Spiritual Reflection

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Marianne Williamson

A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles, Harper Collins, 1992.

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This quote is inspiring to me because it reflects my own spiritual journey. It parallels the confidence I have to overcome adversity, to dream, and to succeed. This quote reflects inner courage which is real courage. It takes great courage, to believe in yourself and to succeed even when society and those around are sending you an alternative message. Often if you are not academic or do not fit a certain picture or ideal people are quick to think less of you, discriminate and bring you down. Indeed, their have been times where people have underestimated or thought less of me because I don't match the typical description of the ideal student or the asset of the college.

This is shown in the film, as the students are stereotyped as being "thugs" and future criminals. Nevertheless, the coach has faith in them and in this clip they prove themselves as being spiritual, ambitious, studious and hardworking despite what society considers them to be. They develop the inner courage to persevere and aim high regardless of the predetermined notion held by those around them, that they will fail. There have always been people who have perpetrated a fake facade of strength and courage however when the situation calls for it they do not have the true courage to confront and overcome the situation.

I have developed courage throughout my experiences and my own personal journey. For example, when I was a child and attending school in Greece, the teacher used to hit me with a piece of thick, long wood. Usually he hit me on the hand, however when ever I moved my hand, he alternatively hit my body or head. I used to get hit a lot more then the other kids, because I liked to misbehave. Consequently, the more he hit me the more I misbehaved and made his life difficult and made me more admired by my peers. As I have grown older, the determination I showed in class continues but is now informed by my own spiritual and ethical code and gives me true courage. The virtue of fortitude teaches us" to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions'. It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice his life in defence of a just cause".

Fortitude gave me the courage to confront my fears of the teacher and culturual alienation I experienced in my childhood in Greece. I would stay up all night on the couch, refusing to go to bed, in order to prevent my self from sleeping as I was tormented by nightmeres. My mother says there was a time when I said to her "Mummy, tell me the truth, are we going back to Australia,or should I start walking back?" My mum was contemplating a move back to Canberra however these words gave her the courage and the fortitude to make the decision to move the family back to Canberra.

To me people are similar to falling stars, we were created to succeed and "manifest the glory of God that is within us". We are stars however because of our environment and our insecurities we begin to get off track and fall. We become afraid to dream, afraid to be confident, we become insecure, as emphasised by the lines "Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us". Once we embrace who we truly our, and let go of our fear only then can we realise and achieve our maxium potential. Only then can we truly follow Gods plan for us and be"liberated from our own fear" and consequently "liberates others.” The virtue of charity teaches us to come to the aid of our neighbour not only in terms of bodily necessity but also his spiritual needs. In such a way liberating myself from fear inspires others to do the same and can be read as a work of justice pleasing to God.

As the quote above says, There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. I have learnt to dream big and to stand by my convictions. While others say I am arrogant, I draw upon my inner strength and follow through with my dreams. I am determined to do well and to succeed, and for this success to be reflective of my spiritual and ethical beliefs.

Spiritual Reflection: The Power of Attitude by Mac Anderson

"If you aren't fired with with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm" -
Vince Lombardi

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This quote is reflective of my own spirituality and enforces the importance of having a positive attitude. The quote is about hoping for the best and striving towards achieving it. Growing up my mother always used to to tell me, "If at first you don't succeed, try again". I'm not too sure if she believed it herself, or if she was just trying to be motivational, however it has stayed with me throughout my life. Coming from a Greek background, I was always felt disadvantaged in relation to my peers. I felt as though I didn't belong, and as a result I was always involved in confrontation or getting into trouble. Those close to me such as my family, are the ones who ensured I stayed on track and didn't get caught up in bad things. Drawing on the virtue of Prudence, what St. Thomas Aquinas calls the "right reason in action" was pivotal to my staying true to them and to myself and God. At this point of my life as a young child near adolescence, I was very vulnerable to the outside world and the temptations and bad influences out there. To acting imprudently. Nevertheless, somewhere along the track I developed this strong urge, to succeed, to excel and in a greedy sense to surpass all those around me. I suppose, some people are addicted to money, others are addicted to women, others are addicted to action and some are addicted to drugs, I'm addicted to success. However, by directing my conduct in accordance with this virtue, I find my spirituality in my environment and those around me. However I mostly find it in my upbringing and my quest to succeed. I apply the right reason in action to overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid.

