Man and his relationship with religion and spirituality has been the most enduring but particularly much neglect for spirituality. Unfortunately, both, religion and spirituality have struggled to find a common relationship in vain. Of the two, religion has tended to serve man’s interests better -most of which are inhuman to others and sometimes to self. While religion would be looked as the attempt to find rationality of spirituality while the latter could be an enduring desire to understand the infinite, the unknown and that is beyond human grasp.
What seems as the major aim in all could be to engineer the being into organized set of perception, interpretation and functioning –with their pre-determined consequences in the constant face of uncertainty. To achieve this, generation of unbearable fear of the consequence would be strongest weapon used by the political unit, cult, religious, and cultural-norm or values leaders – a time during which true spiritual leaders, like any other leader, would be too hard to find.
The leaders, from scratch or humble background, soon become new capitalist with lots of wealth. This, understandably, is a manipulation of spirituality to ensure man’s control to yield “prosperity” and self-advancement –something that marginalizes, impoverishes, and retards individual mental power of the followers. Could he (Carl Marx) have been right to say religion was a tool of exploitation?
Yet true spirituality following and practice would require separation of monetary attachment as a source of living, ensuring equity perception of; the benefits enshrined in spiritual-individual relationship and no boundary and control to it –since it is simply above or beyond humans. Any claim of control of fellow men and women would be pretence and false and a joke to the good spirit (God) –with respect to whatever name and description tied to it (the good spirit).
It is surprising, however, finding or hearing of some people being fronted as custodians of the unknown (good spirituality or God or good natural forces as alternate references given their similar characteristics), and sometimes acting like God. Isn’t this impersonation? To the extremes, they even ask for bodyguards to “protect the church or God”, yet in real sense it is protection of amassed wealth –a goal fulfilled (kiwede) and newly attained social class that high on the social ladder.
What they fail to tell their followers is perhaps them (leaders) as being God or the unanswerable to anybody, who must be served and fed by their following, yet all people, share the same rights before the good spirit. As NRM cadres put it, while referring to a vocalizing opposition members; who are these people and whom are they fooling? The same would apply to so-called custodians of the good spirit.
No wonder, to some, “being a custodian” is a career to admire and work hard or train for. While those, who have personal gifts as charisma and power of speech would not need a trainer or school to excel at lying to selfishly gain, to deprive progress of others, to suffocate and sort of sentence others to life as fools.
The same people tell their followers to stop medication for prayers only. Recent research showed that HIV positive patients, who left Anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs for prayers only later died. Yet prayer only helped boost the immune system and have the body respond best to drugs.
The difference, perhaps, would be that intellectual liars (so-called leaders, who have gone to school) would be most dangerous because they are “professional”. Perhaps if it was not professionalism they would have lived much dangerous yet helpless life. And because of the professional tag, it is not easy to oppose and castigate them. If mere suspicion cropped in, the fellow could have gone very far with destruction of other if not to self. Actually, if they were punishable the penalty could be biggest.
Kibwetere, being a catholic priest and behind the overflowing cloth and sorts of labels, he managed to organize hell for himself and others, perhaps, because the prophesized one was not coming to pass. We still live among such people who must be quickly identified and managed so as to protect the innocent ones, yet unsuspecting the danger caused by those they follow and entrust lives to.
Yet with genuine spirituality, which everybody is subject to or automatically qualify, there would be only round table discussions and anywhere to brainstorm how we get through the unknown rather than the sorts of confining the good spirit (God) or persuade people to be lectured, instead a collaborative learning and contributions, equally. How really does one confine the good spirit? Is it possible yet powerless to it (the good spirituality)?
If the good spirit’s reaction was clearly observable or experiential, we would have been able to see very many people being laughed at for no sense in their practices. Unfortunately, the constant subjectivity to opposing spirits of both good and bad only creates puzzles to making good decisions while the contrary comes with regrettable consequences.
And nature (state of things or anything), good spirituality (or God, the unanswered questions or the unknown, of what is beyond us) and man himself are one and share in the objective of making good, truthful and fair-fetched progress –and equally contributing to sustaining life.
