Are we living in a time of spiritual malnutirition and existential emptiness?

[Parfait]

Dr. Cornel West, the public intellectual and professor of religious studies at Princeton University, attributes social inequalities, rampant loneliness and unhappiness among people as a response to market moralities (profit maximization, cost/benefit, rational-choice, technology advance), the eroding systems of caring and nurturing, and human beings cut off from their source as spiritual beings -here for the love of their fellow brethren and the passionate drive to create rather than compete. Does anyone agree to this assertion? Responses would be appreciated.

[Ray2play]

Who is " we " ? I am wide awake spiritually

[Scots Pines]

Oh grumbles.....*sounds* just like a Princeton professor !!!

Let's just say: yes

x

[lettucer]

I like to think if of a time of enlightenment when people have a good enough education and are intelligent enough to realize what a CROCK of CRAP Religion IS.

[Toadaly]

I imagine his counterparts 200 years ago attributed inequality, loneliness, and unhappiness to poverty.

[MARJORIE G]

wow

if i dont look beyond myself things would seem as described above.

grateful i dont live in that mindset

[Roger M]

Dr. Cornel West has a more or less hidden agenda.
And he's talking mumbo jumbo. Or what the hell does the Dr. mean by "human beings cut off from their source as spiritual beings-" ?
He sounds more like an evangelical to me.
I don't buy it.
But for those who do, I'm sure it all makes sense.

[malter]

The good Dr. assumes that we as a society once had a system that cared and nurtured and that we had a bind and tie to a spiritual source. Also called 'the good old days'....reality is we as a species never had the good old days....the past would have seen most of us experiencing social inequalities coupled with rampant loneliness and unhappiness as well as early death and horrid living conditions.

It is nice to sit in the tower and proclaim what is wrong with the world when you do nothing to right your world except to proclaim to the masses that they have it wrong.

[godrealized]

Spiritual malnutrition... did you say! Human beings are imbibed with a consciousness within us as powerful as God Almighty himself. Can we still say we are spiritually poor! Have we not within us a soul atman which is of the same essence as God Almighty. Every human being has a soul atman within. No human being rich or poor is devoid of a soul atman. How can one remain poor, unhappy unless our inherent trait of character demands so!

Social inequalities, loneliness do not result from workings of the materialistic world... our wanton desires play the dominant role! The rich man across the street may be living a filthy life full of unhappiness yet in the eyes of all one maintains the required decorum! What of the poor cobbler who always remains contented and happy from within. His desires are limited... he is not bound by the workings of the materialistic world... he lives in a world of his own!

The element of consciousness within every human being always prompts us from within whenever we tend to go wrong. The sweet small inner voice of our soul atman always guides us on the right path... to follow or not to follow is the sole prerogative of every human being! Most human beings unable to follow the path of absolute truthfulness fail to hear the voice of our soul atman that seems to come from within our heart!

With passage of time the voice altogether disappears! It still prompts but the thick sheath of untruthfulness covers it all the time. Dogged by wanton desires most human beings tend to follow the materialistic routines of life! By the time we realize our folly... we have reached the end of life! Those who take control of their destiny early in life always remain happy. Such people can never be tempted by unfaithful ones.

Religion is something different from spirituality. Religion stems from the following of a spiritual master... one who has gained enlightenment (kaivalya jnana) and finally salvation (moksha). Gautama Buddha and Jesus Christ both gained enlightenment and finally salvation. Their teachings and followings were respectively termed Buddhism and Christianity. Following the spiritual path is the domain of limited few!

Every human being can be religious but not many can be spiritual! This can be gauged from the fact that in the last about 150 years, only two persons world over amongst 6500 million people have gained enlightenment and finally salvation. They were Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana. Gaining enlightenment and salvation is the end goal of every human being... every life! Whether we do it now or leave it for the future manifestations depends on us.

The prime purpose of religion is to keep the society bonded together. The true meaning of religion can only be understood by an enlightened one. True religion never inculcates a feeling of hatred towards another. Religion is all about following the path of brotherhood always and ever. Under no circumstances one must fight united under a religion. Gautama Buddha and Jesus Christ never advocated fighting one another.

It is a different matter that the teachings of the spiritual masters... the enlightened souls are normally misinterpreted by those in power having vested interests. Spirituality... the path of the spiritual seeker is not bound by the rules of the state. Every individual human being in whatever phase of life one be can follow the spiritual path. Every single human being even remaining poor can gain enlightenment and finally salvation. More on mental bankruptcy - http://www.godrealized.org/i_thought_i_was_poor.html

[Holistic Mystic]

We are living in a time of spiritual regrowth. The meaning and spiritual connection had been lost but is being found again. Materialism has cut people off from their spiritual connection and churches have become dogmatic, but many people are refinding a communion with God through nature, spirituality, music or sacred plants. Now we are in a global village we have access to the wisdom of the ages. The seed of our soul has been dormant in the soil but we are at the end of winter and the seed is growing underground, about to burst through the surface of the soil and blossom into a tree of life. Materialism hasn't fulfilled our deepest longings and we are searching for something more profound. Many have now glimpsed the magnificence of divine presence. We are leaving the old world of illusion and a golden dawn is being born in our hearts.