VALUES WITHOUT OFFENDING ANYONE Richard R Jurin University of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Richard R Jurin

University of Northern Colorado

Deborah Matlock

Antioch University, New Hampshire

DEALING WITH SPIRITUALITY VALUES WITHOUT OFFENDING ANYONE

Consider how you feel about each of the following statements 0=no thought about it to 5 = rankles me highly

• The Earth is only about 6000 years old
• Global Climate Change is a hoax
• Poor people deserve to be poor
• Humans are the top of the life pyramid
• We are meant to use and manipulate the

Earth

• A person’s horoscope is the most important

thing about them

Consider how you feel about each of the following statements 0=no thought about it to 5 = rankles me highly

• Trees are more important than humans
• The Bible is the inerrant word of God
• Wealthy people earned their money through

hard work

• Balancing natures energy goes with

balancing our own Chakra’sr

• Wilderness must be used or it is wasted
• Wilderness must be preserved or it is lost

forever

Globally, environmental educators give lip- service to the need to be more spiritual in our lives if we are to attain sustainability, yet there is a paucity of research on spirituality in relation to Environmental and Sustainability Education. A large body of research does confirm how a direct connection with nature leads to improved mental health of both individuals and hence, the larger communities in which they live.

How do you know if you are living a fulfilled life?

How do you know you are fulfilled? Happy (fulfillment) Content Satisfied Meaning found in one’s experiences Purpose Continued personal growth Feel alive Ability to cope In sync with everything

What is Spirituality?

What is Spirituality? Sense of awe; Connectedness; Mystery; Grounding; Deeper purpose; Things greater than the human mind; True self; Presence; Creation; Inner peace; Purpose; Compassion; Life force; Energy; Divine; Sacred Oneness; Now; Understanding of our place in the Universe; Part of our nature; Sense of expectation; Place; Spiritual and physical being

What are the Components of Spirituality?

Community Faith in the natural system Experience – meaning gained from the path travelled Worship – can be ritualistic or simply silence in a ‘place’ Recognition Gratitude Acceptance

How can we be inclusive of diverse beliefs in

• ur programs?

What Kinds of Beliefs? All together in this Nature can manage alone – not need our intervention; Ruler – something that controls us such as predestination or God; Control – can be human or beyond human such as karma – generally a human ego related need; God – may be a ruler, or not, but implies responsibility to nature; A right vs. a wrong; Living in the NOW

What role does Spirituality play in Interpretation?

What role does spirituality play? Spiritual leaders need to have influence

• n behavior

Helping kids connect to nature to find their own connections; Crossing barriers in society Environment is a spiritual place Create spiritual experiences Connect to the whole person

Spirituality

In a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters regarding humankind's ultimate nature and purpose, not only as material biological organisms, but as beings with a unique relationship to that which is perceived to be beyond both time and the material world.

Spirituality

As such, a perceived sense of connection forms a central defining characteristic of spirituality and relates to matters of sanity and of psychological health. Spirituality as a way of life concerns itself with aligning the human will and mind with that dimension of life and the universe that is harmonious and ordered.

For a truly sustainable future, it seems we need to shift our worldview from individualism and competition to a more holistic eco-centric worldview. How individuals perceive this shift varies on how people perceive spirituality on a continuum from new-age eccentricity to religious fervor.

Despite varied descriptions of spirituality some core concepts emerge

• Positive emotions such as love, gratitude, and

awe

• Explicit connections to something larger
• Expression of a need for deeper purpose
• Gratitude for many aspects of one’s life
• A focus on mutual benefits of help
• A broader sense of extended community
• A desire to build natural world relationships
• A reaction to a materialistic worldview

The concepts of Emotional Intelligence Social Intelligence Ecological intelligence all fit comfortably with spiritual intelligence. Ecological literacy would seem to espouse all the various intelligences that relate to spirituality (e.g. Bowers, Orr, Stone & Barlow).

Core Components of Spiritual Intelligence:

• 1. The capacity to transcend the physical and

Material

• 2. The ability to experience heightened states
• f consciousness
• 3. The ability to sanctify everyday experience
• 4. The ability to utilize spiritual resources to

solve problems

• 5. The capacity to be virtuous.(Emmons 2000).

Intangible relationships with environment schema. (Porteous 1996, p9).

10 20 30 40 50 60 30-44 45-59 60-74 75-89 90-104 105-119 120-134 135-150

30=no connection to nature, 150=Extremely connected to nature

So where are Americans on connectedness? (Nature Connectedness Scale)

Numbers Responding

Advice:

• Be aware of who you are presenting to
• Stay away from hot buttons topics
• Separate science and faith but do define

scientific theory

• Use phrases like “Our best scientific

understanding is…”

• Don’t get into arguments
• Find common ground with each group (i.e:

sustainability, stewardship, etc.)

• Share enthusiasm, be inspiring, and draw

them into an exploration of the place without counteracting their values

Advice:

• Get them to exploring the world and our

place in it

• Explore amazing things in nature - Knock on

nature’s door

• Wrap-up that nature is everywhere
• Trust that nature can inspire – we just set

the stage

• Facilitate connection and interconnection
• Be sensitive to vocabulary ( is it charged?

Ambiguous?)

• Help them use sensory awareness
• Display compassion

Advice:

• Create a sense of community and bond

among group to demonstrate sustainable principles of community

• Connect to the larger community (more than

human)

• Avoid heavy-handed spiritual message

– let people draw their own conclusions.

Business as Usual (BAU) A New and Better World?

Blue for blissful Ignorance and BAU Red for the Painful Truth and desire to change things

MASLOWS HIERARCHY

Life Purpose Respect Relationships Security Biological Needs Self-Actualization

MASLOWS HIERARCHY – modern living where we are coopted by materialism

Life Purpose

Respect

Relationships

Security

Biological Needs

Hedonism Insecurity

Sustainability = Better Quality of Life and true wealth (well-being)

The things that really count for Happiness and Well-being:

• Good health
• Good nutrition
• Satisfying jobs
• Purpose
• Physical Comfort
• Good

interpersonal relations

• Interesting cultural

activities

It all begins in the HEARTS and MINDS of the PEOPLE. A return to the Pursuit of happiness and a desirable Quality of Life for all

Relationships Not commodities

Keep within nature – make that connection

Sustainable living Living simpler Living as if the future mattered Living for Quality not ‘Stuff’

A New Path

Far from being an impediment to progress and Sustainability, Mindful Thinking, Attention to Relationships, a focus on Well-Being in which we are Spiritually Connected to ALL LIFE is a precondition for our long-term success

We need to reinvent ourselves. What kind of America do we want to see?

Comments? Thoughts? QUESTIONS?

Richard.jurin@unco.edu