Spiritualism V/S Materialism As we enter one of the most spiritual celebrations of the year it is a good time to reflect on what

is important in life. According to Father Federico Lombardi, Pope Benedict XVI's spokesman, in today's world, our lives are growing more and more complex, life is filled with technology, multi- media, mobile phones, the internet and complex social systems, and many of us are losing touch with our spiritual self. For some our spirituality has never been a priority and may be underdeveloped, and... "Without spiritual life, people are at risk of losing their souls". Many Australians do not see themselves as very religious, but have an interest in spirituality. Spirituality is not limited to religious beliefs, it can be defined as the intangible capacity of the human spirit, and involves the search to find purpose, meaning and fulfilment in life. Spirituality also relates to our relationship or connection to the world and how we make meaning or understanding of this. It may include: exploring ethical and philosophical questions, our values, beliefs and motivations; caring for our soul; searching for wisdom; and listening to our inner voice. According to Father Federico Lombardi, "there is an interior and spiritual dimension of life that must be guarded and nourished" we need to "protect silence and nourish the interior self ". There is nothing mysterious or mystical about nurturing spirituality... --Here are 5 simple ways to get in touch with your spiritual side: 1. Get close to nature , go for a walk in the bush or on the beach or volunteer for a conservation project 2. Create space for silence, solitude and reflection, spend time alone everyday. 3. 4. 5. --Play a musical instrument or listen to beautiful music. Do something creative, cook a healthy meal, do a craft, paint or draw. Learn to meditate and balance your mind, body and spirit.

Materialism In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena (including consciousness) are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance. To many philosophers, not only is 'physicalism' synonymous with 'materialism', but they use both words to describe a position that supports ideas from physics which may not be matter in the traditional sense (like anti-matter or gravity). Therefore much of the generally philosophical discussion below on materialism may be relevant to physicalism. Also related are the ideas of methodological naturalism (i.e. "let's at least do science as though physicalism is true") and metaphysical naturalism (i.e. "philosophy and science should operate according to the physical world, and that's all that exists"). The philosophical alternatives to materialism are some forms of monism (besides the materialistic monism), dualism and idealism. Materialism is "the theory that physical matter is the only or fundamental reality." ---Materialism can refer either to the simple preoccupation with the material world, as opposed to intellectual or spiritual concepts, or to the theory that physical matter is all there is. This theory is far more than a simple focus on material possessions. It states that everything in the universe is matter, without any true spiritual or intellectual existence. Materialism can also refer to a doctrine that material success and progress are the highest values in life. This doctrine appears to be prevalent in western society today. --Materialism - Philosophies & Worldviews Materialism as a philosophy is held by those who maintain that existence is explainable solely in material terms, with no accounting of spirit or consciousness. Individuals who hold to this belief see the universe as a huge device held together by pieces of matter functioning in subjection to naturalistic laws. Since materialism denies all concepts of Special Creation, it relies on the Theory of Evolution to explain itself, making beliefs in materialism and evolution interdependent.

--Why the need for both the material and the spiritual? Man was provided with material instincts in order to enable him to acheive the goals he was created for: Populate the earth and enrich it with life and civilization. Without these material instincts, there would have been no progress, no advanced technologies, and no civilizations. The human race would have disappeared a long time ago. At the same time, man was provided with spiritual and moral instincts in order to worship Allah, to fear Him and to obey Him. --A balance between body and soul is needed in order to acheive these goals. None of them should dominate the other. For instance, if the material ingredient dominates, man would regress to the rank of beasts; if not worse! Therefore life on earth would be a real chaos. If, on the other hand, the spiritual ingredient dominates, then, man would retrieve from mundane life into a kind of monasticism or mysticism. This would lead to a passive life, a withdrawal from all human effort. Therfore, man would fail to acheive the wellfare to mankind. --Man is supposed to live a mundane life. He has many duties vis-a-vis himself, his family and social relations. He has to do his best to fullfil these duties. But at the same time he should look after his family. For that he must earn inorder to replenish food, clothing and shelter for his family. ---Materialism and Spiritualism in Practise A person who works for money cannot be spiritual. Does it sound true? No. What if he leaves the work and turns to the path of spiritualism? A big blunder, we say. Then comes the question: which is acceptable in todays world? Can you be a materialist and spiritualist at the same time?

--Spiritualists tell us not to place too much reliance on science. They tell us that most important truths are beyond the reach of science. Hence they encourage us not to believe things on the basis of evidence, experience, and practise but to take them on trust from those who pretend to know better and to have some higher source of information. Spiritualism tells us that what is most important is the inner life of soul. They tell us that we shall never solve our human problems except by some inner regeneration. Spiritualism has very deep roots in our ways of thinking, and so men often clothe their thoughts and aspirations in spiritualist dress. But the spiritualist form is always an impediment, a hindrance in the expression of truth- a source of confusion and error. --From where did this confusion arise? If we analyze the history, we can see that the so-called gurus divided the people in the name of spiritualism and God. They preached spirituality as a solution to all problems in life. They opposed materialistic views saying that all physical pleasures create dissatisfaction in the society and therefore need to be voided. This leads to ultimate confusion among the ordinary people as whether to follow the path of spiritualism by ignoring the real life or not. --Modern society has grown to differentiate the good from the evil. Many selfhelp gurus who offer instant solutions to problems through their magical spiritual healing processes are being exposed in many parts of the world. In todays world, no one can be free from the material bonds of life. Spirituality should not be taken as an easy route to get rid of your problems. Any belief, be it materialism or spiritualism, should be based on the ultimate theme of love - love for the mankind. The pseudo spiritualism does not find any relevance in the context of love and humanity. ---

Materialism Monism : only one substance exists. For materialism, this substance is matter. Man can be known or described by only matter. Absence of beliefs in "supernatural", atheism.

Spiritualism Dualism : two substances exists : matter & mind or spiritualist monism : only mind exists. Man does not consist of only matter. Beliefs : God, soul, next world, reincarnation, superstitions, supernatural systems of explanation... Soul is autonomous.

Self-consciousness is an illusion that is generated by the complexity of the organization of matter. Man has an illusion of autonomy. He is subjected to determinism or random. Absence of meaning to life. Man fixes itself his own finality: humanity, for example. Man, as an animal like another, is a part of nature. Man is a product of evolution. What are called "mysteries" are only questions unsolved by sciences. Our ignorance must be accepted.

Man is autonomous or free.

Spiritual finality often of divine origin. Man dominates nature. Creationism. There are mysteries that the human reason cannot and will never be able to solve. Ignorance is transformed into transcendence "stopgap" or substitute, like God. Priority is given to the research of the "why". Faith. Speculation.

Priority is given to the research of the "how". Knowledge. Perception. ---

Materialism and spiritualism are not two opposed abstract theories about the nature of the world, of small concern to ordinary practical folk. But they are opposed ways of interpreting and understanding every question, and consequently, they express opposite approaches in practice and lead to very different conclusions in terms of practical activity.

--CONCLUSION After having this brief session in understanding materialism and spiritualism, we have got a firm idea about both the phenomena. Hence, the phrase materialism versus spiritualism implies that materialism and spiritualism are lying at two extremes.