Spirituality&religion 05
AN INTERACTION WITH PSYCHOLOGIST OSHIN RAKESH >
Oshin Rakesh is a Delhi based Psychologist, she has spent her crucial hours counselling young kids struggling with drug addictions, depressions and other pyshoclogical disorders, other than this she has worked with criminals in Tihar jail Delhi, understanding the deeper meaning of human psychology and herself seeking the real meaning of life.
I asked her “What is your take, When you hear about Spirituality and Religion ?”
She gently replied to me saying “spirituality and religion are definitely not same for me. Spirituality can be anything which is related to uplifting of inner self and soothes our soul/spirit.
It is not necessary that there should be presence of “religion” to be “spiritual”. I also find people spiritual who diligently follow their values like helping others, speaking the truth, respecting others, etc. In my journey of Arts Based Therapy certification i have also experienced people who consider their work as spiritual. Everything which is done in a therapy is so scared and hold true importance.
Further we had conversation I told her that “there have been a bunch of researches on happiness of human beings when they connect to a higher power, some people give it term of being religious and some being spiritual.” I asked her “How do you connect these two things for betterment an individual?”
She looked quite confident on this one and further she said “Religion can lead to violence, spirituality drives us to work for the betterment of all. Spirituality is ever lasting, religion can be changed.
If I look from psychological perspective, Abraham Maslow’s theory of hierarchical needs. The top level of human needs is ‘self-actualisation’. Each being is trying to fulfill the other lower needs in the hope of reaching the actualisation level. The ones who get stuck to the lower needs are not satisfied and the cycle of gratification doesn’t end for them. But for the ones who have reached the level of self- actualisation have attained their true self, full potential or in other words, other physical, emotional needs are not bothering them as they have attained the true version of themselves.
Spirituality helps you stay connected with the world and react to it, may b in a very hazardous way. Whereas spirituality let’s you see within and reflect on the ideas before reacting to it.
Even if the nature of spirituality seems to be of higher order and something unique and not everybody can reach that but i feel spirituality “keeps us grounded” to what we actually are. And not let us cling to worldly pleasures or desires, result of which HAPPINESS is attained. Which is eternal as it’s not dependent on anybody’s presence or absence. Happiness which comes from within and in moving closer to the purpose of life.”