Being Spiritual Is Not Exclusive - It Is the Freedom to Include All

There comes a time in life when you begin to notice the invisible frameworks that shape how people live. Some follow the path of ambition, climbing ladders in the corporate world. Others dedicate themselves to family, to tradition, to holding together the roots of belonging. Some define themselves through culture, others through rebellion. Each way of living has its own rules, its own rhythm, its own sense of identity. They are like rivers flowing in different directions, and most of us are taught to pick one and stay in its current. Society whispers that you must belong somewhere, or risk being left behind.

Most people settle into these currents without ever asking if they truly chose them. Comfortable rules are easier to follow. They give a sense of safety, of belonging, of certainty. The herd moves one way, and it feels secure to move with it. But comfort has a quiet cost. It lulls us into believing that the familiar is the only truth, that to question is dangerous, that to step aside from the herd is to lose our place in the world.

But what if you no longer felt confined to one river? What if you realized you were not just the swimmer, but also the witness to all the streams, watching them flow? What if you knew you were free to step into any river you wished, to taste its waters, to learn from its current, and even to step out again? Life, after all, is not about being trapped in one stream forever, it is about experiencing. That moment of recognition, when you see you are both free and limitless, is where spirituality quietly begins.

To be spiritual does not mean rejecting life or walking away from responsibility. It simply reveals that no single path defines you. The corporate, the domestic, the traditional, the modern, the sage, the practical, the rebel....all of these are experiences, not prisons. The sense of “this is who I am” begins to soften, because in truth there is no rigid “me” at all, only ways of surviving, expressions you choose, masks you wear for a while. When this dawns within you, judgement begins to dissolve and differentiation loses its edge. Acceptance begins to take root.

And yet, when this shift happens, it is often misunderstood. People may tell you that you are breaking rules, turning your back on society, or thinking too big, too good about others. That you have a pair of rosy glasses on. What they cannot see is that you are widening. You have become aware of the possibilities, and the vastness of experience, you can now no longer shrink yourself into narrow boxes. The chain that breaks is the belief that your circumstances must define your life.

Living spiritually does not demand that you renounce the world, give up your home, or disappear into the mountains. You can, if your heart truly calls you there. But often the deeper practice is simpler and closer, learning to peel away the perspectives you have clung to for so long. The ones that told you life has boundaries. That this way of life is good and the other is bad. That this way of worship is right, and that way is wrong. That difference start dissolving - me and them are not separate, just experiencing life in their own way. And hence, you can take on any role, way of life that makes you feel good, makes you feel free, and fearless. Spirituality is the freedom to experience it all.

And as you soften, as you unlearn, you begin to notice space opening within you. You are no longer rigid clay, you are malleable. When this space opens, light naturally enters. And with the light come new opportunities. Not just the familiar ones, but possibilities from directions you never imagined. Each layer you release, each definition you let go of, expands the horizon around you.

Slowly, you realize that the more inclusive you become, the more life opens in return. You are not defined by a role, not trapped by a label, not limited to one way of being. You are vast enough to hold it all or nothing at all.

To be spiritual is not to be exclusive, but to become inclusive of everything and let nothing stick on to you. It is to see that every way, and everyone has its place, its beauty, its truth. It is the freedom to be fluid and the courage to embrace your heart.