Although spirituality has preceded applied science by several hundred years, its application vis-à-vis science leaves a lot to be desired.

Religion-“Man will struggle for religion, write for religion, fight for religion, do anything but live religion” is an adage that applies today as well. In recent times, events of September11 and some incidents of violence in India in Gujarat where people were burnt alive come to mind. It shows that man still does not hesitate to kill in the name of religion when the opportunity arises. According to renknowned Indian thinker Krishnamurthy, Man has only advanced technologically but psychologically he is as he was. “ According to him the existence of various religions which espouse spirituality are itself the prime source of conflict which is against spirituality. His quote ”There is a hindu belief, a Christian belief, a Buddhist belief. Is it possible in this world to live without a belief- not change beliefs, not substitute one belief for another but be entirely free of all beliefs so that one meets life anew each minute.” This is the real solution for mankind’s problem.

Know thyself- Anybody who is fond of reading spiritual books would know that spiritual literature is replete with the word “ Know thyself” However even in the 21st century people have to learn by trial and error the basic purpose of their lives. Many times, people are qualified for something but end up doing something totally different. It is commonsense that when the basic purpose of life itself in unfulfilled and one is miserable in a majority of his waking hours, how can he be peaceful and happy i.e spiritual. The irony is the literal meaning of the word education is to draw out what is already in and not blindly stuff in. Know thyself like other aspects of spirituality are more in letter than in spirit. For details see my article "Don't settle for less than ac calling"

Competition- My father in law used to work in a Jain temple on a voluntary basis after retirement. He told me once that just by becoming a monk and shaving one’s head one cannot change what is inside one’s head. Then he apprised me of temple politics which was unbelievable. One has also come across the words spiritual ambition, spiritual one-up manship and spiritual professionals who distort religion for their own selfish motives which is the very antithesis of spirituality. The irony here again is that the very meaning of the word competition is “seeking together” . Therefore, it is a double thumbs down for spirituality. For details see my article “ Is money God and profession the religion”

Socialism – “God does not comfort us to make us comfortable but to comfort others.”
Spiritual literature is replete with such examples which advocate socialism. Then isn’t it an irony that it is capitalism that prevails the world over after the collapse of the soviet union and it is capitalism that is perceived to be the better of the two systems. I am not advocating socialism but I do believe that neither socialism nor capitalism is perfect- the truth lies somewhere in between. I am for voluntary and responsible socialism alongside the enterprise of capitalism because that alone can solve some ot the problems that have beset humanity. In India, somewhere in the Darshan Shastras, it is written that unless pure and noble people ensure equality of Income and wealth, there was no point talking about spirituality.

Honesty- Let us examine the following statements which speak for themselves:-

“It is discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit” - Noel Coward

We must make the world honest before we can honestly say to our children that honesty is the best policy- George Bernard Shaw

“You cannot make people honest by an act of Parliament.” – Anonymous

These quotes are self-explanatory
For further details of dishonesty and vested interest, see my article “ Is money god and profession the religion”

Peace- Considering the time around which Budhdha and Christ existed, spirituality took a headstart over applied science which really blossomed only after the seventeenth century or the Industrial revolution. Considering that it had such a big advantage, it is a wonder how nuclear weapons were invented and allowed to blossom. If spirituality had been successful as science has been, there would have been better equality of wealth, more religious tolerance, practically no crime, no drug addiction, no nuclear weapons etc. Sadly, man has remained psychologically as he was.

Happiness and equanimity – From some ot the things mentioned above, it is clear that considering the kind of headstart spirituality had over science, in broad conclusion it can be stated that the world would have been in a far better place to live in. Even today there is no dearth of people who are envious, regressive and catering to their own vested interest rather for the broader humanitarian interests. Politicians are despised the world over. How can anybody claim any success for spirituality in implementation.

It would not be out of place to mention the theory of Karma which is mentioned in Hinduism and Jainism. According to that the one atones for the deeds of one’s previous life in current life and of one’s current life in future life. Had this problem been implemented in letter and spirit, India’s biggest hurdle the population problem would not have been there in the first place. Not only that , if this theory had been implemented practically, a majority of the problems that mankind is beset with shall go automatically.

It can be inferred that spirituality is there more in letter than spirit. It can give the excuse that the world would have been a worse off place to live in had it not been around but the fact remains that its implementation leaves a lot to be desired.