This attitude and a burning desire from within, enables me to pick myself up when I fail and to succeed and improve. To me failure isn't an option, however I know its inevitable, so I hope for the best and always strive for it. I also stay prepared for the worst. As emphasised by Vince Lombardi if you don't have a positive attitude you'll be quick to fail and quick to accept failure. People will be quick to degrade you or exclude you which may further damage your attitude and self confidence. To me in a sense, society now a days is somewhat like a jungle, either you're the prey or the predator. The prey can be seen as vunerable people, who continously get "stepped on "and "eaten ", and the predator can be seen as those who see what they want and go out and get it. I think we all go through periods and phases when we are both the prey and the predator. So long as we keep a spiritual awareness regarding our actions, and reflect spiritually on these actions, we will act prudently and morally.

In my own journey, sometimes I contemplate whether I'll end up achieving my goals or if I'll end up climbing to the" top of the mountain". I wonder if all this hard work is worth it and if it will eventually pay off in the end. Nevertheless, this is only a temporary phase I go through, as soon as I reflect on my life, and all those around me and the people who have tried to bring me down my attitude changes. Suddenly I am ambitious, courageous and once again willing to persevere and work hard to achieve my desired future.

This is the power of attitude as reflected in the quote from Vince Lombardi as well as the quotes and in the videos below. We may not have control over what happens in the future, however I believe we can set foundations in place, in order to ensure a more positive one. With this said, I also believe one has to live in the moment as well, because if you are always too busy pondering on your future you never find the time to enjoy the present.

You must be enthusiastic in regards to life, no matter what set backs come your way, you have to have a positive attitude. Martin Seligman argues, A positive attitude that enables you to keep moving, keep looking forward and improving your self, your life and the world around you. A positive psychological outlook will ensure you lasting happiness. I think just about everyone goes through those times, where they feel like they've had enough or they feel like giving up. In times like this, your attitude and your inner spirituality can make all the difference.

Spiritual Reflection: Einstein Quote

This quote by Albert Einstein, which is further reflected in the film clip below, is about belief in your self, your hopes, your abilities and your dreams. Einstein believed he had a spiritual sense of the world where science was used as a vehicle to decipher, understand, admire and find meaning. He didn't believe in traditional religions however he displayed faith in his own abilities of making sense of the world and inspiring others. Regardless of the scepticism showed by those around him Einstein maintained his belief in the world, hence providing people with a richer understanding of nature and the world.



This sentiment is reflected in the film, "The Pursuit of Happiness" where the father encourages his son to believe in himself and his dreams in spite of criticisms from those around him, including his own father. As expressed by the father Chris Gardner who says " you got a dream, you got to protect it" and "if you want something go get it, period". He should not be restricted by social or traditional constraints.


In school, teachers make sure you have "realistic goals". How does one define what goals are realistic and who has the right to limit another person's vision? When you aim high teachers, parents and those around you tend to tell us to aim lower or to stop dreaming. In the words of my mother "be realistic". What's realistic? In my opinion anything can be achieved. Albert Einstein is a prime example of this, he suffered extreme criticism and even failed physics at university. Similar to the movie, I protect my dreams, however I'm realistic in a sense that I know dreams don't achieve themselves. I have to put hard work in. My family and my peers often do not agree with my goals, they are sceptical and believe I talk too soon and aim too high, people like to say things such as " the higher the jump the higher the fall". The way I see it is, if you don't jump at all you'll just stay in the same place forever. Regardless of the risk, you have to be willing to make that jump, and harder yet if you fall you have to gather the strength to put the pieces back together and try jump again.

The thought of a God or a divine being watching over me gives me the strength, confidence and comfort to persevere to achieve my dreams and protect them. I truly believe that God has a plan for me and that God has made me special. Furthermore, criticisms and individuals trying to bring me down, only fuels me on more, gives me more courage to prove myself and achieve my dreams. Drawing on the catholic teaching regarding the virtues, "The Virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies them so as to order them in the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment ...". As the virtue is part of my religious heritage I can draw on it to understand and interpret my belief in the importance of hope as an essential element of perseverance in order to achieve. My goals are inspired by the virtue of hope and sustained when people abandon their belief in my potential. Moreover, the virtue of hope provides a framework through which I can dedciate my dreams and achievements in a pure form in accordance with the Kingdom of Heaven.

