What does spirituality means in this era of consumerism?

In today’s era of big retail stores, fashion brands and plush shopping malls, what role does spirituality play in an individual’s life, rather the question should be rephrased as whether spirituality at all exist for the generation next or its stature has reduced to being a mere word in old texts of sexagenarians whom the generation next has felicitated as hypocrites.

Before we further go down the line arguing the existence of spirituality, there’s an exigency of knowing exactly what spirituality means? Spirituality in simple terms imply the existence of a superior being; “Spirituality” – its root word being spirit, hence spiritualism in wider sense is the belief that spirits of the departed communicate with the living, especially through medium.

But why should there be a need of the existence of the superior being or why should there be need to communicate with the spirits of those who have already left this sordid and materialistic world? The answer to this question lies in the weakness of man – his fear of defeat, his sorrows, grievances and the guilt feelings that he unconsciously buries in his heart for the transgression he consciously or unconsciously commits. Every human being is conscientious enough to have feared his wrong-doing, difference being, some show it through confessions while others simply bury the hatchet, but that too only in façade. However infamous a criminal or gangster, everyone wants to be in His providence. This is spirituality, to believe in the existence of God.

We say – God exists and to believe in him is called spirituality, but has anyone actually seen God – there are prophets, saints and like people who claim to have felt His presence in some way or the other, but then we only have their word for it – no evidence whatsoever. However, even though most of us have no such divine experience yet we have an image of a divine being with his resplendent glow, and the belief to communicate with this divine being is what we call spiritualism.

Coming back to our argument of existence of spiritualism in this era of consumerism where the modern generation of agnostics and atheists whose actions lead to sacrilege. So-called religious leaders and god-men through their narcissistic actions, which involve terrorism in the name of religion, terminations, ex-terminations and communal riots in the name of resurrecting the “supposed to be” birthplace of God have given rise to a state of pandemonium and has made religion and spiritualism all the more abominable for the present generation. Yet in all this depravity, there are certain spiritual leaders who have euphemized the spiritualism through consumerism. Whether it is through “Art of living” or through Yogic discourses or through Lord Krishna’s hymnbooks and rosary – the young customer is being attracted to the chapel or temple in some way or the other, hence making spiritualism congruous with the consumerism. The spiritual leaders instead of teaching just religious and spiritual discourse, have made religion and spiritualism the “in” thing, the fashion statement which has made the fashion-savvy young generation lackey to spiritualism.