4 Reasons We All Need a Spiritual Practice - Uvalde Shooting

Mass shootings seem to have become a regular occurence in our world these days. More people are buying guns to protect themselves. We have become almost numb to tragedy. People wonder why these events keep happening. Apparently the answer is not obvious to everyone but it is to me.

No, the answer isn't gun control. The answer isn't mental health treatments. These may help band-aid the problem but these solutions ignore the root cause.

1. Inability to manage negative emotions in a healthy manner.

Managing emotions is part of our spiritual growth. When we have no spiritual path, we have no resources to teach us how to control our emotions. Anger, jealousy, and resentment are all very dangerous emotions that we need to learn how to handle in a constructive - not destructive - way. None of us is immune and we must be conscious of when negative emotions are building up inside of us. This is where prayer and meditation can be very helpful. 

2. Loss of value for the sacredness of human life.

And why is that? Because they have turned their backs on God - the most sacred One of all. He is not allowed in schools anymore. They've taken the words "In God we Trust" off our money, out of the pledge of allegiance and removed the statues that serve as reminders of the principles this country was founded on.  If we don't hold God sacred, whose precepts teach us the basics of how to be a decent human being and the difference between right and wrong, what can we expect? Chaos! Which is exactly what we have and if we don't shift our focus, the situation will only get worse.

3. Denial of the existence of evil.

Evil does indeed exist - just take a look around.  To deny the existence of evil is to live in a polyanna state of oblivion. All is not well with the world and we were not born sinless, as some purport. Think about your most recent unkind comment, lie, rudeness, impatience. Think about when you thought badly about someone, yourself even. Think about when you look at things with lust or jealousy. None of these is from God. The bent of human beings is towards things that gratify the flesh and temporarily make us feel better about ourselves, make us feel loved, attractive, worthy. When was the last time you compared yourself to another? The truth is only God can make us feel loved, attractive and worthy. Why? Because he died for us, that's why. If that doesn't spell love, I don't know what does.

4. The prevalence of excess in our culture. 

Another sign we need a spiritual path is when we indulge to excess: overeat, drink too much, have too much sex, exercise or work too much. All of these are signs of unhealthy attitudes which lead to unhealthy behaviors. Just look at the opioid crisis. People are hurting emotionally and mentally and they seek to console themselves with a dangerous and deadly habit.

Case in Point 
I was talking with an acquaintance recently and he was telling me how many times he went dancing over the weekend, kind of bragging actually.

"I've been dancing every night," he stated. 

"How often have you been out?" 

"None, dancing isn't everything" I replied. 
"It's not?" he replied with a tone of sarcasm.
Now I have nothing against enjoying life, but sometimes, we keep ourselve so busy we don't have time to think about or deal with our emotional and spiritual issues. Months later, I found out this guy was convicted of killing his wife and was out on bail when I met him. 

The purpose of this post is not to judge or condemn anyone but to get us all to realize the importance of developing and working on a spiritual practice. In the same way it takes effort to exercise and eat right, it does take effort to maintain a spiritual path. But what are the alternatives? Get fat, out of shape, and live down, depressed, and hopeless or worse - take an innocent life. We are all capable of these acts if not by the grace of God.

For Reflection:
We can each make a difference in our own part of the world. Each change we make personally ripples into the great sea of humanity. What change can you make to manage your emotions better? Every step we take towards becoming a more loving, caring, forgiving, truthful, person will affect how we treat others which in turn will affect how they will treat others. Just imagine what it could be like here on earth. It is true that "the kingdom of God is at hand".

If this post made you think, consider joining our blog community by entering your email address in the box provided. You'll receive my weekly encouraging posts plus a copy of my free e-guide "7 Steps to Finding Your Spiritual Path". 

Stay tuned for more positive and practical wisdom to help you ignite the power within and discover YOUR destiny!

Until next time, keep looking up!

Ariel Paz