Finding Spiritual Inspiration Through Science

A little story-time, I went into my college biology program an atheist, and I left a polytheist. This is often a bit mind-boggling to people, and for good reason. There's an attitude both within scientific fields and without that scientists are "too logical" for religion or spirituality. Of course, there are religious scientists everywhere. I live in the south and trust me I've met plenty of Christian science professors. But this idea that spirituality and science are complete and total opposites is a false one.

Science is a man-made discipline and comes with all the faults and limitations that that entails. There are things we cannot use science to understand because we cannot apply the scientific method to it (spirituality and religion are the most obvious examples of this). There are many things we don't understand because nobody has asked the right questions yet (like women's health). Science is a tool that can be used to manipulate outcomes and enforce desired narratives (which is why it's important to look up who is sponsoring research, but I digress). Further, scientific understanding changes very often.

So, with that out of the way, how did science inspire me to find my spirituality? Well, the first part was realizing just how deep the interconnectedness of all things go. Learning about ecology while also learning about how our cells actually work? Your cells are actively engaging in so many processes at the molecular level right now, with thousands of little molecules moving in and out of barriers. At the exact same time, ecology is in motion. The wolves come back to Yellowstone and control the deer population, which lets the plants regrow, which leads to the soil having higher structural integrity, which allows streams and rivers to flow.

Science explains how this all works, and that is deeply fascinating on its own. But seeing how everything is so interconnected at the smallest level to the highest, woke something spiritual within me. I had to ask why, which is something science can't answer. It's all so intricate and beautiful, I couldn't help but feel awe for the vastness and uniqueness of our planet. Spirituality gives meaning to the science beyond just finding it interesting.

I always knew helping animals was my life's purpose. Even when I was an atheist, I knew that (though I may have worded it differently). But it became even more enriching and meaningful once I had a spiritual belief deepening this passion. I see Flidais in every animal, and in how the animals and the plants give life to one another and to us. 

The deeper my scientific understanding of it all gets, the deeper my awe for the world becomes. The deeper my awe for the world, the deeper my desire to understand it. In this way, to me, science and spirituality feed each other. It's a deeply enriching and beautiful experience.

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