Becoming a Spiritual Adult

I've got no idea whether Harry Truman actually had a sign on his desk that said, "The Buck Stops Here", but if he did, bravo for him. That's taking responsibility for the job in a way that few politicians have or do. But that's really what human adulthood seems to have as its base--a willingness to take full responsibility for one's life: what we do, what we say, how we react (whether or not "anyone" would react that way under the circumstances). Then we put ourselves in the way of becoming full adults (whatever that evolving state may ultimately be).

As it is in life in general, so it is, I think, in the spiritual realm. It's when we take full responsibility for our spiritual growth, whether or not we believe in "God", whether or not we belong to a spiritual tradition or we're "just searching", whether we think those who believe in the spirit are wildly deluded, the buck stops with each of us.

Not surprisingly, the members of this group seem to "get" this. Most of us seem to have accepted responsibility for our spiritual growth, and being a member of this group is part of that process. Although each of us accepts responsibility for ourselves, that doesn't mean we have to travel our path alone. There are teachers, there are sacred texts, there are practices, retreats, the moment to moment experience of life itself--the greatest teacher of all--and on and on.

The catch can be this: that being responsible for your spiritual life can set you apart. You become a rare animal. Beyond being a member of this group, how do you deal with that fact? Revel in it? Struggle with it? Both? The grand irony can be that, to the extent that it becomes part of your identity, it can become a serious trap. Tell us how you cope with being where the spiritual buck stops.

Peace.

Geoff