Heroism is founded on an unavoidable devotion to humanity. The very notion of altruistic risk relies on a belief in the worthiness of all human beings to thrive. This is why a heroic mindset is extremely beneficial as a framework for living a rewarding and meaningful life: if the bedrock of your worldview is “other people matter,” that steers you toward compassion and service to others by default.
Transcendence, and by extension spirituality, helps our long-term survival and well-being in a number of ways. As stated above, they instill us with a need for community. Spirituality also helps us create meaning for ourselves. It has also enabled us to deal with the fears that arise from uncertainty. This is especially true when it comes to confronting the reality of death.
Yet, the term “spirituality” often comes with the connotation of the supernatural. This may cause those of us who are skeptical of religion to avoid their own spiritual impulses. Ongoing research is revealing the biological roots of human spirituality, highlighting it as an important contributor to our well-being. Therefore, ignoring or denying your instinct to seek transcendent or spiritual experiences can be potentially harmful to your mental and emotional health in the long-term.
The Shift to Human-Centered Spirituality
Your spirituality shouldn’t be inextricably linked to organized religion. I propose a shift toward “human-centered” spirituality.
I’m not suggesting we worship ourselves, however. There’s a difference between worship and reverence. We should open ourselves up to celebration of—and awe for—what’s beautiful about the human condition. The instinct toward spirituality evolved as a mechanism to bond us with others, and to give us a path to making life more meaningful. Allowing ourselves to be in awe of life and humanity is natural and beneficial to our health.
If you are religious, I’m not asking you to change that fact. Belief in the otherworldly is up to personal choice. Both biological and supernatural explanations for our spirituality don’t have to be mutually exclusive; they can coexist without contradicting each other. But be mindful of your denomination’s view on other people, especially non-believers. Don’t let a religious institution steer you toward intolerance for those who don’t believe as you do. Religion shouldn’t be an exclusive club where outsiders become the enemy; that’s a corruption of the connective purpose of spirituality.
Religious people can often be suspicious of anything claiming to be “human-centered.” For instance, I grew up in a Protestant Christian tradition that warned us about the dangers of “secular humanism.” But, consider: our biologically-motivated spirituality doesn’t have to preclude belief in any particular religion. In fact, respect for human beings is (or at least should be) beneficial to, and builds upon, religious belief. You don’t have to put humans before your God, but at least consider everyone to be truly worthy of your God’s benevolence.
The Golden Rule is Natural Law
I’m also not suggesting “moral relativism,” another criticism levied upon humanistic philosophies by major religions. Contrary to what some organized faiths may espouse, we don’t need gods to enforce a common morality.
The vast majority of people have a biological imperative toward what is popularly called the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like others to treat you (or, do not treat others in ways that you would not like to be treated). Of course, this instinctual altruism is often subverted by biological and socialized influences (our hardwired negativity bias, mental health issues, upbringing, inadequate social structures to support individual well-being, etc.). However, the fact remains that most of us reflexively feel remorse and guilt for actions that harm others, even if many of us can’t, don’t, or won’t admit the feeling.
Whether you call it “natural law,” “ethical naturalism,” or something else entirely, we have an inborn sense of right and wrong. It doesn’t matter whether you think that innate morality is of biological or divine origin, or both. As noted in the previous paragraph, instinctual morality is constantly under pressure of subversion by the many complex factors that make up the human condition. That’s a primary reason why we developed religion, philosophy, and even heroic mythology: to train us to emphasize the beneficial aspects of our nature, and make the conscious decision to choose what’s right (i.e. to do no harm and serve others).
This choice is illustrated by the popular parable of the two wolves, which poses a universal question we must all answer every day: what side of you will you feed and strengthen with your thoughts and beliefs? Will it be the light, or the dark?
How Heroism Fuels Human Spirituality
Human-centered spirituality and heroism both involve veneration of our nobler traits and a healthy respect for our darker impulses, for the purpose of mastering that inner darkness. Heroism is about believing in our ability to rise above our circumstances, whatever they might be at any particular moment in time.
Part of heroism is confronting the “monster” within all of us as needed. That monster is composed of the shadowy parts of our minds; it’s made of anger, sadness, cynicism, and all other manner of pain we’ve collected over the years.
The metaphor of the hero’s journey shows us how to overcome the monster within:
– Even if you feel unprepared to take charge of your inner turmoil, don’t wait for the “right time.” Just take the first step, and the next, and keep moving toward the light.
– Seek the advice of wise counselors.
– Find like-minded friends along the way who can support you, and for whom you can do the same.
– Allow yourself to be open to transforming your worldview toward increased tolerance for others.
– Give something good within yourself back to the world.
Heroism is not utopian and doesn’t gloss over the evil of which we’re capable. It embraces the totality of our nature, the good and the bad. Good and evil drive the eternal cycle of heroism. They are the engine that powers its dynamic process. The daily choice between the two is common to all of us. Neither aspect can (or should) be eradicated. You can’t have a one-sided coin, after all. The trick is to not let the truth of our nature make you bitter and cynical.
This is not about setting heroism up as a new religion. I’m not suggesting anything that dogmatic. But we can take inspiration from the heroic mindset, and make an everyday habit of treating human life as sacred. If more of us did that, it would go a long way to heal our inner turmoil as well as our external divisions.
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