"I'm a deeply spiritual person"?

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What do people mean when they say they are deeply spiritual and supply no other context? I sometimes think my brain has the bit marked 'spiritual' missing, but I can at least get a handle on particular beliefs. By itself it seems almost meaningless. Is it just a code for new age MBS hippy stuff?

Inspired by the many profiles on OKCupid that say things like this.

― Ricardo (RickyT), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:37 (twenty-two years ago)

"I can rationalize just about anything away."

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:40 (twenty-two years ago)

"I took a yoga class once."

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:41 (twenty-two years ago)

"I am an assclown."

― deanomgwtf!!!p%3Fmsgid%3D4581997 (deangulberry), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:41 (twenty-two years ago)

"I have no plans to get a real job."

― deanomgwtf!!!p%3Fmsgid%3D4581997 (deangulberry), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Also see: "I'm drinking a soy latte/I get a double shot-te" etc.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:42 (twenty-two years ago)

"Dennis Kucinich in 2004"

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I dunno, maybe they are pantheists? But they'd just come out and say that right, though there's not often an option for this kind of belief.

It probably is just code for having some flimsy self-help book on their shelf.

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd think they'd just say if they were B'hai.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:43 (twenty-two years ago)

"I don't shave."

― Michael White (Hereward), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:50 (twenty-two years ago)

"I'm gonna have sex with you and then disappear."

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:50 (twenty-two years ago)

"I am Sting"

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd think they'd just say if they were B'hai

is spelled baha'i and != pantheism.

― vahid (vahid), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:53 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah I know, just trying to be clever. key word: trying.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:55 (twenty-two years ago)

"I'd rather sleep in than go to church"

― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:56 (twenty-two years ago)

"I have never found the limits to my capacity for self-delusion."

― Aimless (Aimless), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:56 (twenty-two years ago)

" I own The Sixth Sense."

― andy, Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:57 (twenty-two years ago)

"I have the workbook to that Celestial whatever thing. And a Prince Albert."

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 May 2004 18:59 (twenty-two years ago)

"I quit drinking at 40. After 9/11, I felt a special purpose for my presidency. Donald Rumsfeld has made a fine and fit Secretary of Defense."

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:01 (twenty-two years ago)

"I will fuck you very, very slowly"

― don (don), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:01 (twenty-two years ago)

"Let me play a song on my guitar for you. I wrote it myself..."

― Jocelyn (Jocelyn), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:02 (twenty-two years ago)

"I have crazy ass ideas that mean alot to me, but are clearly not rooted in any sort of logic or coherency"

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:02 (twenty-two years ago)

"My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard."

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:03 (twenty-two years ago)

"candles are nice"

― Sym (shmuel), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:03 (twenty-two years ago)

I think what they're unintentionally admitting is that they're either too stupid or too lazy to follow thoughts to their logical conclusion - therefore they probably find a lot of things irreducible and therefore spiritual. That, or they want cake and they want to eat it too with regards to having spirituality without those nasty "religious" things that cause so many problems.

Also, would you like to come up to my place and see my etchings?

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:03 (twenty-two years ago)

"I can drink organic wine without grimacing"

AND

"I own a yoga mat - still in its environmentally friendly packaging, but hey"

― penelope_111, Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:05 (twenty-two years ago)

"vision creation newsun!"

― Be sure to Loop! Loop, Loop, Loop. (ex machina), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:06 (twenty-two years ago)

" I have a mini Zen rock garden on my desk"

― Jocelyn (Jocelyn), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:07 (twenty-two years ago)

"I need all Jewish and Christian holidays off."

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:08 (twenty-two years ago)

"I'm all I need in this world but sex remains a necessity."

― Crickets Dance On Tequila Booty (Barima), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:09 (twenty-two years ago)

"best thread ever"

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:10 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.philipkdick.com/covers/siva.jpg

― Be sure to Loop! Loop, Loop, Loop. (ex machina), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:10 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.philipkdick.com/covers/valis6.jpg

― Be sure to Loop! Loop, Loop, Loop. (ex machina), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:10 (twenty-two years ago)

"Probably Ramadam and Kwanzet too."

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:11 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.philipkdick.com/covers/valis2000-fr.jpg

― Be sure to Loop! Loop, Loop, Loop. (ex machina), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:11 (twenty-two years ago)

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance changed my life, and unfortunately I have yet to change it back."

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:12 (twenty-two years ago)

On behalf of those who would describe themselves this way, how about something like: "I have had experiences which have left me strongly convinced that there is a spiritual dimension to the world, but I am not convinced by the claims of any organized religion"? Or something like that?

