Have you ever felt that something fundamental is missing from the quality of life's experience? I have. A lot of late. Preparing for this issue has convinced me it is our very spirit, or "soul." The concept of soul has been sucked from the core of contemporary culture. This raises an odd contradiction, for spirit has long been considered integral to human development, yet now it is controversial and iconoclastic to speak about it in a secular context. Controversial because it challenges the mainstream thinking that relegates spirituality solely to the domain of religion, and iconoclastic because it debunks a secular notion promoted by popular science: "that which is not measurable is not real or valuable." Yet the need to connect with one's inner self and to a greater purpose is quintessential. Muslim, Jew, Catholic, Taoist, animist, and atheist share this common need.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the soul or spirit is "the vital animating essence of a person or animal." 1 The search for inner meaning and connection to our vital animating essence--and to a greater purpose--is the domain of spiritual development. This domain applies not only to individuals; as W.E. Du Bois 2 and Black Elk 3 remind us, people as a collective also have a soul. Politics, in the loftier sense, has a soul. The ancient Greeks devoted much discussion to civic spirituality and how democracy, for example, has a different spirit than oligarchy, monarchy, or totalitarianism. Indeed, democracy demands a common, collective, civic soul.

A concept of soul and spiritual development is central to our mission of promoting Community Youth Development. As Della Hughes and Susan Curnan assert in their Community Youth Development Framework 4, the "nurturing of spirit" is a core CYD strategy that leads to healthy communities where "spiritual truths are valued" in youth and adults. In the current issue, our authors expand on this point, demonstrating that spiritual development is a critical component in building communities that are just and compassionate, where a deep connection with self and community promotes greater sharing of and respect for differences.

Several authors make the essential point that spiritual development can and does exist quite apart from (and not in conflict with or in exclusion of) organized religion. While religions have their own ways of nurturing the soul, there is a spiritual dimension that belongs to each of us as individuals, and to our collective civic culture, regardless of religion. Active efforts to develop this collective soul may very well be the critical ingredient lacking from contemporary life. In the cover story, author Rachael Kessler explains that the lack of spiritual guidance in our culture links directly to "the self-destructive and violent behavior plaguing our nation"; author Liz Shear talks about the despair and "crisis of hope" in our youth culture, suggesting that youth workers as well as youth must embark on a spiritual reawakening.

The idea that the sacred and the secular are separate, unconnected domains of development is a false dichotomy. We can reconnect the sacred and secular without getting trapped in dogma wars or challenging secular beliefs. We can do this precisely because, as stated above, we address the part of the spiritual that belongs to our individual essence and our collective civic culture. We do so by reclaiming the spiritual in our politics, community life, and youth work.We do so by recognizing that a community's soul needs to be nurtured as integral to the vision and practice of building hope for future generations and sustaining a diverse, viable biosphere. The future will value us by the value we place on the vital animating essence of person, community, and this biosphere we call home.

John P. Terry, Editor-in-Chief

Footnotes

1. Oxford Dictionary, Dorling Kindersley and Oxford University Press, NY. 1998..(back)
2. Du Bois, W.E. The Souls of Black Folks , Dubois, W.E., A.C. McClung and Co.,Chicago. 1909. (back)
3. Neihardt, John G., Black Elk Speaks , University of Nebraska Press. 1979. (back)
4. See "Community Youth Development: A Framework for Action," CYD Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1, Winter 2000, pp 12-13. (back)