In this kind of relationship harmony would be central to avoiding dangerous consequences. In the same way, whatever choice man made had to be consistent to required truth and goodness or justice -all of which help drive life, still, in the true and right destiny.
In such a bid, whatever applied intelligence, innovations or so-called modernization might have to comply with the needs of the other members in a kind of relationship like signatories to the bank account or three organs of government. Absence to consultations, harmony and agreement across the three organs or elements would, in most cases, lead to the demise of the weaker or less privileged person. Remember man is a perishable good and the spirit, imperishable and so one needs the other most to survive.
In this case man falls under that category while nature only evolves much in response to his activities towards it -as big dam building along with heavy floods and sterility over time (with long periods with no power or worsened frequency), wrong and back-firing policies coupled with insensitivity, attack and attempted de-forestation of mabira forest or the general thinking and thriving on ideals and values that are misleading and destructive to self and others. But even with members of the cat family, which are animals, once forced into a corner –with no room to escape, they would definitely pounce onto the aggressor in self-defence. If there were tragedies as after effects, whom would we blame?
It would be hard to believe though believable that much of what is convenient to do for man like man’s justice that is in the real sense actually injustice, forming values, issuing decrees, materialism (over-eating and robbing for wealth creation), making orders or coming up with one, which are famed in most cultures and customs and forming cults or religion –with its practices and set of rules would be the same constituents of what religions hold.
Better justice could, therefore, come from far beyond other than the court martial and high court judges since every one is would be equally accountable to the unknown or the good spirit at one point in time. Much of humanly justice is actually injustice. It is characterized by wealthy ones bribing to deny the poor justice, and the greedy leaders ones to sustain their greed and continued oppression of their subjects. In the perspective of spirituality, people who acted that way are worthy laughing at as loud as possible.
It would also mean that what is unknown at man’s level cannot be judged and like man has no right to even judge anything like we must equally be humble and treat fellow men rightly. Unfortunately, this never stops man from setting his own system of affairs or manipulating anything at any cost to meet his selfish interests of wanting to conquer and become the only lion in the forest, moreover, at any cost.
Actually, the sense would be that good spirituality is most unique with greatest powers but influencing us differently –depending extent of the relationship. That is, it part of the individual’s personality set or an extension of the being. Indeed, as the saying goes, God helps those who help themselves, complimenting each other or that we are co-creators with him and the part of him –where the defect mainly at our level would affect the entire set or system.
Like socialism being a ladder for the opportunists’ emergence to fame and become capitalists, Religion is another that has over years been used for self-gratification, attain proprietorship, amass wealth and heal from humble backgrounds and sometimes to attain political power as well as consolidate it.
This could explain how Christian-based political parties as the Democratic Party came in existent and made a number of people become powerful politicians or ardent fans to it. As a ladder for a few to reaching wealthy levels, much biting poverty would go to those who helped them rise.
Interestingly, they remain full of healing words for the then poor by forging whatever statement could cause blindness to their followers to continue feeding them. They could be undefined brand of politician with a terrific tongue to play about follower intellect and control their ability to grasp.
Simply, they would make statements like happy are the poor, for the “kingdom of God” is theirs –which God could actually be them, as kings made by poor people. As dominant people, with control of the information channels and almost anything, success can always be on their side.
And that they (followers) would be rewarded for giving to the made “king” –which rewards turn out to be poverty. Using people’s desperate need to find hope, certainty of what they aspire for and strength to progress in the ever challenging world for personal gains by the leadership is as similar as using global fund money meant for those dying of malaria, tuberculosis and HIH/AIDS. What a genocidal act! Wouldn’t we need to have criminality extend as far as this?
Since God cannot be questioned and above human laws, the poor, unsuspecting and unquestioning are made to believe anything put forward to them –including causing violence against fellow men and women with contrasting faiths or go as far as creating an artificial hell as Kibwetere, and most recently, one (hell) in Buddo Junior School in Wakiso District.
