Spirituality and well‐being

My investigations into notions of contemporary spirituality began in the late nineties when I would hear my students claim to be ‘not religious but spiritual’. I was interested to know just what they meant. My subsequent research was inspired by Nye’s (Hay and Nye 1998) notion of ‘relational consciousness’ and it led me to my current understanding of spirituality, that it is a vital element of the human condition which pertains to human relationality whereby the individual experiences different levels of connectedness to Self and everything other than self. ¹ The latter includes connectedness to the Social and Communal Other, to the Physical Other in the world and to a Transcendent Other, and it is these relationships that invigorate and animate the individual’s life as s/he moves forward on her/his spiritual journey. The movement comprises an outward motion to embrace others who are familiar, then moving on to connect to others who are different and unknown. As well, it comprises a ‘going within’ as the individual discovers new parts of him/herself that resonates with what they have learnt of the Other. Thus the path leads to empathy and compassion at the outer level and to self knowledge at the inner level. Such connectedness promotes a sense of self and place in one’s community which, in turn, provides a sense of meaning and purpose for the individual. Religious frameworks provide avenues to nurture and give expression to human spirituality and this is where religion and spirituality connect and, for some, they overlap and the differences become indistinct.

Given this understanding, it is not surprising that I found that the professionals in Australia who were most interested in the role of spirituality in promoting well‐being were social, youth and mental‐health workers. In time, I was to realise that this interest was reflected in many countries across the globe. Before proceeding much further, it is pertinent to offer a definition of well‐being as it has been applied in many of the articles which appear in this issue. Hence, I draw on Eckersley’s (2005) definition which was contained in a Wellbeing Manifesto that was launched at the Edge Theatre, Federation Square, Melbourne:

We often measure wellbeing as happiness or satisfaction with life. The search for happiness is often confused with the pursuit of pleasure, but wellbeing is about more than living ‘the good life’; it is about having meaning in life, about fulfilling our potential and feeling that our lives are worthwhile. (Eckersley 2005)

Indeed, if children or young people feel their lives are not worthwhile or if they become disconnected from their community or society, the experience of alienation that often follows can promote mental and emotional instability. Other contributory factors to this state are linked to a world besieged by a powerful media where children and young people are confronted by images of so many different lifestyles and role models, many of which are not always the most positive influences. If they are not well grounded in their family and community relationships, they are very likely to be lured by the promise of media images to try and ‘be’ something other than who they are and this can, potentially, cause identity problems affecting the individual’s sense of self and place. Further, the consumeristic culture that abounds in the Western world encourages the notion that one can ‘buy’ this new identity, for instance by wearing particular labels or being seen in particular places and so on, all of which are designed to produce happiness. In other words, in a material world, the individual is persuaded to believe that happiness can be bought.

Accordingly, the concept of spirituality as connectedness and its link to well‐being have continued to attract the attention of many professionals working with children and young people. This is evidenced by the rise in conferences, themed editions of journals and books on the subject over the past decade. For instance, the 8th International Conference on Children’s Spirituality, which was held in Australia in January 2008, had as its theme ‘the role of spirituality in education and health: finding meaning and connectedness to promote wellbeing’. It attracted 70 papers and 130 delegates from Australian and international networks of professionals in the fields of education and health. They came together for a common purpose – to present and discuss innovative research and practice that explored the role of spirituality in education and health.

This issue of the journal continues this theme with a collection of articles on the role of spirituality in well‐being. These include topics that focus on the spirituality of children and young people, and they provide insightful discussions on ways in which spirituality may be nurtured through the use of particular strategies and activities, and through the creation of sacred spaces.

Tony Eaude, in the first article, explores the links between the concepts of happiness, emotional well‐being and mental health. He argues that it is problematic if happiness and emotional well‐being are sought as explicit ends in themselves. Instead, while children need to be protected, they also need to be provided with challenges that assist them in their learning and search for meaning and connectedness. Such activities, potentially, will allow happiness and emotional well‐being to flourish.

Next, Jacqueline Hodder reports on her doctoral studies that explored the phenomenon of contemporary youth spirituality. She notes the complexity of the terms ‘spirituality’ and ‘well‐being’ because they are used and applied differently by different groups. In particular, Hodder has traversed a difficult path that attempts to show the links between ‘New Age’ and ‘Evangelical’ expressions of spirituality at both the individual and the communal level, and she contends that there are associated benefits and challenges therein that have implications for the individual’s sense of well‐being.

The next two authors offer some considerations for the creation of sacred spaces and environments which nurture spiritual wholeness. Joyce E. Bellous and David M. Csinos propose that learning environments need to be responsive to children’s spirituality. Drawing on the words, emotions and symbols that children use to express their spirituality, the authors identify four distinct spiritual styles, which they believe will assist educators to nurture the spirituality of the children in their care. Following this, there is an article by Raisuyah Bhagwan who provides some insights from the area of social work. She points to the raised awareness among professionals working with children that spirituality not only enables their healing but is critical to spiritual transformation and examines several avenues that may be useful for practitioners to use to help the children in their care.

A different perspective on nurturing young people’s spirituality comes from Sally Nash. She draws on her experience in youth ministry to suggest ways in which young people’s spiritual well‐being may be promoted through informal education in the context of Christian youth work. A related but different view is offered by Richard Rymarz who argues that there is a distinct link between young people’s active involvement in a religious tradition and their sense of well‐being. In the same vein as Nash, Rymarz contends that the most important factor in encouraging and sustaining high levels of religious commitment is the support of a social network or community that uphold such plausibility. He ends by offering a challenge to mainstream churches if they are to engage young people on an ongoing basis, namely, that they ‘need … to think more in terms of how they can most effectively present themselves to people who have a wide range of choices and no compelling reason to choose a particular one’.

Mandy Robbins and Leslie J. Francis present a study that examined the association between suicidal ideation and both conventional religiosity as well as paranormal beliefs. Their findings demonstrate that students with conventional religiosity had lower levels of association with suicidal ideation than those with paranormal beliefs, and they discuss the ongoing implications for schools. John Fisher’s article follows where he offers a detailed discussion and critique on the use of quantitative measures which can be applied to children and young people’s spirituality and well‐being.

The final article presents views from different arenas. In the first, Ron Laura and Amy Chapman explore the impact of computers in impeding spirituality because of their potential to promote levels of depersonalisation in society. They claim that the ‘degree of depersonalisation is conditional upon the extent to which human relationships have substituted face‐to‐face human interchange in preference for technologically mediated communication’, and argue against the overuse of ‘computechnology’ which impacts on the relationship between teachers and students by weakening ties based on loyalty and trust.

The breadth of the offerings in this issue reflects the wide interest that is generated by contemporary notions of spirituality for education and well‐being. The authors come from a range of backgrounds, and they provide ideas that may assist others in their professional practice. As well they have raised issues that require further attention, research and study, thereby indicating the possibility that the spiritual dimension of life and learning will continue to be of interest. Indeed, raising awareness of different perspectives and studies on children’s and adolescent’s spirituality is a significant and worthwhile endeavour. In a modern world that is consumed with materialism, which moves at a frantic pace, and which is frayed by cultural, racial and religious divisiveness, the yearning of the human spirit to connect and find meaning is sometimes overlooked. Addressing the relational dimension of children and adolescents through programs that allow them to find connectedness to Self and everything that is other than self, will undoubtedly promote their sense of well‐being and should, I believe, be a priority for those who work with children and young people.

Notes

1. I use ‘Self’ to refer to the inner self.