(Isn't it more often used in talking about other individuals, rather than oneself, though?)

(I have deeply spiritual feelings for the lovely patron who keeps walk around the department where I'm working.)

x-post: "vision creation newsun!", haha. Yeah, exactly.

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:14 (twenty-two years ago)

has anyone seen the vision creation newsun video?

― Be sure to Loop! Loop, Loop, Loop. (ex machina), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:15 (twenty-two years ago)

"I buy recycled toilet paper."

― NA (Nick A.), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:17 (twenty-two years ago)

"I'm part Native American"

― NA (Nick A.), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:18 (twenty-two years ago)

hey fuck you!
xpost

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I think what is especially annoying is the "deeply" part. It's as if they are saying, "Because my spirituality is so deep, it is void of any particular content."

Then again, that sounds almost zen: "not this, not that." Except that most zen people at least have enough sense to know that formlessness still has to be expressed through form, or that the two aren't really at odds. But what do I know?

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Ha ha Huck.

― NA (Nick A.), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:18 (twenty-two years ago)

You got extermiNAted.

― NA (Nick A.), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

(i just posted about that on the 1ply vs 2ply thread and thought that was a direct dig)

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

"I use only my 'spirit' instead of my mind to consider religious truths"

― A Nairn (moretap), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

It was!

― NA (Nick A.), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:20 (twenty-two years ago)

In a jokey way.

― NA (Nick A.), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:21 (twenty-two years ago)

oh, I thought Huck is Native American!

― A Nairn (moretap), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

"I feel that Sufi music speaks to my condition."

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Nope, I've just got an itchy ass.

xpost

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Chief Itchy Ass

― A Nairn (moretap), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:23 (twenty-two years ago)

hey Rockist did you see that article on Sufism in Harper's?

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:24 (twenty-two years ago)

yes.. i'd count myself in that group.. but i'd never be so smug as to describe myself as "a deeply spiritual person"

i'd more likely say "i'm deeply confused about spiritual things"

― don (don), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:24 (twenty-two years ago)

My ass is deeply itchy.

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:26 (twenty-two years ago)

hstencil, yes, saw it, but haven't gotten to it yet. (Didn't I just post that? I think some of my posts aren't showing up. Oh well, no big loss really.)

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:27 (twenty-two years ago)

"long tunnel of wanting you"

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey, my dad went to Long Tunnel of Wanting U.

― NA (Nick A.), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Mi asno es profundamente itchy.

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:28 (twenty-two years ago)

"I harbor believes regarding the notion of 'the human spirit' which would get me ridiculed by most humans and thus would rather refer to myself as vaguely 'spiritual' and be ridiculed as a spineless idiot than have to explain my own notions of circular time, Spinoza's God, extra-terrestrial intervention in the development of Earth's carbon-based lifeforms' universe-consciousness, non-corporal energy beings, and the like to someone predisposed to considering these beliefs totally rubbish (aka anyone with a lick of sense)."

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Mein Esel ist tief itchy.

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Rockist, there's a part in the the article where the author describes a person who would say this phrase, and his pants, rather clearly.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

"I saw the Dalai Lama on Oprah and thought he was a really great person."

― j.lu (j.lu), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:33 (twenty-two years ago)

"I have never found the limits to my capacity for self-delusion."

Posts that make me think Aimless isn't Kurt Vonnegut = 0
Posts that do make me think that = 1 billion.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:45 (twenty-two years ago)

(She smiled at me and I gave her a weird smile. Christ, when will this stuff ever come easy for me. I'm 38!)

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 27 May 2004 19:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Just you wait until Kurt Vonnegut keels over dead, nickalicious. I'll have the last laugh on you then.

― Aimless (Aimless), Thursday, 27 May 2004 20:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't think most people mean anything by 'deeply spiritual'. It's a cliche traded around by idiots in search of the approbation of other idiots.

― Michael White (Hereward), Thursday, 27 May 2004 20:18 (twenty-two years ago)

"I own eighteen scented candles and every Alanis album"

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 27 May 2004 20:19 (twenty-two years ago)

"spiritual" implies a belief in God(s) without religious guidance.
"deeply" implies all the jokes above are OTM.

― sexyDancer, Thursday, 27 May 2004 20:24 (twenty-two years ago)

"I learned so much about myself in my first two years at Evergreen, but I think instead of going back next semester I'm going to spare change in front of the U District Safeway, exchange drugs for sex with thirteen year old girls at the Last Exit, and invite my Rainbow brothers back to the house to eat all of Keith's food."

