What are the biggest challenges faced by modern people regarding their spiritual and mental well-being?
My perspective is that a big challenge is lack of realization that we are spiritual entities. In the words of Teilhard de Chardin, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” To the extent that we identify ourselves with material designations, identities related to the body, we will be challenged in our spiritual and mental well-being. I drive a Toyota. Naturally I care for the car, keeping it tuned up and filled with the right fluids. But if I think that my own thirst is quenched when I fill the car with gasoline, I am under an illusion and will not be satisfied. I do not believe that I am Japanese just because the car was made in Japan, any more than I would believe myself to be German if I were driving a Mercedes Benz. Clearly this is a foolish idea. Yet if we identify with designations that apply to the temporary body (the vehicle) rather than the spiritual self, we are making the same mistake. Just as the owner of the
