"There is in us an instinct for newness, for renewal, for a liberation of creative power...To be born again is not to become somebody else, but to become ourselves" -Thomas Merton

"Be the change that you wish to see in the world" -Mahatma Gandhi

Since the map is not the territory, it is essential to distinguish spirituality from religion, as it is usually understood. This is especially important when looking at its positive influence on relationships. Asta Kallo writes about a recent Pew Research Center Survey indicating how "Americans are far more likely to say they have become more spiritual rather than becoming more religious." Cultural anthropologists have long described how relationships can manifest in stressful ways. Religion itself doesn't always allow for flexibility in resolving relational problems and mostly creates a dependency on conformity. This can also be seen in certain cults that appear to be religious. However, in contrast, how we communicate with our own uniqueness, as is the case with each snowflake, is the core of our relational spirituality.

This occurs in the space in-between us where we could communicate fully. It is a transitional win-win place that can go to exciting depths and profound possibilities. When this occurs, we enter the spiritual realm of how we can interact with a hint of simultaneity to something larger, i.e., our environment, community, and its many institutions that educate. Spirituality becomes what creates an understanding of how we are all interdependently connected.Regardless of the security that can accompany a commitment to a religious doctrine, the downside can be the exclusion of other beliefs or agnostic views. Thankfully, there........

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