Spiritual Reflection: Teresa of Avila

These souls hear our Lord calling them, for as they approach nearer to wear His Majesty dwells, He proves a loving Neighbor, though they may till be engaged in the amusements and business, the pleasures and vanity's of this world. While in this state, we continually fall into sin and rise again, for the creatures amongst whom we dwell are so venomous, vicious, and so dangerous, that it is almost impossible to avoid being tripped up by them. "


- Teresa of Avila The Interior Castle

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God pulls us towards him however our temptations and the people around us pull us away from Him. God tests us through obstacles and struggles. Even though we sin, God continues to call for us, yet sin, obstacles and negative influences make it harder to hear him. When we are innocent and vulnerable we are easily corrupted and as a result we change. These obstacles include death, broken relationships, loss of friends, struggle with work, and fear of the future. These obstacles sometimes make people sin, as they look for shortcuts or easy ways out. When one is insecure they tend to sin, or commit wrongs, hence, moving them further away from God. For example, they’ve been times where I’ve been lead astray because of bad company however my parents always made sure I was pulled into line. In primary school I remember having detentions most lunches. In fact, I was in detention more then I was on the actual playground. This perhaps might sound crazy, but all those detentions gave me a lot of time to contemplate my own spirituality. One of the reasons, I was in detention so often, was because I was lonely, I figured If I was in detention at least I didn’t have to suffer the humiliation of walking around by myself in the playground. This insecurity consequently made me sin, I was bored, lonely and as a result I became rebellious, I was in fights and developed a bad reputation amongst the school and my fellow peers.

My whole life I have been surrounded by bad influences however a tight knit family and my own growing awareness of who I am has enabled me to stay true to my virtues ,values and my beliefs. As Bandura argues, " ...we learn to behave in moral or immoral ways primarily by observing others - particularly parents, care givers and signifcant others such as teachers and peers." The negative influences I have encountered have come from family members, and from individuals within my peer group. People expect me to identify James Fowler's third stage of faith Synthetic - Conventional Faith. This is a state defined by the broadening of an individuals expierance of the world to incorporate school and peers. However, even in the presence of bad company, I am able to remain true to me and not be corrupted. Thus I feel more comfortable within the fifth stage of faith, what Fowler calls Conjunctive Faith. I am alive to paradox, to ruth in contraditions. I am able to unify opposites in mind and experience. Therefore, being true to all my values and beliefs, enables me to fit in with people from all walks of life without being corrupted. I'm accepted by all types of people, bad people, smart people, happy people, because they all feel like they can relate to me. I try not to be artificial - what you see is what you get. I agree with Kohlberg when he describes the individual moral framework of Post Conventional morality. I follow a self chosen ethical framework, and when this framework comes into conflict with my peers beliefs or those of the social majority, I draw on my individual strength. I rarely feel pressured into altering my beliefs or my morals, because I am happy with who I am as a person and the confidence and surety to stand up for what I believe in, and who I am, when faced with obstacles. I have been given by God, the ability to get along with almost anyone. Therefore, I am seldom influenced negatively by my environment. I would rather my environment be a product of me rather then me be a product of it.

The line, "While in this state, we continually fall into sin and rise again, for the creatures amongst whom we dwell are so venomous, vicious, and so dangerous, that it is almost impossible to avoid being tripped up by them" bares directly upon the way I reflect on my own personality and spirituality. To me the quote can be understood as saying that people are influenced by those close to them and by people they idolise or look up too, for example family and celebrities. Several problems arise when people, predominantly children and adolescents try to mimic the behaviors and values of celebrities. They may take up drugs, get involved in premature or excessive sexual activity, deviate from their studies or be involved in violence and crime. This is dangerous as these celebrities we place on pedestals tend to promote sexuality and violence, which young people then deem to be acceptable or even virtuous. For example, I believe music can be a major influence on individual’s ethical and believe systems.

I’ve grown up listening to a lot of rap however I am careful when deciding what songs I listen to. I refuse to listen to a lot of the modern hip hop and tend to listen to a lot of the older songs which barely any one listens to now days. A lot of my friends also tend to listen to the same music, and tend to be influenced by it. Influenced into violence and sometimes even criminal activity. Therefore music combined with other influences can be an instrumental factor on an individuals spirituality and sense of who they are.

