Finding Oneself Through Spiritual Rambling

“When in flow, we are without the expectation of some future benefit but act simply because the doing itself is the reward. . . Spiritual rambling is not a means to some mundane end; the ramble as ritual practice is itself an end.”

This quote was taken from Dr. Redick’s Spiritual Rambling article proposal. To me, this quote seems to be stating that when engaged in a spiritual sojourn – when in “flow” – the journey that one goes through is the anticipated benefit or reward. While some people immerse themselves in a task simply to reach a long-awaited end product, others partake in an endeavor to enjoy the enlightening adventure that is in store for them. In the Spiritual Rambling article, Csikszentmihalyi labels these two distinct descriptions as autotelic: having an end or purpose in itself, and exotelic: doing something to get at a later goal. He concludes that most things in people’s lives are exotelic, that they are incapable of relishing in the greatness of a journey, and they just focus on getting through it. This statement leaves me to ponder, more deeply, just what Csikszentmihalyi was getting at. A majority of the population in our world live their lives by means of just going through the motions. A lot of us don’t take the time to stop and think about what we are actually engaging in. Many of us forget to enjoy the little things in life, and focus entirely on the larger picture, or, the “end product.” In our society, there are endless amounts of pressure on the finality of all our efforts. In other words, there is exhausting tension built on the notion of reaching that goal we have set for ourselves. May it be acquiring that seemingly impossible dream job, or simply reaching the finish line of that half-marathon one had been training for. Many of the individuals that set their goals fixate merely on the arrival itself, not the course they travel along to get there. And, often times, the journey itself is more rewarding than the destination one had been so concentrated on.

Conclusively, spiritual rambling is a method of finding oneself during a ritual practice. As stated in the article, it is not a means to a conventional end, but more so an enriching journey that cleanses the mind and soul of the every-day marketplace. Living in such a hectic environment (and seldom leaving) for extended periods of time can often cause one to lose sight of certain interpersonal connections that are reestablished when one returns to said spiritual atmosphere. Finding oneself during a spiritual rambling expedition is the reward all in itself, and can turn out to be much more beneficial than striving for a destination at the end of it all.