"I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual."
I've heard this many times, but I've never said the same without a lengthy explanation of the word "Spiritual".
It means too many things, and has way too many connotations. The word has become polluted.
"Spiritual" has become a stand-in for "not scientific." And by its own definition, I suppose it means "faith-based" rather than "evidence-based." So the two are at odds.
I've been thinking about better words for years, but I've never put pen to pad (or fingers to keyboard) until now. Maybe it will jar something loose.
Or maybe you'll come up with a better word yourself. Let me know.
1. Grateful
I owe this one to @JamesAltucher. I heard a podcast where he said "Spirituality is just gratitude," and it stuck with me. I couldn't refute it. Gratitude is an amazing feeling, but where does it go? Sometimes good things just happen. I feel incredibly grateful, but there's no person to be grateful toward. And sometimes nothing happens but I STILL feel gratitude.
I suppose that's when things can jump to God or Luck or the Universe. I don't know about those things, but I know that gratitude is one of life's best feelings, and it's something I want to continue to grow and develop.