In society today, too often people don't have a good awareness of who they are and therefore they go through a lot of experimentation and make a lot of mistakes before, if ever, they realise who and what they truly are. As expressed in the following lines " These souls hear our Lord calling them, for as they approach nearer to where His Majesty dwells, He proves a loving Neighbor, though they may still be engaged in the amusements and business, the pleasures and vanity's of this world". The author is urging us to accept God’s true calling, by discovering who we really are and by fulfilling our destiny. Nevertheless, people often deviate from this calling, they are distracted by celebrity and the “vicious creatures” that surround us. They do this as they are vulnerable and consequently are affected by these external influences.

I personally believe in order for a person to truly fulfill their destiny and carry out God’s plan for them, they must be true to their values, their own judgment and most of all true to themselves. I do this by always making decisions and actions based on my own values and ethics. I rarely allow an other person to influence the decisions I make or the actions I carry out. I follow my ethics and my beliefs regardless of the consequences and regardless of people’s perceptions of me. By remaining true to these values, I have remained true to me and as a result I feel a great sense of spiritual belonging and self awareness.

Spiritual Reflection: Thomas Merton

"Your idea of me is fabricated with materials you have borrowed from other people and yourself. What you think of me depends on what you think of yourself. Perhaps you create your idea of me out of material that you would like to eliminate from your own idea of yourself. Perhaps your idea of me is a reflection of what other people think of you. Or perhaps what you think of me is simply what you think I think of you. "- Thomas Merton No man Is an Island p 194






















I agree with this quote, as it ties in with my own spirituality and enables me to reflect on my own life and other peoples’ perceptions of me. Through my own personal experiences, I have noticed that most people don't take time to really know me for me. People are more interested in your personal life, your income and your appearance to get to know you deeply. Consequently they tend to overlook your deeper characteristics, the ones that are the most important and shine the most. . As a result people's ideas of who I am as an individual tend to be stereotypical and fabricated.
These include, honesty, compassion, sympathy, kindness, intellect and humor. My qualities include my ability to sympathise, persevere, give and receive love unconditionally and inspire others through my own achievements and sense of who I am. These qualities are often overlooked, when people see me they tend to see the external things my sense of dress, the way I carry myself and the company I keep around me. Most of my friends are predominantly from out of school, and are less of the academic type. They are the more social type and as result people often over look my intelligence and who I am completely as a person. People see me in terms of James Fowler's Synthetic-Conventional stage of faith where my experience of the world extends beyond my family and is influenced by school and peers. They see me, merely as someone who is big and intimidiating, is popular and hangs out with that crowd, they can’t see me for me or my inner qualities. However I feel more at ease in Fowler's fifth stage, Conjunctive faith where by I am alive to paradox, truth and contradiction. As a result a lot of my relationships tend to be artificial and somewhat insignificant. Consequently, no matter how many friends I have a part of me still feels lonely, because I know those relationships are artificial and I know a lot of those friends are temporary. It’s my family and the real friends in my life which give me a real sense of belonging and awareness of who I am. My relationships with girls and less significant friends tend to be somewhat more artificial and vague.

People judge me based on my appearance, the way I walk, the way I talk, the music I listen to, the type of people I socialise with and what I wear.,People don’t see my sensitive side, they tend to only see the outgoing or rough side. Its similar to a flower with broken petals, most people will marvel at the petals which are not broken and think nothing of the ones which are. By this I mean that, people often over look my good qualities and get too caught up on my faults. I admit that I’m not perfect, I admit that sometimes I can be loud, rude, aggressive and lazy. I’m not a saint but then again I don’t know anyone who is. My confidence is often mistaken for arrogance. I am confident that with what ever I do, I will be able to succeed because I have God with me, and a part of me knows I was born to do great things. This all ties in with the notion that God has a plan for me, and he plans for me to do great things, it is merely up to me to stay on track and make it through the bumps and obstacles in the road.

