The Role of Spirituality in World Peace

Spirituality is more than meditation.

Disclaimer: This story, in no way, is meant to hurt anyone’s feelings and sentiments. I do not claim to have any extraordinary spiritual knowledge, but I present here my understanding of spirituality. If you are intolerant of reading different perspectives, please do not proceed further.

I had always been a spiritual person from my childhood. My father was a science guy who would find reasonings through research, while my mother was spiritual by nature.

Though science did not intrigue me as much as spirituality did, I was taught to bolster my beliefs based on both — spiritual concepts and science.

To date, I have read over 500 spiritual books that had explained to me various spiritual concepts using scientific shreds of evidence.

And after consuming so much information, I realized the need for spirituality more than science in our lives. I began to perceive it as the only hope of establishing world peace because our society’s other pillars, like politics, religions, and science, constantly failed.

In this story, I will walk you through my understanding of spirituality. I will also discuss different factors affecting peace, their causes, and how spirituality can address world peace.

First of all, let’s talk about the factors that have caused a state of unrest in our lives so that it becomes simpler to seek all the possible solutions for peace of our mind and, subsequently, world peace.

Factors Affecting Peace of Mind And World Peace

#1. Political differences

This factor is a significant reason for our bickerings, sectional feuds, thinking intolerances, rivalries between nations, etc.

A research study published in the US National Library of Medicine provides evidence that politics affects our mental health.

If we look closely at our lives, we will find that political affairs like immigration policies, national elections, government policies, economic decisions govern a significant part of our thinking nowadays.

Also, looking at the US Elections that took place a few months ago, we can say that it generated a lot of heat in human relations, causing multiple protests nationwide. This situation created a stir in the US and across the globe. Almost all countries whose economies relied heavily on the US experienced some tension or the other.

#2. Extreme Religious beliefs

The humans needed a bridge to connect their hearts with other humans and with their creator, so they formed religions. But it did not solve the purpose.

A scientific research study explains that extreme religionism affects our mental health as it creates a state of unrest by instilling a feeling of dominance.

The faith which was looked upon as a hope for world peace once has led everyone down. It is not the religion, but its followers have caused chaos because of misinterpreting religion’s right message of peace, love, and purity.

Today, in the name of religion, people are looting each other. Using the titles of Jihad, Holy Wars, or Dharma Yudh (without understanding their real meaning), people have started expressing intolerances and prejudices towards one another by taking to wage wars.

#3. Linguistic variances

Though language is a carrier of thoughts and communication, it’s now serving as a hatred weapon. Instead of elevating us from the animals’ level, it has deteriorated us to an even lower level. People have started expressing disgust towards the minority linguistic community. I never believed it until I realized it.

When I came to Quebec (Montreal), a so-called bilingual province, to pursue my Masters's in Engineering, the francophones belittled me for my poor knowledge of French. The shopkeepers and even people in metros tried to humiliate me by looking upon me like an ‘unwanted creature.’

#4. The color difference

I need not get started on this topic. The recently erupted protest of “Black Lives Matter” was a live example of exploitation caused by racial discrimination. It is such a shame that humans cause unrest to their fellow brothers and sisters for being different in color.

5 Root Causes Affecting Peace

Closely scrutinizing the above factors affecting world peace, we discover that other than sowing the seeds of discord outside, these causes are deep-rooted in the human mind.

The intellect that lacks peace and solace inside is likely to radiate the same outside. That’s why we see the chaos outside. If one tree burns in the jungle, it sets the whole area ablaze. One rotten tomato in a crate spoils all the other tomatoes. Likewise, an uneasy individual in a family or society becomes a medium for making others restless and chaotic.

But what is the root cause of this external unrest happening in society and across nations?

Reflecting deeply, we find that vices residing inside us like — anger, lust, greed, attachment, ego, and sex-lust — are the primary reasons that cause discord in human behavior.

Since the root cause of world chaos lies inside us, we’ve to look inwards for the possible cause and solution.

But before jumping to solutions, let’s understand how vicious thoughts create an unrest state internally and externally.

#1. The fire of anger is burning all humans.

In the 1830s, a famous American writer named Robert Ingersoll quoted that

“Anger blows out the lamp of the mind.”

I think it’s entirely true.

Everybody would be on the same page when I say that an angry person loses his peace of mind and deprives others of their mental rest by using bitter abusive words or violent actions or by hostile retaliation. So, anger is the real enemy of an individual because it deprives an individual of his thinking ability.

An online journal also explains that anger affects humans mentally, physically, emotionally, psychologically, and socially.

Moreover, we have seen so many criminals confessing their crime in the judge’s courts by saying, ‘I did this crime in the heat of the moment.’

