The deep search for spirtual truth has always been there to some extent, and I magine, if you could really track it, you'd see that as a goal it has ebbed and flowed over the decades in one form or another.
For me, being a "Boomer", i was present for the great tide of Eastern spirituality with interest in the Transcendental Meditation craze, the Hare Krishna invasion, and a slew of spiritual teachers like Muktananda and Swami Saccidananda, Guru Maharajj, Krishnamurti, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and even Ram Dass, the preeminent student of Neem Karoli Baba.
But the 60s and 70s passed, and we moved into the 80's and 90's where new crazes were taking place. One that was very big for awhile was crystals. The one that became the biggest was probably the non-dual (advaita) schools, primarily based on the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaja. Following in their footsteps, a whole barage of non-dual western teachers were born - Gangaji and Adyashanti being two of the most popular.
Buddhism was also very big, popularized to some extent by Alan Watts, and the Tibetan Buddhist movements of Chogyum Trumpa and the Dala Lama himself. But I apologize that my remembrance of such things is limited as I never had much of an interest in Buddhism.
Around 2010, Eckhart Tolle came out with The Power of Now (which was actually pu blished after my book - In This Moment), and being featured on Oprah, zoomed to notoriety, and I remembered seeing the most unlikely folks reading it everywhere - busses, coffee shops, everywhere.
But then things seem to begin to fade. There were fewer new spiritual teachers, and the ones that were there seemed to be losing momentum. Sure, there were some diehards who never gave up, but overall, other things were taking the interest of the people.
I remember back in the 90s and early 2000s, we used to speculate what would be the next big craze, as we watched crystals fade and non-dualism come to the fore. And then it just seemed to kind of stop!
So what happened?
Cell Phones!!! That's what I think anyway. With the popularity of cell phones and social media, people started communicating more, but in a less meaningful way. What became popular was no longer the meaning of life, but current events, politics, and social justice. We now had an avenue to immediately correct and argue with everyone around. We decided that injustices were rampant in the world and we were damned well going to fix it. Life purpose and meaning fell to the side and fixing everything that was broken took precedents. Or at first.
Then we just got addicted. Why spend time searching for real answers to life's questions and it's meaning, when we could look it up online. Why have any thoughts of our own, when we can just see what everyone else thinks. The online world became a replacement for the real world - just one giant distraction from anything and everything that is importlant.
At least, that's what I think. I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts on it.
Makes sense Aja. The constant contact that we have now with screens has replaced or eclipsed the deeper motivation to seek contact with ones own inner Divine nature. We appear to be a species disappearing into screens! I sense Mother will eventually have a say in the matter. 💖
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DeleteNo matter what is happening on the surface, human beings and other forms of Life will never be satisfied with material things. The deeper search for connection with the Divine will go on. If the conscious mind is fully occupied with the material world, the search will go on, deeper down in the subconscious, which will erupt on the surface at some point. Like the previous commenter said, Mother Nature will also have her say, which may be the final word, for a while. Meanwhile, talking about spirituality is of limited value. As I heard a great Yogi and religious leader say, "Religion is for when you fail." Silence is always superior to talking. In the gap between two spoken words, God can be heard breathing.
ReplyDeleteCharlie Hopkins
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DeleteSo does that mean you want me to 'shut up'? 🤣😂🥰
Delete"Smart"(computer) phones are only a vehicle and a symptom of greater movements. The main one being the internet as a tool for making money and for influence and control of people. Within that is gamification of distraction, monetization of same, and social hyperpolarization (often with bots and troll farms) by corporate/business and state actors within and across borders. Further within that are the algorithmic functions of social and other digital media specifically and scientifically to divide, adict, distract, manipulate....
ReplyDeleteWhile the methods, tech, etc are new, the trend is a continuation of what went on before and still does but now more above board. "Century of the Self" a late 90s documentary gets at some of the beginnings.
Spiritually is hard to turn to when it's hard to make ends meet. Post "boomer" generations are increasingly strained economically more than preceding generations.
Spiritually is hard to turn to when its historically been, increasingly is bastardized and abused. The rapid decline of churches follows this. In alternative spiritually, there's been too much abuse and negligence as well historically and present.
I've found that, like another commented, no matter what we still have a desire for Truth (not merely conceptual), Love(absence of false boundaries /divisions), and true harmony. The formal "faith". traditions and less formal spirituality like advaita aren't the only means to seeking these. Mamon (worldly and material pursuits for their own sake) isn't the only alternative to faith/spiritually in seeking them.
On "my" path it seems like Life has been using EVERYTHING in seeing/seeking those three. I suspect this is universal but varying in purity (like metals and alloys, not moral classing) and intensity.
As Ram Dass said, spiritually/faiths, LSD, and others are methods; and even crocheting can lead to the same place as those for the person it fits with for that.
Excellent points and very well said. Thank you. Somewhat secluded in my little world on the farm, I have sort of lost track of what the rest of the world is doing, and see through my own vantage point. Spirit is everywhere and touches each in their own way, but can never be lost entirely. And yes, financial difficulties can make it difficult to seek Truth when you're seeking food and shelter. ❤️🙏
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