Beyond Spiritual Correctness
In the world of spiritual correctness, there is no room for critique. When you criticize someone or something, you sure aren’t being spiritual - at least according to those who are under the spell of such “politeness.”
Spend enough time in spirituality and every one of us can fall prey to such confusion. We’ve all been there. But this doesn’t mean spiritual correctness itself shouldn’t be criticized.
When you make fiery energy (including anger) wrong, just remember Jesus throwing out the money changers from the temple.
As the story goes, he was pretty much screaming at them as he kicked them out. These are still the actions of a compassionate being, passionately protecting what matters. (And don’t use this to justify aggressive behaviour!)
Spiritual correctness tends to confuse a genuine critique of someone or something with shaming or condemning them. When we shame, blame, or condemn people, we not only hurt them, but lose our humanity along the way. This is the fire of unhealthy anger. Such fire harms.
The fire of genuine critique illuminates.
A healthy critique of what someone is doing or how something is functioning (perhaps a system or an organization) is our discernment finding expression.
Such discernment can have great passion, but does not try to hurt. It can have great fire, yet does not intend to burn. Such light illuminates in order to clarify, deepen, and protect.
Such expression of discernment is the deep-feeling heart going all the way - out of sheer caring.
Such is the nature of mature love: At times fiery and confrontational, at times soothing and tender - flexible enough to adapt to the needs of the moment in the service of everyone involved.
When we are in the trance of spiritual correctness, we tend to reduce love to merely big smiles and a generally pleasant attitude. This has more to do with our fears of rocking the boat (and our fear of what might happen if we actually confronted someone) than being genuinely loving.
And what happens when we no longer confine Love to such rigidly defined parameters of the ways we think it should be?
Find out.