So, what is this heat?

This heat is the fire of anger that has robbed an individual of his reasoning ability and forced him to perform crime and cause unrest.

#2. Attachment is making everyone vulnerable to crime.

Attachments of any form are detrimental, whether it is towards one’s own body, property, or family. Because of this vice, one loses his rational thinking ability and adopts nepotism and partiality mentality.

Owing to attachment, people adopt the wrong means to fulfill their family’s wishes and desires.

It often makes me wonder — “How much chaotic the mind of the person would be to make him vulnerable to do anything!”

According to a news journal, attachment towards the family is one of the top ten reasons for society’s crime.

#3. The greed breeding in our minds is spreading corruption all around.

Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, once quoted,

“Greed destroys a man in and out.”

How accurate is that saying?

Whenever we are greedy, we lose our common sense. If it’s food, we overeat without considering our health; if it’s a material possession, we try to hoard it without considering our economic condition.

Besides, we often take dishonest means like adulteration, window-dressing, bribery, etc., to amass more wealth due to greed. Evil thought of looting others breed 24/7 in our minds and causes a state of mental unrest.

We are damaging ourselves internally and spreading the seeds of dishonesty and suffering externally through our greediness.

#4. The Ego is killing our wisdom.

Most of the conflicts and quarrels arise only due to ego. Clashes between individuals, two nations, or two continents occur only because of their self-centered attitudes.

An egoist not only remains deprived of peace but also creates an atmosphere of unrest. All the people around a self-centered person would feel uneasy and far away from equilibrium.

According to History.com, the root cause of many ferocious wars in history fought was “ridiculous ego problems.” Many innocent lost their lives owing to their egoistic kings.

Hence, we can say that ego can cause more damage than peace of mind or world peace for that matter.

#5. The gust of Lust is wiping our humanity.

According to Buddhist philosophy, one must refrain from indulging in sensual pleasures. There is a direct comparison of sensual desires with ‘flood’ that destroys a human being’s intellect.

According to statistics, sexual violence has surged across the globe in the last decade.

However, most of us perceive it as a ‘must tool’ for enjoying life. Though spiritual literature and holy scriptures advise the other way, overindulgence can lead to physical weakness, liability, and even physical harm — debauchery forces humans towards inhuman, disgraceful behavior.

Our history, backed with proof, states that the significant reason for the majority of the kingdoms’ downfall was due to uncontrolled sexual desires and sensual fantasies.

When the wild desires remain unfulfilled, it creates a mental imbalance, making an individual either a sex addict or a hornball.

Why only Spirituality?

Since we have identified the root cause of the unrest, finding solutions becomes easy.

There can be various solutions like

• Social sciences
• Philosophy
• Physiology
• Psychology, etc.

However, all these solutions can explain an action plan to overcome the vices, but applying it on a larger scale (for the entire world) seems like a half-baked solution.

Also, social science practices or philosophical principles, or psychological tools can not be applied to the world to establish universal peace. Even if that could be a possibility, none of them possesses an element of faith.

Moreover, the United Nations have also been found futile in its attempt to maintain peace. Peace agreements have also failed from time to time because of their poor execution and inability to implement on a large scale. These agreements failed not because of their plan and its performance but because of its nature.

Most of the peace agencies and contracts failed because they hardly addressed the issues residing within our minds.

“Our thoughts govern our actions, and hence we need to make rules to establish peace inside rather than outside.”

Is there any tool in the world that can eradicate those vices from our minds?

Though we can only suppress some of them through medications and scientific advances like hypnosis and psychiatric sessions, can we give up on our anger, lust, ego, or greed without spending a penny?

We can’t force ourselves to do anything against our wishes; otherwise, results could be catastrophic.

Based on our reasoning abilities and analytical skills, we need knowledge backed by science, religion, philosophy, and common sense. We need something with a scientific touch and faith element to develop an organic approach towards these vices rather than forced.

Thus, spirituality is a knowledge that integrates science and religion, philosophy, and common sense making it more logical and pragmatic in its approach. Using the concepts of spirituality and reasonings of science, we can sit with ourselves and suggest suitable change plans.

Moreover, spirituality through its meditation and mindful techniques also empowers an individual’s willpower and boosts self-control.

How Spirituality is the Hope for World Peace

Deepak Chopra, an Indian-American author, who possesses excellent spiritual knowledge, once quoted in his interview:

“I’ve worked all my life on the subject of awareness, whether it’s awareness of the body, awareness of the mind, awareness of the emotions, awareness of relationships, or awareness of the environment. I think the key to transforming our life is to be aware of who we are.”

