This intriguing paradigm opens a new way to investigate different dimensions of spirituality, and to assess this field of research. C.S. Lewis writes about four loves as the empathy bond, the friendship/sibling bond, the romantic love, and the unconditional “God” love (Lewis 2017). This last love, known as ‘Agape,’ love, is best known by the New Testament letter written by the apostle Paul to the community of Corinth (1 Corinthians 13). There, in a poem exhorting ‘Agape’, love is described as the Good beyond all other goods: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1Co 13, p. 4-7).
The new paradigm of ‘love’ could provide some interesting tools over ‘tolerance.’ First, the ‘agape love’ is not blind – it possesses discernment for what is toxic and abusive. It is also not ‘neutral’ or disengaged. It stands for what is good. It implies active engagement and interest of a person toward others, while tolerance evokes a rather passive attitude, can profit from ignorance, and can hide a lack of genuine interest for others. A healthy spirituality is recognized by the presence of a loving connection to “otherness.”
With this in mind, we would like to offer our own working definition of spirituality:
Spirituality is a multidimensional reality that gives meaning, increases reliance, fosters resilience and facilitates transcendence. Each dimension flows freely between the self, the world, the universe, and the transcendent beyond, enlightened by love.
6- CONCLUSION
In this article, I offered an overview of 30 years of academic research on spirituality. Acknowledging the multidimensionality of this concept, we applied different categorizations that are guided by parameters such as meaning, purpose, the Transcendent Other, connections and relationships, mystery, vital principle, transcending the Self, and personal development.
I then started the process of applying the findings to coaching. Finally, I dealt with the often-neglected reality that spirituality, like religion, can be unhealthy. A way was offered to gauge whether a specific definition of spirituality adequately discern between healthy and unhealthy spiritual expressions. While the scope of this article doesn’t allow for an in-depth analysis, it does reinforce the need to pour more research on the topic of spirituality in coaching.
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