Published on 12, July, 2020
I think any sense of the spiritual helps me, but literalism in my understanding has often hindered the benefit. My condition means I hear words literally and for some reason this tends to interfere slightly with spiritual ‘letting go’. I used to trade peace of mind for the notion of certainty. For me a sense of the spiritual - perhaps strange to some - starts with ‘what can I do?’ Not ‘what can’t I do’.
Reality is what exists: what I can do, what I have, not the
Imaginary, the Unreal: what I can’t do, what I don’t have.
focus on the solution and it increases
I identify.
From my experience, almost every human needs ways to make life less brutal, less depressing, less painful. It is difficult to look in the face of reality and not whimper in fear and dread--- spirituality helps numb the shock.
thank you for this.
I agree with what you say.
My experience tells me what makes life worth living as an autistic person, what feeds the natural tendency to nihilism and what feeds the idea that maybe I should risk living.
My depression and negativity has been replaced by positivity of my spiritual life. I can choose to be ‘right’ about something or I can choose freedom.
Nihilism the only realistic option? experience of my life informs what I say about things. A year ago life was meaningless.
I need a spiritual solution.
Others don’t.
open mindedness is a characteristic of my approach and I tolerate and welcome dissenting views.
Many years ago the comedian Steve Allen wrote about how it is important for some people to believe in gods, magic, occult, and superstitions--- the silly and demonstrably false beliefs that humans have come up with. Many people need to believe "the spiritual" exists (it does not) because they have no other way to cope with the harsh reality of living in an uncaring universe.
I do not accept the hypothesis that having a literal mind is a cause of people to lack beliefs about "the spiritual:" the lack of evidence for "the spiritual" is all that is required.
I understand what you're saying there though! and yes it makes total sense - demanding certainty as the solution.. that resonates with me! Really glad you wrote that
Interesting! I have a related issue. When I almost distract myself from trying too much I find I can play entire pieces from memory but if I focus too much on each event - especially as they happen - I lose the inbuilt capacity to play from memory. letting go for me is often just not trying too hard. As an autistic person I demand certainty as the solution but actually the solution comes about by a type of ‘not caring too much’. Actually I should say ‘acting as if I don’t care TOO much’. I realise these words can’t explain what I’m trying to say: words are practical tools not spiritual tools. Even that sentence seems to misrepresent what I would have hoped to say.
Interesting! I can agree with this
I had to give up playing the piano as a child as I just couldn't "let go" as it were and just play even though i knew the keys... I had to look down constantly to ensure I was about to depress the right ones it stopped me enjoying it which was sad really.