I must confess that I am slightly uneasy about the word "spirituality." Spirituality is a loaded term and conjures up many different images. To me, spirituality simply means acknowledging the existence of spirit (soul) as an integral part of who we are, and opening our hearts and minds to the existence of Spirit beyond ourselves.
Becoming more spiritual includes the search for the Holy both outside of and within ourselves. It includes searching for meaning in the joyful and sad moments of life as well as in all those in between these times. And I think it means recognizing and being surprised by the sacred in all kinds of people and circumstances. It also means being able to discern that which is evil and destructive in life.
I see myself as a secular mystic. By that I mean that the more fully I engage in life, the more I am drawn into its depth and meaning, to spirituality in its ordinary and extraordinary unfolding. All of life is to me, potentially, somehow "spiritual."
So, yes indeed, I think college students (in fact, human beings in general), are spiritual by nature. Students are at a special time in their lives when they can be most open to new spiritual discoveries. One can nourish his or her spirit directly through worship, meditation, study, and fellowship. One can nourish spirit by listening to one's heart and to the needs and longings of others. Sometimes, you nourish your spirits without directly saying or thinking that that is what you are doing. You get involved in doing something for someone else. You make decisions in your personal life based on your own and another's well being. You feel connected, you achieve excellence in some pursuit of significance to you. You enjoy some kind of artistic expression, like singing, or acting, or painting, or writing poetry. You care about justice and peace. You get the idea.
However, spirituality can become a limited personal and private matter. Religion is more public, corporate, and communal. I think we eventually have to move back and forth between the two. The personal alone can become very self-serving. Religion without respect for the personal becomes mechanical or controlling.
Students can become more spiritual not only by nurturing spirit in the ways I have mentioned, but also by examining and exploring religious life. Often, communities of faith are vehicles for the development of spirituality. Many students who come to Tufts have, at some time in their childhood, had some religious affiliation. Now, as an adult, it is important to ask whether or not one's religious education has kept up with the rest of his or her education. How mature is one's faith? Too many times, faith gets stuck in some childhood experience; at this point, it is time to take it out and dust it off and update it. (Sometimes our religious traditions have fallen woefully behind and they need to hear that from us.) We have chaplains and other religious leaders on campus who are here to help bring faith up-to-date.
The university setting is a place where the free exchange of ideas can enhance each person's spiritual development, allowing it to blossom along with mind and body. Coming to Tufts, students enter a community of diverse religious and secular perspectives. It is a rich environment in which spirits can grow. This University is a place to learn not only in formal settings, but from all the complex interactions of community, on campus and beyond. It is an ideal place to learn about how other people think, what they believe and how they practice faith. That knowledge contributes to our own spiritual development.
Sometimes, in one's spiritual journey, one finds him or herself attracted to a tradition other than the one in which they were raised. I am a firm believer in knowing what your faith of origin is all about (if you have one.) A full understanding of, and coming to terms with, your past can only enhance embracing a different religious tradition.
Of course, not everyone on campus practices formal religion. Some people are not affiliated, others are agnostics and atheists. I don't think that "being spiritual" excludes them. There is as much to learn from those who have no religious affiliation as from those who do.
I remember my own student days well. They were incredibly busy. I belonged to a student Christian group, the drama club, the basketball team, and I worked in the snack bar, in addition to having a social life. Some of my friends were self consciously very spiritual. I never felt, nor was I perceived as being very religious, and yet I was. Those days were days of tremendous spiritual growth. As my life expanded beyond my home and family, and as my adult identity began to settle in, I became grounded, almost without my knowing it in the religious life of the spirit. As I am sure you know, spiritual growth is an ongoing process at every stage of life.
As interim university chaplain, I am in a position to advocate for full diversity of religious belief and practice on campus (excepting cults and political groups which use religion as a tool). Obviously, I will not agree with every tradition whose presence on campus I support and respect. While becoming more "spiritual" includes having a passionate belief in a tradition we can embrace, it also includes respecting the right of others to their own passionate commitments.
Patricia Budd Kepler is the interim university chaplain.