People mistake me as being violent or aggressive however I am merely a product of my environment. Those close to me know I would never intentionally hurt anyone, however when someone abuses me or doesn’t treat me right I take it personally. Perhaps, its my own fault that people have pre determined notions of me being aggressive or not being sensitive. I know however, that if I carry myself with my head down, or let people step all over me, I'll be continually misused and taken advantage of. There’s a fine line between kindness and being taken advantage of and people often don’t realise this. Therefore, for an individual to adequately judge me they must take the time to know me, at a more spiritual and deeper level, people too often create their own pre determined perceptions of others without hardly knowing them. People are complex, in order to adequately judge a person, I believe you have to look less at the external things and get to know the person at a more internal, intellectual and spiritual level.

The following line from the passage has a lot to say about my own spirituality "Perhaps your idea of me is a reflection of what other people think of you". Throughout my life, I have had various individuals and all types of people try to bring me down either through derogatory statements, actions or exclusion. The people who tend to do this, felt insecure about themselves, and brought people down in order to improve their own self esteem or to bring themselves up. As you can perhaps tell throughout my journal, I am exceedingly confident. Regardless of all the people who have tried to bring me down it has merely made me stronger and more determined. The more an individual tries to bring me down the more hungry I become, the more convinced I become that I’ll succeed. This is because I’m convinced that I need to prove them wrong, that I need to excel beyond their wildest dreams and that I need to blow up in their face and be like “ look at me now”. For example when I was younger, people told me I’ll never be able to write. Teachers told me I wouldn’t be able to succeed. This affected my parents however it never really affected me much. It had the negative affect, of making me flourish. It made me want to prove to them that I could succeed, that I could excel. I knew I thought myself to be valuable and smart however I just needed to show it others. I have come a long way from when people told me I’ll never be able to talk or write however I still believe I have a long way to go. I am merely following Gods plan for me and I intend to follow it to the end.

Throughout my own personal journey, I have learned not to let other people's judgments or opinions on me affect me or alter my decisions. Most importantly, I’ve learnt not to let them alter who I am. I'm under the belief that someone cannot adequately judge me, without having walked in my shoes, lived the life I’ve lived and seen the world through my eyes. Subsequently, their judgments don't affect me. I feel as though I know who I am, what I am, and what I am capable of achieving.

Rationale

The essence of spirituality is the search to discover our true selves, the real nature of our consciousness and meaning and purpose in our lives. This quest has been the foundation of religion and all great spiritual teachings.

Most people are ignorant of themselves and as a result they derive a false sense of identity from what they have or what they do, from their possessions, their role in the world and how others see them. In order to be free from the many fears and insecurities that plague us, it is necessary to develop a deeper sense of self and belonging. Spirituality can be derived from religion or independent of religion, in a self directed and personal inner path. It often relates to one's personal relationship to God, or the divine goal, or to themselves and those around them.

People practice spirituality for various reasons, they're looking for some inner sense of significance such as inner peace, enlightenment,success, meaning and love and happiness. The end “goal” of spirituality is a type of altered or idealized higher state of consciousness that usually conforms with their environment whatever spiritual tradition a person might subscribe to.

My ideas and notions of spirituality have been developed, shaped and adapted by my religion, my own personal experience, my schooling environment and finally those around me. I was baptised Greek orthodox and throughout my life I have remained Greek Orthodox. The principles of this religion was passed down to me from the church, from my peers and from my family. Although, I was never a fundamentalist in my religion, it helped me develop my own ethical and belief system influenced by, but inderpdent of, the traditional norms and conventions of society.

Some rules need to be broken, because some are unfair and others contain loopholes that need to be exposed. As a result I have developed my own ethical system; I've taken inspiration from my religious upbringing, ideas from my schooling, and been influenced by the culture I live in and surround myself with. I believe that religious ethics are too conventional and fundamental for me and many of my generation, so I conform to my own self created ethical system. This does not make me less spiritual, but it does make me a free thinker. This reflection was completed as a blog in an attempt to best show how I have incorporated so many aspects of life into my spiritual world.

The blog allows me to show videos, songs, pictures, quotes and my own reflections. I've drawn upon the people who inspire me such as Ghandi and Martin Luther King, as well as films such as Coach Carter and musicians such as R Kelly. Furthermore, the blog enabled me to draw on a range of multimedia in order to express a broader view of spirituality. This is done through gadgets, such as poles, pictures, slideshows and quotes from influential people and the bible. The blog uses technology in a way that speaks to my generation, and allows me to express the various elements of my personality.