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Achieving
spiritual maturity
This is a
natural process. Certain limitations and constraints in
childhood may result in inhibitions that will delay or even
prevent this process. What follows is a general guide for
minimizing this worrying phenomenon.
Let us divide
the population with which we are concerned into two groups:
1. the
adolescent; 2. the immature adult.
The adolescent
The most dominant factors in the adolescent's development and
maturing are his parents. As this process is of great
importance, it is imperative that human society provides future
parents with adequate guidance from a suitable authorized
source. A further necessary condition is that the parents
themselves must be spiritually mature.
In raising a
child, the parents must, from its inception, create a tranquil,
positive and harmonious atmosphere. Providing him with a
quality
education, that enables and encourages this process of
developing and maturing. It is extremely important to provide a
proper atmosphere and education already in his early years, as
the child's self-image is constructed already then.
This care should be based on providing suitable mental
nourishment (with mature love constituting one of its most
important bestowals), and of course, guidance and encouragement
for developing and enhancing his natural capacities.
A child has
powerful forces of curiosity and creativity. It is up to his
parents to provide him with assistance and with suitable
conditions for expressing and developing these. The child should
also be given various
practical tasks, such as involving him in
the running of the household, finding solutions for problems
that arise and participating in their implementation. Such
activity will strengthen his cooperation with his parents and
will develop his sense of initiative and responsibility. In this
education process, the parent should use only positive influence
and authority.
All these will
encourage a natural process of growing up and of maturing. The
result will be that of an optimistic adult, who has a
well-developed spiritual potential, a remarkable zest for life,
and who can and will express goodness.
Certain events
too, may speed up the maturing process. Among several, we can
point to events, such as: leaving the parents' house and
beginning an independent life, enlisting to the military,
marriage, pregnancy, giving birth for the first time, reaching a
responsible position in a company, and many more.
There are
destructive factors, which slow down or arrest this maturing.
The most destructive are his negative self-image as well as
actual repression including the atmosphere of repression in
which a child lives. Other destructive factors are, among
others: punishments, beatings, carrying out or not carrying out
tasks, out of fear and necessity. Exaggeratedly spoiling the
child is also among the causes, which delay the spiritual
maturing process.
The
immature adult.
In order to
bring a immature
adult. to
spiritual maturity, it is necessary to
activate a process of 'melting' his spiritual inhibitions. An
effective step in achieving this melting is to
frequently be in
α state. Staying in this
state will also enable the development of his natural capacities
as well as approaching his spiritual maturity .
Forming
positive habits – In parallel , the immature adult
shall also form positive habits and experience the attaining of
positive goals. In these exercises, he should imagine
functioning as a positive mature evolving adult. He should see himself as
responsible, independent, reliable, respectful and appreciative
of others. He should also see himself as accepted by - and
active in - society at large. During these exercises, he should
determine that this is reality and should fulfill this
role in his everyday life from now on with no time limit.
Enhancing spiritual maturity
It is
insufficient for a person to be only at maturity's initial
level. It is the starting point of a path on which he should
step for his entire life. As an imperfect creation, he is
built to spiritually develop throughout the course of his life
and so to higher his maturity.
It may be said
that as an individual's self-esteem grows, so will his spiritual
maturity. And as the degree of maturity increases, his
meta-values will function in an improved manner.
The influences of religion, government and God's Word on man's spiritual
maturity
Religion:
If
we accept that the act of daily prayer constitutes an impressive
means of forming habits in man, then the daily prayer, in the
Jewish religion for example, may cause man to develop an
increasing dependence on the creator's mercy. This is in stark
contradiction to the mature personality's character, which is
typified by independence and responsibility. Therefore, from
this aspect, it may be said that this religion slows down the
process of man's maturation. There exist other aspects, in which
having faith in a higher power accelerates this process.
Government:
Man, as an imperfect creation, needs guidance and encouragement
for reaching spiritual maturity. Unfortunately, we don't see
democratic
regimes (currently the most common form of regime) providing
these. It can therefore be said that it indirectly slows down
this natural process. A government that acts properly would have
as its priority, the aim of working in favor of its population.
It seems that in this important area, the democratic regime do not fulfill
their duty.
God:
His Honor supplied us with an impressive process for man's
obtainment and raising of spiritual maturity in the
correct observance of the Shabbat
(being in the Sabbath's holiness).
The correct observance of other Divine Commandments also
continually assists this process.
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