A few weeks ago I had an encounter that are one of those where you think this is what life is about, to keep getting surprised with things you didn’t expect. I was sitting in a café when an elderly man started to talk to me. We ended up speaking about the art of writing, as I told him that I love to write and want to turn in into a career. He shared some of those wisdoms with me that one can only acquire with a large amount of years one has been living. Nevertheless, it made me think about some other things when I was walking home. That’s how you know you have had a good conversation: You keep thinking about what was said to each other. Let me share some of the thoughts I came up with – thoughts about spirituality and life in general.
Writing is more than an art!
This guy made me feel really good about being someone who enjoys writing. We both agreed that it’s a really hard thing to do, but totally worth doing, as, in my opinion, it’s an art. But he said, it’s more than an art. A beautiful painting, you admire in a museum. Usually, they’re uniques that you have to make an effort to go see. And if you’re not that interested in the act of going to a museum, you’ll miss out on it. But books, you can share. You read a book, and if you really like it, you recommend it to someone else. Or – if you trust ’em enough – you’ll lend it to them. And that way, many people can enjoy other people’s thoughts. But why would they even care to do so?
Why people read…
While listening carefully to what he said and trying to not forget any of it, he told me that there are three important things about each person: their morals, their ethics and their values. This and the fact that each person on this earth has experienced pain is what makes people interested in what other people write. You see, each person responds differently to the painful experiences in their lives. And their morals, ethics and values determine what their responses might be. The difficult thing though is that, especially while still being you, people haven’t yet quite defined these things for themselves. And so they look for answers, comfort, confirmation, acknowledgement, simply a way to share their feelings while going through difficult experiences. That’s why they read. But what makes writers write, then?
Why people write…
While writing – and I speak mainly for myself here – one can express oneself. For me, it’s an opportunity to bring order to the thoughts in my head. It’s an opportunity to understand what I’m feeling, to calm a chaos I wouldn’t know how to tame otherwise. I see it in the songs of great artists, and in paintings as well! This is the power of art! It’s a way of not losing oneself to the own mind. Or it might be the own heart as well!
And what does that have to do with spirituality now, you may wonder? Well, for me, this platform that I write on, has for months now functioned as a playground. Or a school, let’s say. It’s an opportunity to make sense of the information I gathered, use this acquired knowledge to learn, and then share it, so others may have the inspiration I talked about above – a reader profiting from a writers thoughts. Whether my thoughts on the complicated topic of spirituality is any good, that’s on you to decide, I guess.
What’s the point of spirituality, then?
While writing this, I wondered why people would even have the desire to go online, click on a blog they found and read it? And then I remembered that I do it all the time, too. But how come? And I guess, here comes in once again what the old guy at the café told me: People look for a place they can share their emotions with. And while usually, that emotion is pain, I guess with spirituality it’s the need, the necessity, to find purpose and belonging. At least, that’s what it’s like for me.
So, in short, spirituality is something that helps you make sense of life. It helps understanding why certain things had to happen, while we had to experience certain things, find people and loose them again, end up in a place we never thought we would, not be able to do something and instead get the opportunity for something else. Something, we didn’t know would be so much better for us at first. It helps us trust in life, in a bigger power, in a God that guides us. It makes us respect nature and the world’s wonders more. It allows us to find peace where otherwise we would find only chaos.
At least, that’s what it’s like for me! What about you?
Thank you for the time you took to find out something about a writer’s thoughts, I hope, you found what you were looking for : )
Until next time, I hope!
