Spirituality - An Atheists Point of View

What is the first thing that subconsciously strikes to most people when we talk about 'Spirituality' ? Its the term 'God' & 'Religion', isn't it ? Believe it or not, but even the slightest hint of anything religious is really a far cry from spirituality. I'm an atheist and that bluntly means that I neither believe in the existence of a supreme being (though I absolutely love 'The Fifth Element'), nor believe in stories of miracles, omens, idols and all related shenanigans and commercialized paraphernalia that goes along with the concept of religion and God these days. At this point, you may be tempted to turn me into a 'How can he say this ? What does he know about spirituality and life ?' monster. But that's OK  If you're from the other side, you're drawing the same mental flak from me as well, so, no sweat and no hard feelings at all ! My aim is not to tempt you to look to the 'so called dark side' of atheism, but rather to bring simple logic (stress on 'simple') into the subject of spirituality which is defined as 'lacks a definitive definition' by Wikipedia.  In my point of view, spirituality is an attempt that we mortals can make, to sit back, relax in isolation, and contemplate on what has gone through in one's life and attempt to chart out a course for the future. Such an attempt to broadly map one's mind to a plan of action connects you with yourself, something which we increasingly unable to do, as we go about our busy and outwardly connected lives. We are increasingly connected to people on the outside than we are to the one sitting inside all of us. And that one is nothing more than our poor old mind, asking for some private time to discuss matters of prime importance. Spirituality connected to the concept of God and religion is purely a way of diluting its rich flavor and benefits. And if you strike back saying 'Knowing yourself is knowing God', excuse me ???  Try to spend an hour in total isolation, away from Facebook, a mobile phone and any other forms of distraction that tempts to pull you out of your own mental sockets. You'll be able to discuss with yourself, in the privacy of your own self, the events in your recent past, today as it goes and the time to come. You'll be surprised at how clear everything will seemingly be, and how distinctly capable and confident you'll find yourself to be, in the fog of depressing chaos that we live in these days. There are no deadlines in your own mind, just a creatively laid out candy store where you pick your own flavor and no one asks you to leave. And it does not need to be brought on by intoxicants, 'How To' manuals, babas, gurus and other outwardly connected and labelled 'catalysts'. The power to know yourself and your own capabilities lies within yourself. We live in a highly commercialized world where moments of anxiety, depression and difficulty are treated with quick fix mantras sold by those who claim to have a better grasp of spirituality than you. They overpower the meek and weakened simpleton that resides in your mind with jargon that only they can understand. What follows is nothing short of surrendering to your enemy ! You're then sold, in packaged deals, detoxification via spiritual cleansing and courses which supposedly teach you why you're here and where you'll go! And quite a lot of it is coated with the flavor of religion because that sells well, no matter what you may think of it. As I see it, every person has a different definition to the word, the intent being the same. We are increasingly burdened in life by our outwardly connections, relations and responsibilities. And we need a way out of it. In all of this, we forget the coupling with our own self, our own mind that needs attention and the one which can actually tell us more than anyone else. So the next time, you fall into negativity, despair and depression, make an attempt to disconnect from the world for a few moments and connect to your inner mind. You'll get your answers, your anti-depressants and basically everything. I'm not saying its easy, it can be pretty hard, but with time, you'll get better at it.  So, try being spiritual, without someone else telling you how to. You can, You will and You'll love it.