So, spirituality disperses the vices by awakening our true selves.

According to the seven principles of spirituality, the truth of life is that we are not the body but the souls in the body. Living with that awareness is a called soul-consciousness state.

This knowledge about our true self solves vices' problems because the root cause of all the sins and viciousness is body consciousness. When we forget that we are soul and look at each other as men and women, these vices precipitate our minds.

Moreover, viewing everyone as a physical entity rather than a soul creates a physical relationship inviting sex-lust, ego, and attachment.

When we observe everyone and everything from a corporeality standpoint, attachment towards one’s kith and kin is born.

On the contrary, while living with a soul-consciousness awareness, our attitude shifts from people, place, things, and relationships towards an elevated vibration of peace and happiness.

Besides, soul consciousness is an awareness that empowers individuals to foresee the results of their Karma. Hence this awareness prevents everyone from indulging in the lousy Karma owing to these vices. As a result, virtues like universal brotherhood and peace would govern our actions likewise.

In addition to changing ourselves through a soul-consciousness state, it can also solve other problems too like:

#1. Territorial, Regional, or Linguistic Differences

If we realize that we are souls, we would see our bodies as instruments to perform actions.

As a result, the attachment towards the body and its paraphernalia would cease to exist. We would install a feeling that we do not belong to this physical world but the metaphysical soul world. And so automatically, the greed, ego, attachment, desires towards this materialistic world would perish.

Also, perceiving everyone as a soul would generate a brotherhood feeling amongst all beings. Quarrels over establishing supremacy over one another, amassing wealth by deceiving others, attachment towards one’s region, language, or territory would vanish through the soul-consciousness state, making way for universal peace.

#2. Religious Differences

People tend to identify religion through names-Jacob means a Christian, Mohammed means a Muslim, Ram means a Hindu, etc.

But if we look beyond names, everyone is a soul.

The body wears the title like Jacob, Mohammed, or Ram, while the soul remains nameless. Moreover, these names exist only until the soul resides in the body.

After the soul leaves the body, everyone addresses it as a dead body or diseased person.

Have you ever heard anyone say that they cremated ‘Jacob or Ram (Names)’?

Perhaps, no!

People generally say that they cremated the dead body of ‘Name (so and so person).’

So, we must not look upon each other as titles based on religious beliefs because everyone is just a soul, whether we accept it or not.

Last Thoughts

No matter how many peace councils we form or peace discussions we conduct throughout the world, peace would remain a far-fetched affair until we strive to better ourselves.

Though Governments and Peace agencies make strict laws, the situation won’t change until we rule our minds.

There are various suggestions for creating world peace, such as creating equality amongst all, fixing intergenerational relations, enforcing non-violence, curbing the crime rate, eradicating poverty, and rendering freedom of speech, religion, expression, etc.

But none of these factors works efficiently until an individual decides to change.

And hence, Spirituality is the only aspect that guides and empowers every human being to change themselves by showing them their true reflection. (i.e., the soul)

I invite you all to share your Spiritual Secrets about “Spirituality.”

Tagging some of the wisest, spiritual minds to participate in Spiritual Secrets’ weekly prompt.

Priyanka Srivastava Bernadette DeCarlo Chris Carter Ravyne Hawke Pretheesh Presannan Paul Mulliner Gurpreet Dhariwal Patrick Paul Garlinger 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘊. Lanu Pitan Roxana Anton Kevin Doberstein Shreya Badonia Indubala Kachhawa Ramandeep Singh (नूर) Ruchi Thalwal Ana-Maria Schweitzeria A J.D. Ranade Manasi Diwakar Vishnu*s Virtues Rhonda Skinner Alan Lew Kendra Lavelle Abhay Srivastav Claire Elaine Vanessa Ozigbo Suryatapa Varun Jain Shirley Willett Julene Cole Sharon Brandon (Readywriter59) Ivette Cruz Afiyah The Poet J.D. Ranade Isha Tewari Srivastava Elies Hadi Michelle Berry Lane Julene Cole Beth Stormont Jamie Golob Judy J Lutz Chelsea London Christina Meier Ph.D. Vedanth Maheshwari Kimberly Fosu Tima Loku Jasmine Soumana Artemis Inks Amy Jasek Warren Bischoff Khyati Jain Vishié Ricky Lyman Chelsea Cristoffor Uday_neutron Wolfie Bain Johannes Mudi Avis J. Williams Pene Hodge Wonder Compass: Mindful Journeys of Art & Nature Keith Hill John Green Aaron Quist Anya Light I. Trudie Palmer Emily Jennings LS Laura Culberg John C Davis K. Barrett.