I grew up with religion. When I was younger I went to church every Sunday. I was an altar server for two years. I go to a Catholic high school where religion is a compulsory subject every year. My family says grace before every meal. Religion has a natural, deep-seated place in my life and it is the foundation of my moral code. Though I might be what one may call a “cradle Catholic,” I can’t imagine my life without my religion.
However, much of New Zealand cannot concur with that statement. In the NZ Census conducted in 2018, 48.7% reported to have “no religion”. What my religion teacher referred to as “mock” religions are increasingly popular, such as the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which has 4,248 people, and Jedi, which has 20,409 people. For whatever reason, religion is becoming less valuable to our national society.
Regardless of whether or not you are religious, I believe that there should be an importance placed on maintaining spirituality. Think of your health as a whare, built of four pillars; mental wellbeing, social wellbeing, physical wellbeing and spiritual wellbeing. If one of these pillars were to crumble, the rest of the whare would crumble too. This concept is called Hauora, or Te Whare Tapa Whā, and was developed by Māori health advocate Sir Mason Durie in 1984.
I personally find that there are several ways I can nurture my spirituality. These can range from sitting on my swing in the backyard and reading a book while listening to music, to wearing flowy dresses without a bra, to drawing on my skin to singing an entire musical soundtrack to my cat while my parents aren’t home. There is something very healing about these simple yet personal experiences and I put that down to me being able to be in my own company and finding room to express myself. Reading, singing, drawing and looking cute as heck. My four passions. Of course, these are not everyone’s cup of tea, but in a technological age it is good to find quietness and time to dedicate to yourself.
This article was inspired by a quote from @eesirachs on Tumblr, who said, “Find God in your solace, not your solace in God.” This was poignant to me because it challenged the traditional ideas of God that the Catholic Church had supplied me with. I had always envisioned God as a muscular, old white man with curly grey hair and a beard. Something like a contemporary rendition of Zeus. Suddenly, this quote had me reimagining the idea of God; no longer as a person, but something omnipresent. Whenever I experience beautiful things in nature, for example, dappled sunlight coming through the trees, or choruses of birdsong, I would think, what if that is God? It started creeping into other parts of my life as well. That feeling I get when I run into the arms of my friend for a hug. What if that is God? The relief I get after returning from a long day of work. What if that is God?
To explain it simply; appreciating the beautiful things around you, and the opportunities that living grants you, is the key to maintaining your spirituality. I encourage you to take the time to do the things you enjoy, outside of school work, whether that's through sporting, music, art, or something else. For example, I love drawing but I don’t often get the chance to do it outside of school, because I feel like all of my creative energy is being consumed. However, it turns out that the very act of picking up a pencil and just doing it is the thing that revives this need, reminds me how much I enjoy it. It heals a part of my soul that I had otherwise neglected. I might call this my solace –- my God. If you’ve read this far, you might have an idea of what your God might be. If not, then find it.
Find Your God.