Lay Spirituality and freedom of thought – by Paolo D’Arpini
“My spirit is indomitable my soul forever free …”
According to great sages personal opinion on spirituality is only a reflection of the individual perception of truth. So the view is always partial and unable to report a wholeness. But if we are able to interpret each piece as a review of universal thought and try to integrate the whole of the known, perhaps we are putting into practice the “syncretism” of thought desirable to overcome preconceived ideologies and religions.
Only discriminant should be the quality of sincerity in which the opinion in spirituality is expressed and the personal experience of it…
In fact, if opinion is only “instrumental” is not worth the trouble to consider it, not even to label it as “opinion” (which in and of itself is a term “restrictive”) but we call it “religious trick” tended to the satisfaction of a sectarian gain … This happens when you deliberately lying or when you uphold a “creed” without evidence!
But I think “Lay Spirituality” must also be assumed to leave others the freedom to think their own way and we can not use it to constantly argue about the points that we seem to undermine this principle …
So we should be even lay against laity ..
This is an attitude that leads to “syncretism of thought”, uniting all of us humans in the recognition of the equal worth of spiritual thought that manifests itself in each of us…
The idea is the most secular and syncretic … and this idea, which was also present in the Mediterranean and in all countries of the continent, at least until the advent of the three dominant monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), is the only form of spirituality that guarantees equal status even to religious beliefs, considering them to be the moral and philosophical heritage of humanity.
This syncretism -in my opinion- should be considering also the “mindset” of the so-called animal, where seen as different from man. Since the hypothetical difference between men and animals is only a matter of intellectual gradient, but the consciousness that animates them is the same, the possibility of self-knowledge is also the same …
Nevertheless, since I am a man, I’m responsible for my self-knowledge and let other beings (human or nonhuman) to do the part that everyone competes, independently and according their own ability! Besides, how can we claim to “teach” others?
At most each can serve as another example, in terms of his level of evolution, where there he is …
Nature, eroticism, art, ecology, philosophy, singing, dancing, food, tears, laughter, howls .. obviously we’re all in IT. …
Only a society that is not dominated by ideological and religious pressures can understand the common good and freedom of expression. In fact the word “Lay Spirituality” means that which is necessary for the life of the common man … the etymology of “lay” means “ordinary, simple people.” So you should always start from the basic necessities of life and non-interest your self in “other” topic, connected to moralistic occlusive ideology and pious speculation….
In this time when freedom of expression is seriously compromised by a system of thought, engulfing and leveling, is important and necessary that liberal voices are integrated with, although differences in the predicate, to keep alive the philosophical and spiritual autonomy and values of layty and spirituality.
Paolo D’Arpini
