Spiritual Resilience

​Spirituality is difficult to define. A belief in something greater than ourselves. Spirituality attempts to define meaning and purpose, values and priorities, faith and hope.
A philosopher is quoted as saying; “He who has a ‘why’ can endure any ‘how.’”

When I consider my life I am reminded of just how small I am. My purpose in life is to alleviate suffering, a very tall order. During this past year of pandemic and the enormous amount of stress we have all been under, I have felt exhausted and questioned how well I am doing in this area. But when I pause and focus on what I can control and how I can contribute to this mission I am reminded of the story about the little boy and the starfish.

An old man was taking his daily walk along the beach when he spotted a young boy crouched by the water, scooping something from the sand and throwing it into the water. The beach was normally empty at this time of day, so the old man stopped to watch for a while. He noticed that the boy kept shuffling further down the beach, then repeating this same action again and again – stopping, scooping, throwing, moving. “What are you doing there, boy?” the old man asked, walking closer. “I’m saving these starfish that are stranded,” replied the boy, “if they stay on the beach they will dry out and die, so I’m putting them back into the ocean so they can live.” The old man was silent for a few seconds. “Young man,” he said, “on this stretch of beach alone, there must be thousands of stranded starfish. I hate to say it, but you’ll never make a difference.” The boy scooped up another starfish and replied “well I just made a difference for that one,” and continued with his work.

In order to build your spiritual resiliency, connect with something bigger than you. Take a stroll in nature, look up at the sky, and enjoy experiences of awe, and repeat mantras that lift your spirit. When you find your ‘why,’ you can endure any ‘how’ and strengthen your spiritual resiliency.