Keepers
Spirituality: The Less Said the
Better
By Peter V.
During my time in AA, I was forced to
contemplate my spirituality -- something I'd never done before. As I've drifted
away from that formal program, I continue to develop my own spirituality and
believe that -- for me -- the connection to something bigger than myself is a
crucial element of my sobriety. Spirituality is not the only thing that keeps me
sober, but I'd never deny its importance for me.
The problem comes when there are large
groups of people (as in AA) trying to talk about their spirituality. This talk
often involves comparisons and one-upmanship.
I find that in order not to cheapen my
own spirituality, it's best not to talk about it. It's an inherently personal
and subjective thing, and the less said to others (in most cases), the better.
My own sense of the spiritual becomes
mundane and is in some important way corrupted by public discourse. Further,
when people try to talk about the spiritual with one another, it starts
resembling one of those AA meetings like the one described below.
Nobody knows what the speaker is talking about.
I thought that this strategy might be
helpful to others.
Posted
April 18, 1999
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