― Keith Harris (kharris1128), Thursday, 27 May 2004 20:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I avoid deeply spiritual people. The reason is that the substance of my own ephiphany, or, if you will, spiritual awakening, was that there was no spirit. So extrordinary was this experience that I found I was unable to obtain comfort from spiritual people; I could only obtain it from people who had no spiritual beliefs at all, and who only cared about practical matters.

This includes people very busy with their jobs, young artists and other egotistical types, women who rely on their looks, middle aged men whose spirit has been crushed beyond repair and now only want to read and drink tea, ribald old bohemians who paint, sew or make dolls and like their wine and sunshine, Satanists and Buddhists too lazy to read their respective scriptures, let alone practise them, and of course the French.

Hence, a lot of my friends are deeply materialistic, and only care for pleasure in this life, and I find that quite acceptable, so long as they never get any money to splash around.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 27 May 2004 20:41 (twenty-two years ago)

"The reason is that the substance of my own ephiphany, or, if you will, spiritual awakening, was that there was no spirit. "

How exactly did you come by this epiphany? Was this an "experience" or just an eventual realization after contemplating the matter? I'm always curious about how people come to conclusions about the nature of things.

"I think what they're unintentionally admitting is that they're either too stupid or too lazy to follow thoughts to their logical conclusion - therefore they probably find a lot of things irreducible and therefore spiritual. That, or they want cake and they want to eat it too with regards to having spirituality without those nasty "religious" things that cause so many problems."

While that's partially true, this also assumes the notion (or at least seems to be implying) that ultimately there are only two ways to go: following a religion or spiritual belief system because of ignorance of facts or choosing the more "sensible" idea that the existence of everything can be explained in terms of scientific study or inquiry, even if we are far from understanding everything yet. When someone says they're "spiritual but not religious" it is assumed they are either too smart to believe in religion but not smart enough to disregard it entirely. Often people do believe irrational things (like say, Creationism) because of ignorance of the facts of science. But is it necessarily so that those who are noncomittal and vague are that way because they want to "have their cake and eat it too" and are simply too lazy to commit and see the "true plain facts"? Some people accept and understand the findings and implications of science just fine but feel that they still have a spiritual urge or a feeling that there is "more to it" nonetheless. Though admittedly most people who say "spiritual but not religious" are waffling pseudo-hippies.

"On behalf of those who would describe themselves this way, how about something like: "I have had experiences which have left me strongly convinced that there is a spiritual dimension to the world, but I am not convinced by the claims of any organized religion"? Or something like that?"

OTM

"I think what is especially annoying is the "deeply" part. It's as if they are saying, "Because my spirituality is so deep, it is void of any particular content."
Then again, that sounds almost zen: "not this, not that." Except that most zen people at least have enough sense to know that formlessness still has to be expressed through form, or that the two aren't really at odds. But what do I know?"

Again, OTM

I suppose I have some empathy for people who find the cold, empty meaningless of the universe disheartening and seek out meaning in some way other than traditional organized religion. But I also understand as the music mole said that these people are often not fun or comforting to be around.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 27 May 2004 21:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, fair enough.

Off topic: my 4 yr old daughter just said, 'It's bad for your health, the news. It really is!'

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 27 May 2004 21:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Don't blame her one bit.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 27 May 2004 21:42 (twenty-two years ago)

hahaha, nor do I.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 27 May 2004 21:43 (twenty-two years ago)

If the "deeply spiritual" crowd are the ones who filled the margins of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance with notes then which crowd filled the margins of The Unbearable Lightness of Being?

― martin m. (mushrush), Thursday, 27 May 2004 21:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Strikes me that "I'm a deeply spiritual person" is said by the same type of individual who asserts that he/she is a "poet" when you ask them what they do for a living.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 27 May 2004 21:51 (twenty-two years ago)

that charles bukowski was one deeply spiritual guy!

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 27 May 2004 22:26 (twenty-two years ago)

"my ass is deeply itchy"

― Sym (shmuel), Thursday, 27 May 2004 22:41 (twenty-two years ago)

there was this bizarre tv show on arté (at like 2 AM) about a month ago, where udo kier (!) went on a night out in london with that guy who won the turner prize, the transvesite potter. the latter came across as a genuinely nice and interesting guy, kier a bit of an emptyheaded poseur. the potter noted that people who say they are "spitirual" are usually anything but, and indeed at the tate i guess there is one of his pots entitled "stick your spiritualism up your ass" or something.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Thursday, 27 May 2004 23:10 (twenty-two years ago)

"I'm not as enlightened as all those uber-cynical hipsters on ILX"

― metalmickey, Friday, 28 May 2004 12:33 (twenty-two years ago)

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