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Becoming A Spiritual Activist
by Tami Coyne
 In
1968, I told my catechism teacher that I didn't believe in original sin. I just
couldn't (and still don't) understand how innocent babies could be born sinful
because of something Adam and Eve did light years ago. The teacher called in the
priest who, rather than berating me, told me to keep thinking. This defining
moment made me a free thinker. The fact that my heretical thoughts were
sanctioned by a forward-thinking emissary of the Catholic Church makes me smile
to this very day.
In 1970, my mother took my sister, my brothers and me out of school to attend
a peace rally in Pittsburgh. She told us that we should never be afraid to stand
up for what was right -- and in her opinion American participation in a civil
war in Southeast Asia that was taking countless lives was not right. One year
later, a few months after I turned 11, my father and I marched on Washington, DC
for peace in Vietnam. He told me to always question authority. Long after the
Vietnam War was over, my dad kept trying to walk his talk by letting me question
him. He didn't always handle it well, but he sure as hell earned an "A" for
effort.
Thanks to my parents' example, my unconventional thinking and my speaking out
when I disagreed with the ideology of the moment continued past elementary
school. As a senior in high school, I wrote an English paper for a conservative
teacher entitled, "In Defense of Homosexuality." Despite the fact that he
disagreed with my position, my teacher gave me an "A" because he said I made
some good arguments and he loved my spunk. Working for a traditional Wall Street
law firm, I consistently questioned the status quo. Rather than getting fired, I
was promoted over and over again because thinking outside the box led to
creative solutions.
In 1994, all this questioning led me to Concept-Therapy* where I
began to take inquiry to a whole new level. No longer was I content to question
the outside world, instead I turned my attention inward and began to question my
deeply held beliefs about who I am and about the nature of reality. An infinite
and beautiful world opened up for me and in 1999, I began to collaborate with
Karen Weissman ? a friend from Concept-Therapy ? on
THE SPIRITUAL CHICKS QUESTION EVERYTHING: Learn to Risk, Release and Soar.
Not surprisingly, we came to the conclusion that the most direct path to the
Truth was to question everything, condemn nothing, and align ourselves with what
we want.
* Concept-Therapy is a
metaphysically-oriented course of study that stresses the underlying unity
between science and spirituality and offers practical solutions to real life
problems. For more information check out
www.concept-therapy.org
I'm a rebel, not a sheep. And thankfully I've always been rewarded for being
a free thinker. I now know that's because I'm a natural empathizer, not a
condemner, and have always aligned myself with the unifying principle, the glue
that holds things together, the reality beyond the illusion, and not the
ephemeral party line of the moment. This is not self-aggrandizement. I'm no
Gandhi. I yell at my daughter way too much, boss my husband around, act
selfishly, make bad decisions, have a hard time saying no, like to spend money,
eat too much fat, drink wine, etc.
As a matter of fact it's my flaws that make me interesting, my shortcomings
that will give my daughter something to question when she gets a bit older, my
inconsistencies that will provide interesting material for my eulogy. But my
life experience to date has taught me one thing. In the game of life, human
perfection is not required, in fact it's not even possible, but a questioning
soul, an open heart and a reverence for life will give you access to the big
picture and inspire you to keep on going when things get tough.
And things are getting tough. Our country that has always prided itself on
our constitutional right to free speech is now trying to squelch domestic
dissent in the name of patriotism. And on the global front, our government has
reduced the diverse worldwide community into two groups -- those who agree with
us and those who don't -- as if there aren't any other possible points of view.
Our president evokes God in every speech he makes, yet treats the recent
worldwide peace demonstrations as irrelevant to the decision-making process
regarding war with Iraq.
Peace is not irrelevant. And as any one on the spiritual path knows, it's the
only goal worth pursuing. The fact that it's so hard to achieve on both the
global and personal levels does not diminish its ultimate spiritual power and
value. And despite the current doublespeak, peace cannot be achieved through
killing. It can only be achieved through questioning, understanding and
persistence. There is one God and this almighty power doesn't take sides, no
matter what George W. Bush thinks.
In college, I traveled to Russia before the fall of communism and saw
firsthand how drab and scary a police state really is. We're not there yet, but
without the right to question or disagree, we'll never come up with creative
solutions to our longstanding problems. I for one do not yearn for order,
control and security at the expense of my right to ask why. It's no longer the
Republicans versus the Democrats or the haves versus the have nots.
It's the questioners versus the fear mongers, the seekers versus those who seem
to know everything. Let's wake up before it's too late. Question everything,
condemn nothing and align yourself with what you want. That's spiritual
activism.
? 2004/Tami Coyne/All rights reserved
 This
article was written by the author of The Spiritual Chicks Question Everything,
by Tami Coyne and Karen Weissman.
Myths about how to be spiritual abound, and most of us have bought into at least
a few of them, even if we?re not aware of it. Tami Coyne and Karen Weissman help
strip away the woo-woo, the no-no?s, and the silly rules. With an outrageous and
edgy look at the challenges they face in their own lives, The Spiritual Chicks
share a no-holds-barred quest to know, feel, and apply universal goodness and
authenticity to life.
Info/Order the book.
About the Author
Tami
Coyne is an ordained interfaith minister and spiritually-oriented career and
life coach. She is the co-author of
The Spiritual Chicks Question Everything: Learn to Risk,
Release and Soar and author of
Your Life's Work: A Guide to Creating a Spiritual and
Successful Work Life. She co-hosts the popular
website
www.SpiritualChicks.com and lives in New York City
with her husband and daughter.
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