A CASE FOR SPIRITUALITY By Waiswa Jacob, waiswajacobo@yahoo.co.uk
Spirituality (SP) and Positive Living (PL)
Mental health as well as general health issues could best be unders to od and applied holistically. According to contemporary psychotherapy, “fear of never being whole” afflicts many people –be it; their cultures, traditions and religions. They would prefer specifics or particularities. ALWAs would best find satisfaction in to tality ( Leon , 1988). Good and truth engenders all life beauties and perfections. They (good and truth), as rational or spiritual substances steaming from the Infinite, entering in to individuals, giving rise to feelings and thoughts, and helping hold structures and functioning of everything (Leon, 1988). Whilst looking at religious aspects, care ought to be taken by critically identifying; rational, socially acceptable, ethical and moral importance to natural activities of such religious beliefs.
The external religious practices would be usually un- redeeming. They would be rather embodied in cultural and ethical rituals rather than the inner relationship with Eternity or Infinite. There fore, to prevent fundamentalism -which is actually blind faith and beyond the intellect, there would be need to emphasize factional or religious rationality. That is; the rational faith as tied to good and truth principle. It would call for interior aspects of religion -meaning the shunning of evil for the sake of God, the consequent love of good, delighting in him, loving truth and determination to apply truths to life (also called: wisdom) - (Leon, 1988). Needing to belong to a religion could be unders to od as a desire to belong to an organized denomination for some specific, sub-cultural activities and motives ( Leon , 1988). However, SP goes beyond organised churches, faiths, religions or sects. SP would significantly help build a power-base for PL.
Several findings indicated an association between spirituality and positive living. Rippentrop, Altmaier, Chen, Found, Keffala, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Iowa Health Care (2006), in their Article; “The relationship between religion/spirituality and physical health, mental health, and pain in a chronic pain population.” It showed prayer, meditation and consumption of religious media as inversely related to physical health outcomes.
And, whoever experienced worst physical pain was more likely to engage in private religious practices -perhaps as a way of coping with their poor health. Forgiveness, negative religious coping, daily spiritual experiences, religious support, and self-rankings of religious or spiritual intensity significantly predicted mental health status. Religion and/or spirituality were unrelated to pain intensity and life interference due to pain so they were seen as externally found positive reinforcements against pain. Having spiritual life, would thus, help generate PL or positive outlook that would in turn reduce unnecessary anxieties and subsequently boost ALWAs’ immune systems. SP motivates individual to ; confront anxiety with confidence, replace negative feelings and emotions with positive ones, manage daily pressures as; taking on change gradually, confronting fears, practicing humor, seeking social support and avoiding dangerous addictions.
SP would lay a platform or foundation for PL. Noting that; recognizing the powers beyond human understanding and existence that represents good, truth or reality, which if experienced by humans, wellness and life meaningfulness would be realized.
Positive spiritual experiences would lead to positive change in adolescent’s cognition and character. Islamic faith portrays God, as internal and external -which meant coming near God through performing rites with inner and outward significance to God. For example; purification through prayer for mercy and forgiveness (of sins committed due to body dirt) -as to internal, and ensuring hygiene, done by washing self –as to external (Seyyed, 1987 Pg 111). Weil (2007) asserted that natural health, spirituality and holistic living could be the focus. In his propositions about PL, pessimism accelerated an individual dying sooner than if he or she was expressing positive emotions. Optimism was associated with variety of positive benefits that included; lowered production of stress hormone cartisol, bettered body function and reduced risk of chronic diseases.
The method of treatment that would accelerate the aspects of SP and PL to work in ALWAs’ lives) –respectively, are taught in most religious science churches and consists of five steps: 1) Recognition, in which we recognize that God is ever present; 2) Unification, which acknowledges our oneness with God; 3) Realization/Declaration of Truth, which acknowledges that what we are seeking is already ours; 4) Thanksgiving: involving thanksgiving since what is sought is already attained or given; 5) Release: implying that having given thanks and acknowledged availability of what has long been sought, then one experiences an emotional release as afflictions are left to God (Holmes, September 2006: religioussciences.org). Such a release would transform the whole being in to what he or she has long searched for, Like recovery from chronic pains and health-living. While there are many different religions and paths people use to find God, research has shown that those; who are more religious, who believe in God or a higher power, experience many benefits to their health and well being. Gratitude to wards God, to o, was linked with improved health outcomes, and that could reduce the experience of stress (Scott, 2007). Still, numerous research findings showed that we experienced greater benefits from being intrinsically oriented to God (Scott, 2007). Spirituality would help yield individual self-worth and self-confidence (due to God’s protection and promises), which would actually boost PL in the lives of ALWAs
Further more, SP and PL successes could be attained through reconciling sinful nature with God, who assured his people of love. These replace lost love and trust previously lost that helps person re-discover self. Lifting souls of the depressed whilst giving grace and hope as well as joy, would soon follow. “God demonstrated his love by sending his beloved son to die for sinners so that whoever beliefs would be let free of his or her problems. “Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the scriptures; he appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred...” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6) and (Romans 5:8). Spirituality lowers fear for death through reassuring individual of eternal life as a gift for his faith in Christ. Bother-some anxieties would thus, be eliminated –through his promise of life after death. “…I am the way, the truth, and life; no one comes to the Father, but through me” (John 14:6). A study carried out in eleven (11) Districts in eastern Uganda , 90% of people mental health-related problems preferred healers to health centers as the first point of contact -though no cases of patients getting cured were confirmed. 59.3% sought religious leaders, 0.6 went to traditional healers while 2.3 visited modern health units. According to Dr. Fred Kigozi, the head of Butabika Mental Hospital , even the highly educated contacted traditional healers. (Nafula: Monday, November 12th, 2007, Daily Moni to r pg 6).
