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What are spiritual riches?

Lark

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As opposed to material riches? Are spiritual riches different to culture or tradition or norms?
 

Mole

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As opposed to material riches? Are spiritual riches different to culture or tradition or norms?
Spiritual riches start with the helping mode of child rearing, followed by free, secular, and compulsory education, and then the exercise of moral courage and critical. thinking.
 

Lark

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Spiritual riches start with the helping mode of child rearing, followed by free, secular, and compulsory education, and then the exercise of moral courage and critical. thinking.

I'm just thinking on whether "free, secular" or "compulsory education" are the bigger contradictions, I could not possibly write something like this unless my own thinking and knowledge were very, very limited AND limiting.
 

Madboot

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I think that the definition of spiritual riches is largely subjective.
 
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Spiritual riches are universal imo. Joy when the world says you should be sad. Peace in difficult times. I think you can see that pattern in the saints of all religions and philosophies from the Sufi whirling dervish to the Catholic saint to the Buddhist monk.
 

nor

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Comfort prizes.

And comfort they provide -- now ain't that value, as delineated by the "valuable".

I think you can see that pattern in the saints of all religions and philosophies from the Sufi whirling dervish to the Catholic saint to the Buddhist monk.

Would they agree?
 

nor

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Some of them

So their agreement isn't universal? What about the ones who don't agree? I mean, if they don't define their "shared virtues" as shared, or perhaps even as virtues, then we must be appealing to some external definition of spiritual riches, rather than theirs. One that doesn't necessitate the harmony of agreement, too, which I believe might just be germane.

So whose?

When talking about "peace in difficult times", whose peace from whose/what blight are we referencing? Does whatever vision of peace suffice insofar as it's labeled as peace? These spiritual riches can't really be universal in the respects you mentioned; we've "peace", which as an abstraction may be defined as usual -- but when applied and thereby contextualized, does (whatever despicable person/system)'s strive toward their version of peace count? Can these discordant views be reconciled in any coherent, rational fashion?

After all, agreement isn't unanimous; and the same can be said for whatever other "spiritual riches" you mentioned.
 
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Red Herring

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I'm just thinking on whether "free, secular" or "compulsory education" are the bigger contradictions, I could not possibly write something like this unless my own thinking and knowledge were very, very limited AND limiting.

I'm in favor of a laicistic rather than a secular society. The point is, the public space should not be limited to one creed but be open to everyone including those without religion and no faith should be pushed on people against their will.

As for education, I think a tuition free, compulsory and religion-neutral education is necessary for a person to be able to fully develop, blossom and enjoy intellectual, social and psychological freedom. It's also why I am strongly against homeschooling which unnecessarily limits a child's access to the world and exposes it to extreme filters.

Now for the actual question:

As opposed to material riches? Are spiritual riches different to culture or tradition or norms?

To me, spiritual riches are things like an appreciation for art, human connections, nature, beauty, awe at the cosmos and the world around us. It is sensing something far greater than yourself and feeling grateful for it rather than treat or intimidation.

Culture and tradition are immaterial (as in "not material") values, for sure, but I wouldn't consider them spiritual riches by the above definition. However, somebody who deeply enjoys and appreciates their culture and traditions could be considered to be spiritually rich.
 

StrawberryBoots

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As opposed to material riches? Are spiritual riches different to culture or tradition or norms?

In Christianity, spiritual riches are the things not seen which are eternal. For example, the fruit of the spirit that follows us into the unseen will withstand a test by fire. There may be rewards and crowns, but what we did, we did for the glory of God, so we won't want to keep them.
 
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Mole

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It might be easier to look at the negative called spiritual impoverishment. For instance in prosperous free societies most follow popular culture and not high culture.

So to that degree we are impoverished and we tend to practise reverse snobbery towards high culture.
 

Mole

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In Christianity, spiritual riches are the things not seen which are eternal. For example, the fruit of the spirit that follows us into the unseen will withstand a test by fire. There may be rewards and crowns, but what we did, we did for the glory of God, so we won't want to keep them.

Sure, I am all for viva la company, click on YouTube .
 

sLiPpY

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As opposed to material riches? Are spiritual riches different to culture or tradition or norms?

Spiritual riches? What's meaningful and informative to me; won't be meaningful and informative to almost anyone else.

Sometimes material riches impart important lessons for the soul...especially the cycle of feast or famine.
 

Agent Washington

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when you go through life, you're like sonic running through the zone. spiritual riches are like the rings that sonic collects, only it's not an actual ring, but abstract. am ia philosopher yet
 
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