ABSTRACT
Not all the important voices working to end racism are from spiritual sources, but there is no denying that some of the most influential, such as Gandhi, Howard Thurman, Martin Luther King, Jr., Desmond Tutu, and many others, drew voices from a deep spiritual well. This well reflects the original meaning of the word “religion.” While there are different interpretations of the origin of that word, mythologist Joseph Campbell favored the derivation from ligare: “to bind, connect,” probably from a prefix re-ligare, i.e., re (again) + ligare or “to reconnect.” Interpretations that fit well with the definition of spirituality are being stated here:
Spirituality is the aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred.
Christina Puchalski, MD, Director of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health