"Life In A Material World" is the 26th in my 2022 series of articles based on my real life experiences, professional insights, personal views and fun stories.
My hope is that in them you find joy and inspiration.
LIFE IN A MATERIAL WORLD
We may be spiritual beings but we live in a material world. From our physical bodies to the planet on which we tread, the creatures which inhabit it and all that grows here are tangible entities, material if you like. But to the fabric of the natural world - the rocks, woods, earth and minerals - mankind has added, through ingenuity, invention and sometimes accident, new and wonderful materials.
Concrete, glass, textiles, metals, silicon and the myriad other human creations are the materials of our civilisation. Our materials are, to a large extent, what allows us to behave like humans. Remove them and we are liable to be quickly confronted by the same basic struggle for survival as wild animals. Our clothes, our homes, our cities and all the other stuff which we animate through our customs, language and humour are not merely a display of our technological wizardry, they are part of who we are.
From the coffee cup to the camera, stainless steel and paper clips; from ancient technologies of fabrics and ceramics to today's self-healing metals and bionic implants - we invented them and made them. They in turn make us who we are. Don't think so? Visit a war-torn area or disaster zone!
This fundamental importance of materials to us becomes apparent in the names we have given to the ages of civilisation – eg Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age - with each new era of human existence being brought about by a new material. Will current times be known as the Silcon Age?
Steel was the defining material of the Victorian era; architects used sheet glass and structural steel to produce skyscrapers that invented city life as we know it; product and fashion designers adopted plastics and used them to transform our homes and dress; polymers were used to produce celluloid and bring about the cinema; aluminium and nickel super-alloys led to jet engines and worldwide cheap flight; and our bodies can be redefined by silicon, ceramics, plastics and tungsten. Yes, materials maketh the man!
All this should not, however, distract from the reality that we are spiritual beings. Our spiritual wellbeing is far more important than the simply material. Without it we are greatly diminished as human beings. Those who pursue material wealth to the exclusion of all else are without soul. They risk never experiencing the true joys of life, only shallow and short-lived carnal pleasure.
It pays to make spiritual wealth the bedrock of your existence. First and foremost strive to understand and follow the spiritual laws. These demand that you seek inner peace and serenity through helping others. With that belief in place and functioning, then you are well placed to explore and enjoy things material.
This perfectly natural marriage of the spiritual with the material, allows for the creation of technology beneficial to mankind which both enhances the general wellbeing, and satisfies the inventive and innovative urges, of the species. When existing in a spiritual world while embracing the material, or living life in a material world conscious of the spiritual, everything is possible.
I am Tom Riach. I live and write in the sunny south of Portugal.
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'LIFE IN A MATERIAL WORLD' is an original copyright Tom Riach feature.
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Comments
I believe that most of us like our material world more than we might want to admit, I am guilty. Your message is well-timed, and an appreciated reminder. I like to think that I have a proper balance, and your post reminds me to take a step back, thank you, Tom.
I agree with your statement 100% "Our spiritual wellbeing is far more important than the simply material. Without it we are greatly diminished as human beings. Those who pursue material wealth to the exclusion of all else are without soul. They risk never experiencing the true joys of life, only shallow and short-lived carnal pleasure", and it's wonderful to know that you feel the same way. Then again I knew that already because even if we never meet in person, you best know that you're inspirational to me. I'm so grateful to be able to connect with you through your books. I recommend your books to everyone I speak and meet with. God surely has gifted you to help others be the person they're supposed to be. Spiritual human beings need spiritual food and you can only find it in God's word the Bible. When's your next blog post coming out? I look forward to reading all of them.
Thanks for all that Terri. Yours is a prime example of spiritual joy and of sharing it to the benefit of others ... in this case - me! I am a lucky boy - and I know it!
Tom, I have never been a material girl... I sensed there was nothing worthwhile in it for me because material things have a shelf life, the things I have placed importance in do not... Well written to help me understand my lot in life... I do enjoy the title because of the many times I've had to convince myself that I could do something that was truly distant from that which I already knew... Though your latest book was short, I had to put off reading it until this morning... I was too sleepy to try to digest it last night & I wanted to make sure I grasped the entire meaning behind your words... Thank you for sharing... This will be treasured by me for a lifetime... :D
*Linda*
Thanks Linda. Yes, the book is a 'shortie' but it's packed with high octane goodies for those able, such as yourself, to appreciate. One reader tells me he read it five times in order to grasp fully 'the torrent' (his words) of info he found within the, sometimes apparently, innocuous texts. Thanks Linda, I'm delighted you enjoyed the book of course - it's just as I intended. And no, I never did have you down as a material girl (is there a hit song in there somewhere for us)? although maybe at one time you were. Even in my young, material days, I was never as smitten by 'shiny things' as many of my friends. But I was always drawn to self-employment ... and cars. One allowed me to own the others! The world and all that's in it is amazing though. That and humankinds inventiveness. We may not be the masters of our own destiny to the extent that many believe, but we certainly can utilise resources and intellect to create a more comfortable physical coating for our all-powerful innerspirit. Stay well my friend - and thank you once more.