If there is an elixir of life, surely it is water. Consider that humans can
only survive three to five days without water. It is cleansing for the body,
both inside and out. Cool water is refreshing and invigorating, especially when
one is overheated. Some of us have found water useful as a diet aid. Drinking a
glass of water before a meal can help one fill full quicker, can blunt hunger
pangs and thus lessen less food consumption. (For me that works best with ice
cold water.) I just say the benefits of water can't be overstated.
And yet - like many other good things in life - it can be abused and become
deadly. There is, surprisingly enough, something called water intoxication.
I sometimes think of fundamentalism as the water intoxication of religion.
Used in moderation and with good sense, a spiritual outlook on life can only
bring positive results; abused, it can bring all manner of harm, even
death.
Lately it has become fashionable to make religious fundamentalism the face
of religion. That's sad and not a little unfair. I'm convinced a positive
spirituality is essential for a well-rounded, healthy outlook.
I drink lots of cool, refreshing water. But not too much.
Ah yes! But how much is too much?? And while water has basically only one formula (leaving aside "heavy water"), religion and spirituality are more like an organic compound with many different structures, and somehow we have to choose the best or right one. But I still like the analogy.
ReplyDeleteThat's the thing about analogies: stretch them too far and they snap!
DeleteI suppose one might be able to compare "pure" water (and spirituality) with with water that has been mingled with other things (coffee, tea, etc., in order to make other beverages, corresponding to spirituality mixed with other things). But I wouldn't want to try to define "pure" spirituality either.
And how much is too much? I don't know; when I drink too much I don't get an uninterrupted night's sleep because I'm back and forth from the bed to the bathroom. That's way short of death but certainly an unpleasant thing. Maybe the difference between religion and out-and-out fanaticism is a continuum.
Now I've thought about this way more than I had intended. :-)