The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #150301   Message #3502066
Posted By: Steve Shaw
11-Apr-13 - 08:59 PM
Thread Name: BS: Spiritualism as opposed to religion?
Subject: RE: BS: Spiritualism as opposed to religion?
Spiritualism/spirituality is a notion that is about as useful as a turd in a spacesuit. It is a idea manufactured by religion or quasi-religion to attempt to let people know that one is, somehow, in a way you riffraff can't be expected to understand, on a higher plane than the common fellow. "I'm a spiritual fellow and I can't expect you to comprehend the rather esoteric, transcendent flights that my mind is rather good at adopting, unlike you, you poor, earthbound soul". Well I'm neither religious, quasi-religious nor spiritual. But I can (and do) listen to Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, privately, and my mind can wander into all sorts of wonderful places. But those wonderful places are here on planet Earth, and they are here on planet Earth because Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, most decidedly, were here on planet Earth. The most wonderful of Beethoven's late quartets is, in the end, a very earthbound vision, the very opposite of mystical. Mother Nature produces glory after glory, and you can lie down in a field of wild flowers (I often do, and I have photos to prove it) and revel. But those glories, even with your eyes shut and your imagination running riot, are incredibly ordinary, beautifully, and so normally, commonplace. No spirits, no mysticism. Put that superfluous layer on it for yourself if you really want to, but don't try to pretend that this lazy conception puts you above the hairy-arsed, wonderful realities of real life. If you do, you're full of bullshit and empty of reality. Get off your spiritual, dreamy, (cannabis-fuelled?) high horse and just look around at how those earthy hairy-arses are having such a great time while you're wasting yours hoovering out you spiritualistic, self-regarding navel!