The “churchmen”, perpetuators of violence and persecutors could have take control of people’s minds and having them by the fist like a remote control –to achieve their aims. In Africa, the industry has believably grown –a sector that economist have barely considered for comprehensive figures about economic growth and call for further investment in the sector if found positively benefiting to all. But already it is a black market.
As if leading blind people, they soon take them wherever they want and dictate for anything. But even the blind man’s other senses develop extra power to sense in compensation for what the eyes failed to do. Here all the six senses of followers are remote controlled. It is another form of brain washing if not a mini-communist practice. In Uganda, tendencies have gone so far that after every ten meters one would find a kiosk-like “church”.
On the contrary, a good spirituality (God) and man (religion) relationship could be found the objective of establishing socially accepted morals and providing presumably right or true direction for man -to help predict his or her position of good health and prosperity in the face of uncertain future.
Any kind of association or group with common interests and values turned religious wing with vested interests and values as could be enshrined in any religious group, and that concertedly aid individuals in negotiation with the unknown future. But to prevent getting blinded, drowned or destroyed by most religions we would, seemingly, need to measure extent of their contribution to moral uprightness and wellness of people.
Spirituality on the other hand would be a humble bid to derive conclusions amidst complexities of life -with the unknown known as superior authority figure and in better position to help physical being to understand such complexities. Interestingly, people soon place themselves in the position of the infinite or the unknown after some how understanding part of the complexities while advancing in life and realizing their goals. They are only reminded of their originality when another life puzzle and confusion comes-by or that prevalence of complexities in life are infinite, whose encounters are a lifetime –until perhaps, we tire through death.
According to Leon (1988), religious rationality need to be tied to the principle of good and truth, where evil had to be shun for the sake of God, with the consequent love of good, delighting in him, loving the truth and having determination to apply the truth to life. As if to reinforce this, several findings have shown evidence of relief from hardships and wellness thereafter through positive religious and spiritual practice.
No one can say no to the powers beyond (good spirituality) or claim to be independent from it; instead we need it to have fulfillments of life goals. Seyyed (1987) on his part found spiritual experiences as very transforming cognitively and in character of the individual.
With verbal proclamations made before the perceived all-knowing, a lot of emotional relieves are experienced as burdens of fear of the unknown and even of real cases drop off the individual (Holmes, 2006). With the good spirituality we can constantly re-discover our strength, direction and meaning to life.
Several organizations, institutions and individuals have adopted the ideal of prayer as a force towards strengthening them in the face of complexities and the unknown. These include; the government of Uganda in the face of disasters that often hit the country under the nose, non-government organization and health center dealing with chronic illnesses, and people living in periods of puzzle and confusion or when a calamitous event ambushes them.
Much as man has the freedom to make choices, form guidelines run his or her own life, and have domineering values determine anyone’s type, all must represent and be in harmony with the truth, natural and spiritual justice (after getting answers from the unknown or good spirit) and of good intent to self and others. All policies and values must be friendly across the board as indicated above.
Until so people must not aggressively push for their human interests anywhere and anyhow, especially if they adversely jeopardize the lives and progress of the other. Life and fellow men must be handled with gentility and respect. The good intentions of the good spirit must be separated from man’s interests until a harmonious relationship and proven agreement are felt while understanding of human complexities is done with respect through free collaborative learning and round-table or small group discussions. And with members working having side jobs and together to sustain such meetings every other time. Such would potentially help create change for the better of humanity and the world we live in.
On the other hand, when nature and unknown dictates the worst as a result of our bad actions, we would have no choice but to humbly accept. Real justice that is above man shall always rule, regardless. Our good efforts will always be rewarded while those that are maimed, deprived, dehumanized, suffocated and unfairly treated are both compensated plus a reward. But first victims must be helped to rise against human foxes while those who get conscious quickly escape and if possible confront the “beasts”.
Jacob Waiswa
Situation Health Analyst
www.situationhealthanalysis.blogspot.com
waiswajacobo@yahoo.co.uk
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