A Basic Definition of Spirituality (of True Faith)

[Leonardo17]

I’ve read some of the religious posts some people posted on the forum and the atheist reactions to them. So I decided to share this story about the Philosopher Aristotle in an attempt to define where science and rational thinking ends and where spirituality (as I’m defining it) begins:
 

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   One day, Aristotle walked along a beach, intensely preoccupied with trying to dissect and solve the great, complex problems of the universe. He noticed a man furiously running back and forth with a teaspoon, scooping water from the ocean and pouring it into a tiny hole he had dug in the sand.

   Curious and somewhat amused by the futility of it, Aristotle stopped the man and asked, "What in the world are you doing?"

   The man replied, "I am emptying the ocean into this hole."

   Aristotle laughed. He told the man how absurd and insane he was, explaining that the ocean was infinitely vast and could never fit into such a small hole with a single teaspoon.

   The man paused, looked Aristotle directly in the eyes, and said, "You mock me for wanting to fit the ocean into this small hole. Yet, you are arrogant enough to believe you can fit all the secrets of the infinite universe into your brain, which is also basically just a small hole. Which of us is crazier?"

 

The Meaning:

 

   Often attributed to an encounter between Aristotle and his fellow ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, the story serves as a humbling reminder. It suggests that our intellect is limited, and trying to rationalize or control the entire meaning of existence through thought alone is like trying to empty the ocean with a spoon. To truly experience life, one must accept that the universe is far larger than the human mind can grasp

 

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- So this is the feeling I usually get when I try to study this or that subject. Don’t get me wrong. I love spending time on learning interesting stuff. But the more you learn stuff, the more opposing ideas, different theories, and different approaches, more traditional vs. more modern approaches and/or ideas in the light of new observations there are. This is true for most science and/or disciplines. This doesn’t make anything less enjoyable or less profitable but that’s just the way it is.
 
Spirituality on the other hand is when someone give you a set of methods. If you can apply these methods in a correct manner, you get to know Knowledge itself.
 
And Intellect in general is described as a very sharp tool. That sharp tool is supposed to be subordinated to our true knowledge of our Inner Nature.
 
I’m not promoting anything but I find this approach especially useful to the more intellectual people of this world.
 
See: The Ignorant will usually come in masses. We may be quite strong and energetic individuals but scores of people (or groups of people) have lived a miserable life, unable to reach their goals simply because their timing wasn’t right (like the painter Vincent Van Gogh for instance).
 
So again: We might be bright individuals (like Aristotle) but we may be unaware of our limitations). Belief or awareness of some sort of higher intelligence (or Intelligence itself) might be very helpful. Especially in times when the chaos seems to prevail.
 
- And this is the only type of spirituality that I know of. Dogmas and repetitive rituals are simply outdated. These new approaches on the other hand can be life-enhancing and sometimes even life-saving.