Relevance Part 1
February 4, 2025
Relevance Part 1
Join us for this week’s series of Daily Reflections on the topic of “Relevance.”
The word “relevance” has a curious etymology. Its original Latin root is “relevare,” which means “to lift up again” or “to lighten.” The notion of lifting up or lightening connotes the idea of support. So, if something has relevance, it essentially means it supports something.
Our attention is usually on the things we consider most relevant — the things that pertain to our needs, desires, and fears. Any given focus of ours has a place on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, whose most foundational levels are our physiological and safety needs. Once these are satisfied, we move upward to focus on our needs for attachment and love. Finally, we progress to meeting the needs for self-esteem and self-actualization.
What is most relevant for you today? What are you focused on? Are you interested in your health, finances, social intentions, and love life, or are you delving into areas of self-worth and self-actualization? How do you derive support from the topics that you focus on today?
All of our thoughts and behaviors can be traced back to the fundamental phenomenon of relevance. They are very relevant to me if I care about something or someone. For example, when I was much younger, my being on a voter registration list was not particularly relevant to me. But nowadays, I make sure my name is on the voter’s list. In being on the list, my voice is heard. I am contributing to the collective because my voice is counted. Though only one voter, I need to do everything to support my highest values for my city, state, and country. This makes me feel safer in an ever-changing world. And contributing to the collective gives me self-respect and self-esteem, both of which I also need. Therefore, something as simple as being on a voters’ registration list is very relevant to me for many reasons.
Regarding our soul, relevance is a very “relevant” topic because our soul is always searching for ways to support its connection to the Divine (recall the root definition of relevance means “support.”) Therefore, the soul zeros in on whatever or whoever supports our spiritual consciousness. The quality of its relationship to the Divine, others, oneself, and the world is of particular relevance to the support of the soul. Developing sensitivity to our soul’s interests is essential, for they are of ultimate concern.
Sometimes our soul pulls us toward or away from people and circumstances, but we do not understand why. This may be because our soul knows these have great relevance to our spiritual progress. But our ego can dominate so much that we may ignore the pull toward or away. However, if the ego is in service to our soul, it aids the soul’s intentions.
Spiritual practice: Write a short essay about your soul’s ultimate concern. When you think you have gotten to the final answer, write more. What did you receive?
Self-inquiry: Make a list of all your daily activities. Which ones are very relevant, and which ones are not? Why do you attend to the ones that are not?
Dear God,
Please help me to connect the dots to learn the whys about life. Amen
