If you have a salad and only put oil on it, it tastes flat and bland. If you only put vinegar on it, it is too sharp and sour. But if you blend the two, you have the base of a very tasty dressing the complements the greens and other ingredients. So it is with science and spirituality. They are best when blended together.
Science alone, with its physical approach to studying what can be seen and measured with instruments, is cold comfort on a dark and stormy night of the soul. It might tell us a lot about our physical reality but cannot still find the means to know all about our brains, our emotions, and our search for meaning.
Spirituality alone, without science, might go too far off into la-la-land. We might be too preoccupied with the non-physical to remember to eat or maintain the body in the most minimal ways. We might think we can defy the laws of gravity by trying to fly off a roof or walk on water.
But if we blend them together, we have something satisfying, comforting, and flavorful. Science can corroborate the statements of the mystics through quantum physics and brain wave measurement. Spirituality can strengthen the awe and wonder of scientists as they explore how beautifully-put-together the entire universe is: Manifested or un-manifested.
This is not the same for soap and water. Unless it is liquid soap, a block of soap’s magical cleaning properties are dormant until they are unlocked by water. A hard block of soap without water has no cleaning power at all.
On the other hand, water is a solvent and can clean objects, by itself and a little elbow-grease. But water’s ability to clean is enhanced by the presence of soap. I would rather have my clothes cleaned with both soap and water for maximum effect.
Science does not unlock the potential of spirituality the way water does with soap. It is not even concerned with spirituality. If you can’t prove it in a lab, it doesn’t exist for science.
Spirituality could possibly enhance the findings of science, but only peripherally. The calm spirit of the scientist, as he connects with the creative forces of the universe, can help him or her solve problems that seemed insurmountable and open up new pathways to discovery.
Science alone, with its physical approach to studying what can be seen and measured with instruments, is cold comfort on a dark and stormy night of the soul. It might tell us a lot about our physical reality but cannot still find the means to know all about our brains, our emotions, and our search for meaning.
Spirituality alone, without science, might go too far off into la-la-land. We might be too preoccupied with the non-physical to remember to eat or maintain the body in the most minimal ways. We might think we can defy the laws of gravity by trying to fly off a roof or walk on water.
But if we blend them together, we have something satisfying, comforting, and flavorful. Science can corroborate the statements of the mystics through quantum physics and brain wave measurement. Spirituality can strengthen the awe and wonder of scientists as they explore how beautifully-put-together the entire universe is: Manifested or un-manifested.
This is not the same for soap and water. Unless it is liquid soap, a block of soap’s magical cleaning properties are dormant until they are unlocked by water. A hard block of soap without water has no cleaning power at all.
On the other hand, water is a solvent and can clean objects, by itself and a little elbow-grease. But water’s ability to clean is enhanced by the presence of soap. I would rather have my clothes cleaned with both soap and water for maximum effect.
Science does not unlock the potential of spirituality the way water does with soap. It is not even concerned with spirituality. If you can’t prove it in a lab, it doesn’t exist for science.
Spirituality could possibly enhance the findings of science, but only peripherally. The calm spirit of the scientist, as he connects with the creative forces of the universe, can help him or her solve problems that seemed insurmountable and open up new pathways to discovery.
RSS Feed