Spiritualists believe that we are all related, that we are all brothers and sisters, because each and every one of us is derived from and is a minute part of that Divine Essence, God. We are all endowed with a spiritual essence – no matter what our colour, religion or nationality.
This is from where our second principle, The Brotherhood of Man, comes. Some argue the principle should be “The Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Man.” I think it would be more appropriate to change the second principle to “The Siblinghood of Man.” This Sunday, April 10th, is National Siblings Day. So what better time to consider updating the wording?
Spiritualists are free to interpret the seven principles in their own way. I believe the second principle tells us we need to recognise that same spiritual essence in one another and treat everyone as we would a brother or sister, caring for them and showing them kindness.
Of course it would be a much better world if we all loved each other. But it’s very difficult to love everyone with whom we come into contact. Instead we should make the effort to understand one another. If we can understand others, see where they’re coming from, then we’ll find it easier to treat them with compassion. Out of compassion comes wisdom. We need both compassion and wisdom to develop spiritually.
Sometimes when we demonstrate kindness, when we offer our help, we can find ourselves rebuffed. If this happens we really shouldn’t let it deter us. We are fortunate to be able to draw on our own spiritual strength, which we acquire through personal development. It would be wrong of us to always expect others to show us a similar level of understanding. They might not yet have acquired our spiritual knowledge.
So using National Siblings Day as a starting point, let’s try harder to recognise and appreciate our common humanity. Let’s try to remember that we all have similar basic hopes and aspirations – for happiness and fulfilment.
If we can go the extra mile and love more of our spiritual siblings that will be the icing on the cake.
Mohammad Ali, probably one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century said, “I wish people would love everybody else the way they love me. It would be a better world.”
