I keep hearing from people in my life that spirituality is an essential part of living a meaningful existence. I hear the phrase “let go and let God” and “everything happens for a reason” used a lot as advice and comfort. However, I’m an atheist and a materialist. I don’t know how I could even be spiritual with those beliefs. At the same time, my life is not fulfilling despite the fact that I am not struggling financially. Moreover, I feel paralyzed when I try to get off my privileged ass and do even the bare minimum for socialist organizing because I realize that it goes directly against my labor aristocratic class interests. I feel like knowing that sticking my neck out and contributing to the real movement to change the present state of things is the morally correct thing to do isn’t enough to drive me.
In short, what is spirituality? Is it compatible with materialism? If so, how? And if spirituality is the wrong tree to bark up, how can I drive myself to do what is to be done?
The most convincing description of spirituality I ever read was that “it’s how you see yourself in connection with your world, in abstract”.
There is a big pitfall of essentialism/determinism in the attitude that “everything happens for a [coherent] reason”, and it’s hard to get people over that.
I think the essentialism in it all is a big reason why I get so turned off from it. I’m also pretty disconnected from the world, so that’s probably a big part of the problem.
As you mentioned, the idea that ‘everything happens for a reason’ often leans too heavily into essentialism or determinism, suggesting a coherent, purposeful order to events. However, determinism, particularly from a materialistic viewpoint, just means things unfold due to prior causes, without any inherent purpose or supernatural reason.
In my opinion, the universe is vast, complex, and abstract enough as it is. We don’t need to resort to the supernatural to feel awe or forge a deep, meaningful connection with it. Simply embracing the mystery and beauty of the natural world can be profoundly spiritual in its own right.