give you the nutritional benefits of a banana;

eat one.