SPIRITUAL CAPITAL

IN Africa and many parts of the world, anything with the word ‘spirit’ or ‘spiritual’ must be about some mystic force beyond the realm of human grasp. To some people it’s a set of ritualistic deeds captured in a frame called religion. But I have come to discover that spirituality is neither about religion nor some mystic powers. Spirituality is you; your innermost self, the real you. It is the centre of your life; the place where everything emanates from. Your spirituality makes a definite statement of who you are and clarifies the existential questions of life. Who am I? Why do I exist? What is my mission on earth? What is the meaning of life? Is there life after death? What kind of person am I? A clear understanding of these issues will converge to constitute your spiritual capital.

THE COMMITMENT OF YOUR LIFE: MISSION
I HAVE often wondered, “Am I just to get an education, get a job, marry someone pretty, have kids, grand kids, grow old and die?” If all I strive to accomplish will land me in death, then why do I work so hard? Is that all life is about? There must be something more compelling and significant than that. I don’t believe that God would create such a complex being as man to just come and wander on earth and go.
Every human life on earth has been tied to something specific. Each person is uniquely shaped to make a specific contribution to the world. That’s why every single person has a unique DNA, differentiated fingerprint, exact voice structure and many other features that are specific to them and is not duplicated in any single person. This implies that throughout the course of human history, there has never been anybody, there is nobody and there will never be anybody like you. You might resemble somebody else but you two are never the same.
This quintessential uniqueness of every human being implies that there is something specific that each of us is created to do. If you fail to live up to it, your life on earth would have been a worthless experience. Any person who recognises this will gain fulfilment and inner peace. The quest for a meaningful life would be reached when you discover what your mission on earth is and decide to harness it.

THE CHARACTER OF YOUR HEART: INTEGRITY
CHARACTER is what you do when nobody sees you. It is what you say that nobody hears. It is the difference between what people think of you and what you think of yourself. It is the difference between what you say to everybody and what you say to yourself; the difference between your public life and your private life. A person with low regard for character is a consistent adherent to the eleventh commandment; “Thou shall not be caught.” Do you cross the red light when the police are not watching? What are the movies you watch when you are alone? If being caught will embarrass you, then you have a character deficit. If you are concerned about being caught, reassess what you are doing and clean yourself up. The value of your human capital will always rise or fall to equate your character.

THE CONVICTION OF YOUR SPIRIT: FAITH
FAITH is firm assurance and belief based on spiritual conviction rather than physical evidence. It is what you hold on to when everything around you crumbles. It is that which will remain standing within you when the world around you collapses. Faith is not a matter of religion. It is an issue of insurance. It’s a belief in God’s power to create, redeem and restore. For me, it is characterized by a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and absolute commitment to His person, principles and power. This gives you stability and resilience.
A person of faith experiences a meaningful life. I share ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair’s view that “The meaning of life cannot be explained by science.” It is faith that does. When you don’t know what to do, your faith will direct you. When you are down, your faith will lift you up. When you are discouraged, your faith will encourage you. When everybody doubts you, your faith will make you believe in yourself.
SPIRITUAL capital is a non-negotiable. As we walk through life, it’s important that we walk with purpose, integrity and faith. These are the values that will stand the test of time. They will prevail in all situations of life. As you build your life, don’t neglect the accumulation of spiritual capital.

© 2011 by Terry Mante
terrymante.blogspot.com

IT'S A BIG DEAL

NOVEMBER 13, 2010. Myanmar’s pro-democracy opposition leader and human rights activist Aung San Su Kyi regained her freedom after seven continuous years under house arrest. Twenty-one years leading up to that time, Su Kyi had spent fifteen years of her life under house arrest. A couple of days after her release, I got the chance to watch an interview she granted the BBC. I must admit that the entire interview was very insightful and inspiring but a particular line struck me. The interviewer asked her, “How does it feel to be free again after seven years?” Her response captured what I consider to be imperative for human development and progress. She remarked, “I have always felt free because I had my books and I could listen to the BBC and read.”
What?! Seven years under house arrest and she always felt free? How is that possible? For Su Kyi, that was possible because she had access to knowledge and information – she could read her books and listen to the BBC. If you are exposed to relevant knowledge and information, you will never feel confined or limited in life. The way to rise above your limitation is to step up your knowledge base. If you want to progress beyond the current level of your life, then extending the boundaries of your knowledge is not an option. It is a must. You must give the acquisition and usage of knowledge an elevated position in your life. Your ignorance limits your horizon. You cannot progress beyond what you know.
So, if you are not learning, then you are limiting yourself. You cannot move beyond your current location to harness the boundless opportunities that exist in the world. As a matter of fact, before you can take advantage of any opportunity, you have to know about it. Then, you have to know what is needed to nib it in the bud. You see! If you don’t know, you can’t pursue.
Thus in today’s world, what you know and what you don’t know is a real BIG DEAL. You cannot achieve beyond the level of your knowledge. The reason you are behind is the information you don’t have. And it will take relevant knowledge to leap you from the back to the front. If you see yourself to be in front, it’s because you possess some knowledge that those behind don’t have. You must constantly update your knowledge to keep leading.
So, what constitutes your knowledge base? Four components – Information, insight, observation and experience.
1. Information. Each day of our lives, somebody tells us something, either directly or indirectly. We hear stuff from our family members, our friends, colleagues at work and mates in the classroom. We listen to the news, we read statements by politicians and journalists, and our pastors preach to us. When somebody tells you something, what you hear becomes part of what you know. Information is the knowledge we have in our heads. It refers to facts we have accumulated about phenomena, persons or places. It doesn’t matter what you believe. Once something is in your brain, it’s information; even if you’ve not seen any evidence.

2. Insight. Insight takes you deeper into what you already know. It processes information you already have and gives you understanding. Insight is the ability to see; except that you see not just with your natural eyes but with your mind’s eye as well. Seeing with your mind’s eye involves prying the surface to unravel the hidden meaning of an idea or concept. You do that by asking why, how, what, who, when and/or where. When you see something with your mind’s eye, it gives you understanding and helps you to establish a conviction. It carves your perspective.

3. Observation. When you look around, what do you see? What impression do you get? What ideas come to your mind? Do you get any inspiration? Things that happen around us can draw our minds to issues and phenomena we might never have considered. They open our eyes to opportunities we must harness and challenges to confront. You must not be in a place and close your eyes to things happening around. Be alert to your environment.

4. Experience. I was chilled when CNN named Anuradha Koirala as CNN Hero of the Year 2010. At age 9 or 10 (she’s not so sure), Koirala became a victim of child trafficking. She went through shock and torture whenever she refused to sleep with any of the about 30 men she was supposed to service each day. She eventually got redeemed from it and since then she has dedicated her life to educating people about child trafficking. It was in recognition of her commitment to expunging child trafficking and abuse that CNN acknowledged her as a hero. Experiences are real. It’s important that we don’t take our experiences for granted. They constitute an essential segment of our knowledge base. Let Anuradha Koirala be your hero too; let your experience build your knowledge package and inform your engagement in life.
The educated or knowledgeable are people who pack information, open it up with their senses of perception and understanding and relate such knowledge with what is happening around them. Ultimately, such people test their knowledge through experience and application to their day-to-day endeavours.

By Terry Mante
© 2011 Accra, Ghana
terrymante.blogspot.com