I've Been Neglecting This For Too Long

I rarely write about spiritual health, and with good reason.

It’s challenging to write about because it’s also difficult to read.

I’ve always been conscious of how hard it is to talk about religion and spirituality with people who don’t already have similar beliefs.

It’s a major point of friction and for too long, I’ve considered it too high risk and not enough benefit.

Every time a conversation on religion pops up in a social setting, everyone goes on the defensive. No one lets their guard down because if our deepest beliefs are successfully challenged, we’re forced to deal with the mess.

But that only makes it more necessary to talk about.

It plays a crucial role in our lives and our sense of purpose. In fact, after attending to our physical and mental health needs, much of the void that remains can be linked to our spiritual health.

Oddly, I’m not bringing this up to inform you that I have something important to say. Just that I’ll be taking the leap towards including a spiritual element to my reflections (that can benefit everyone, not just a few) for the sake of covering all angles.

My recent trip to Istanbul was special because it was right before Ramadan (a holy month for Muslims). I prayed amongst Turks that didn’t look like me nor sounded like me. In many ways, the only thing we had in common was our religion. A way of life.

I can’t begin to explain what it felt like to have that common thread between us, one that somehow bonded us more tightly than any other single factor. A belief in our origin, purpose and direction.

But I guess this is my way of saying that from now on, I’ll try.

And as always, I hope that we can all continue to use these conversations to learn from one another.