1G - North Shore News - siaainaaaadh September 6, 2000

Spiritual journey part of a healthy

Eugene Kaellis
Contributing Writer

A healthy mind in a
healthy body does not,
according to a survey
by Dr. Chandrakant P.
Shah, Professor of
Public Health Sciences
at the University of
Toronto, mean only a
good physique and a
sharp intellect. It means

also having an active
spiritual component in
one’s life.

Reviewing scores of studies
and a large amount of data,
De. Shah concluded that a
spiritual life reduces stress,
enhances physical and mental
health, prolongs life, and
makes people happier.

While a persistent and
growing number of
Canadians live in abject
poverty, for most Canadians

acquiring the basic necessities
of lite is not their biggest
problem. It is insecurity and
stress, leading to fear, worry,
over-acquisition, bad and
compulsive habits — smok-
ing, alcoholism, drug addie-
tion, and sexual promiscuity
— to name only the more dis-
turbing consequences. Fear
and worry also degrade the
social environment. People
see one another as competi-
tors, potential aggressors and
threats. The result is a dog-

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eat-dog society in which the
more pernicious manitesta-
tions are exploitation, racism,
sexism, and inter-generational
warfare.

Dr. Shah makes an appro-
priate and useful distinction
benween religion and spiritu-
ality. Religion, in its most
basic forms, expresses the
need people have to endow
their lives with meaning, and
to connect with everyone and
everything, reducing the feel-
ing of isolation that comes
with self-awareness. Almost
inexplicably, in spite of their
often degrading treatment by
other human beings, their vie-
timization by natural disasters,
and the apparent hopelessness
of improving their material
conditions, most people want
to goon living. As
Schopenhauer remarked —

he basic question in philoso-
phy i is suicide; everything else
is commentary.

Unfortunately, religion
often takes on institutional

‘Pe CRS hae ARAL AENEAN EE RT OEE

life

trappings replete with dogma,
regulations, professional hier-
archies and bureaucracies, rit-
uals, a concentration on
esthetic adjuncts, presumption
about an after-life, and some-
times arrogant exclusivity.
Spirituality and religion are,
therefore, often at odds.

The former is always and
universally available, but some
circumstances are evidently
more facilitating and enhanc-
ing than others. Silencing the
inner chatter that expresses
our egos, emptying our minds
of parochial concerns, estab-
lishing a liaison with the silent
respiration of the Universe
and all living beings eases
entry into the spiritual state.

We cannot remain in this
state. We must return to our -
egos to fulfill responsibilities
to ourselves and others. But
“dipping into” spiritualism is
a tonic, reminding us that we”
are more than the separate
individuals much of the time -
We appear to be. | ©

Showboat 2000 |
sails into sunset —

Dear Editor:

The Kitsilano Showboat’s
2000 season of beach side
family entertainment has all
too soon come to an end.

On behalf of the volun-
teers and the hundreds of per-

formers who participated in

our programs, thank you for
helping to make this season a
great success.

Young and old, local resi-
dents as well as visitors from
abroad, came down this year
to see Showboat’s ‘beautiful
outdoor stage and outstand-
ing variety programs. We
always feature talented ama-
teur singers, dancers, and
musicians from alf- over the
Lower Mainland.

This year we had perform-
ers from Burnaby,. Hope,
Maple Ridge, New
Westminster, North.
Vancouver, Richmond, and’.
White Rock.

The Kitsilano Showboat!
Society is a non-profit organi-,
zation that relies on the good- '
will of its audiences, local:
merchants, publications, and
radio stations. | :

Any publicity. that we. .
receive is very much appreci-
ated, : on

Thank you for helping: us
keep the tradition ‘alive. We
look forward to secing you
next year...

B.C, Leinbach, President ae
Kitsilano Showboat Society

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