Having pointed out the problems with over-reliance on both emotion and thinking, I believe balance requires that the third major pillar of mental life be considered here. One popular word for this third foundation is spirituality.

The spiritual dimension of human consciousness seems, at first glance, like something unassailable. Isn’t spirituality the highest principle?

Of course, anyone with strong atheistic beliefs will immediately disagree. Strict materialists often view any mental state or idea with ‘spiritual’ attached to it as profoundly suspect, childish, and superstitious. We have all known people who seem so connected with mystical mental currents that they become sharply disconnected from reality. Schizophrenia, or at least psychosis, often results from too little material consciousness and too much transcendence.

Regardless of whether you believe mystical experiences reflect larger spiritual forces or deranged mental states (or both,) there is no question that an alternate form of consciousness is available to people, and that some humans get lost in it. The question is, does spirituality have value for those who remain firmly connected with day-to-day reality? It’s a personal question that atheists will answer one way and religious folks another. But there is a less controversial way of looking at the problem.

Neuroscientists often divide mental life into thought, emotion, and motivation. Using this formula, spirituality is most closely aligned with motivation. Why do we behave as we do? If we help others, are we acting in self-interest, hoping for future favors? Or do we work from the more laudable place of truly caring about the welfare of others? If we pursue a sexual partner, are we simply interested in carnal pleasure, or do we yearn for lasting connection with a life-partner? These motivational questions can be pursued pragmatically.

When we search within for our best motives, they often have a spiritual flavor, and hover near the transcendent experience. But that doesn’t mean we can’t use either spiritual or motivational terminology, according to our preference.

In the modern world of commerce, spiritual value (or motivational purity) is quite often neglected if not outright derided. Not only are we suspicious of it, we also recognize that it places demands on our lifestyle. If we were truly spiritually/motivationally fit, if we obeyed our most heartfelt tendencies, we might consume less, give away treasure, and live more austere lives. This might be inconvenient not only for us as individuals, but also for family members who share our lifestyles. It is easier to push away the nagging conscience, and offer it tidbits via small acts of charity.

But only when we are true to our deepest spiritual, motivational voice will we feel truly serene. As long as we are living lives that conflict with our values, we will experience that conflict as unease in the heart. Whether we are working a job that doesn’t fit, or living in a relationship that’s not based on love, or consuming far beyond necessity, the heart knows and exacts its price in subtle discontent. We may think we have our lives all worked out, but we feel vaguely disturbed all the same.

In the case of thought and emotion, the usual danger is to lean to far in either direction and live unbalanced mental lives as a result. In the case of spirituality, unless we are bordering on psychosis or fantasy, we are more likely to be underemphasizing the deep motivating forces that most authentically drive us. We are trained in this culture to follow shallow goals, and avoid looking too deeply at why we live as we do. We are trained to want the new car, the nice house, the beautiful mate, without looking at what might be best for the planet and our souls.

The answer? I hesitate to suggest prayer, with all it implies. Meditation is a less controversial word in today’s world. But the language is less important than the act. There is grave necessity to examine what directs us at our very center. If everyone on the planet opened themselves to these deepest motivations, the one’s closest to the heart, greed and cruelty would diminish, wars would gradually cease, ecological destruction would abate.

Or at least that’s what my own spiritual core tells me. Perhaps it is simply fantasy, and perhaps I am losing touch with that hard-edged cynicism I used to prize. Or perhaps I am finally balancing my mind, giving equal voice to thought, emotion, and deep motivation.

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