Spirituality and Resilience
ALWAs resilience could be hardest to break by HIV/AIDS if well supported by a spiritual foundation. Resilient nature would last as long as the individual attachment to the Divine represented goodness and truth. PLWA, whose individual energy resources for survival are diminished and are stigmatized -with no social support, could resort to the Infinite for self-realisation, hope, healthy-reclamation, assurance and re-assurance. Evil and falsity; are inherited, influenced by environment and acquired within one’s will. Even then, one could still regenerate the truth and good to regain resilient nature. The ubiqui to us human desires for omnipotence produce great suffering (Miller and Polly, 2000, Pg 133). As result; anxiety, depression, chronic dissatisfaction, boredom, turmoil, conflict, dishonesty, hatred, cruelty, delusion, callousness, addiction, obsession, cruelty and delusion could be fixed by way of repentance, reformation and regeneration because of the enshrined spiritual love in our minds ( Leon , 1988). Upon renewal of character, a person could again enjoy happiness, love, peace, full confidence, intelligence, wisdom, self-esteem, perfection and beauty. Such are important ingredients that would lead to resilient lives of ALWAs.
Zohar and Marshall (2000: pg15), portrayed a highly-developed sense of spirituality, which manifested individual-self in the following ways; the capacity to be flexible (actively and spontaneously adaptive); a high degree of self-awareness, capacity to face and use suffering -as spring-boat for success, and capacity to face and transcend pain, the quality of being inspired by vision and values; reluctance to cause unnecessary harm, a tendency to see the connections between diverse things (being ‘holistic’); a marked tendency to ask ‘Why?’ or ‘What if?’ questions, and to seek fundamental answers -being what psychologists would call ‘field-independent’ –which is; possessing a facility for working against convention. Working against odds or conventions could be a manifestation of RE resulting from SP.
Through guidance of spiritual books and documents, ALWAs would find spiritual renewal, henceforth, leading to mental, emotional and physical changes and help to gain relief from irritating ailments and pains. Spirituality influences person’s attitude to be flexible, to overlook the pain and suffering -through promised hope to ; trigger determination and achieve specific aspirations, and pursue positive regards. These processes go would as further as boosting immune systems and provoking “ to tal recovery”. The Islamic Holy book (Koran: Surah 3 Ali Imran C54 pg 125), would insist on the need to struggle and fight for the cause of truth and exhorts those who have been blessed with Islam to remain constant in faith, pray for guidance and maintain their spiritual hope for the future. C58, “…help would come to those who strive…we must learn from our misfortune…” Expectation of help would create resilient character (showing confidence, courage and hope) in the lives of ALWAs –that would help them cope with stress and be; happier, healthier and more successful in life (Lovell: January 8th, 2007).
In Uganda , the Church to ok a bold step to fight HIV/AIDS -by encouraging its flock to seek VCT services and supporting those orphaned by the scourge. Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha has been an influencial figure in such a calling. Until recently, he has encouraged other religious leaders to take up the initiative (Butagira: September 7th, 2007, Daily Moni to r pg 3). The Catholic Church, to o, through Mbuya Outreach Programme, Mbuya Referral Hospital offers a wide range of HIV/AIDS services aimed at fighting the disease. The services provided include; volunteer training, peer training, VCT services, ARV administration, and treatment (Mbuya Outreach, 2007). As if those were not enough, the Redeemed Church of Kampala, in recent times made an alliance with Mild-may International (MPCI) to fill the spiritual gap in the services offered at the center. In fact, MI now mingles prayer with medical practices (Redeemed Church of Kampala, 2007). MPCI have a pas to r as well as representatives of other religious sects, who guide the center in general and sick children in particular on spirituality to reduce anxieties, depressions and above all; raise and sustain hope (Kaahwa, 2007).
Waiswa-Jacob, waiswajacobo@yahoo.co.uk
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