S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 2 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 1 6 2 1 Sharon Lauricella 1 Introduction When I was in the first grade, a friend quietly handed me a book that he had finished reading. It featured personified woodland creatures and, to my liking, was well beyond grade level reading. My six year-old self was not only appreciative but also somewhat surprised; I didn’t realize that this fellow student had recognized my passion for both nature and reading. Many years later, when I first started teaching, a parent expressed her joy that her daughter – for the first time – enjoyed coming to school and was excited about learning because of the approach that I was taking to teaching the course. In that moment, it occurred to me that I was making a significant difference to a student, a family, a classroom. Most significantly, when each of my children was born, I looked into their eyes and felt seen, even recognized, in a way that I had never been noticed before. My very existence was legitimized, honoured, and entirely true. All of these instances demonstrate moments of being acknowledged. They are stories of caring or being cared for, respecting or being respected, appreciating or being appreciated, understanding or being understood. My examples are perhaps not different from others’, though experiences of being truly acknowledged are unmistakably memorable, personal, and often these experiences are very moving. I believe that acknowledgement is a uniquely spiritual experience. Acknowledgement is different from, for example, gratitude, which is a means or method of expressing thanks. Gratitude is arguably in its inexorable heyday, with self-help shelves offering an abundant supply of volumes outlining the benefits of gratitude (Emmons 2007) and ways to adopt an “attitude of gratitude” (Ryan 2009). I suggest in this paper that gratitude has its roots in acknowledgement – either being acknowledged or acknowledging others. When we are acknowledged or acknowledge others for accomplishments, kindness, achievements, thoughtfulness, or simply presence, the interconnectedness of life is seen and celebrated. This interconnectedness, when noticed and expressed, facilitates meaning – the very essence of human life, and constitutes a deeply spiritual moment. I offer here my own experiment in acknowledgement. Two methodologies inform how I share this story. First, I incorporate Anderson’s (2006) methodology of analytic autoethnography. This practice refers to research in which the author is (1) a full member of the research group or setting, (2) visible as such a member in published texts, and (3) committed to a deeper understanding of the theory of social phenomena. Second, I embrace Hochheimer’s (2010) theory of the Life Force. Hochheimer suggests that a theory of spirituality and communication is (1) grounded in the perception and expression of the “Life Force” which flows through and between all living things, (2) we have physical energy, though it also exists within us via prayer, meditation, and other spiritual activities, (3) the Life Force exists inside, outside, and amongst us, (4) spirituality by definition is when we sense this communal energy, and feel that there is something greater, deeper, or more profound. Hochheimer therefore argues that spirituality infers an understanding of interconnectedness, and an inherent element is the imaginative capacity to understand and express the connection between and amongst individuals. I seek to further Hochheimer’s theory by suggesting acknow- ledgement as a practical means by which we can imagine, express, and practice spiritual communication. About the author Sharon Lauricella, Ph.D., is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, UOIT, Oshawa, ON, Canada. Sharon’s email contact is sharon.lauricella@uoit.ca.
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