The most basic principle of spirituality can be boiled down to concerning yourself with your own soul and personal growth. While all religions have spiritual aspects to them, particularly Hinduism and Buddhism, much of that is lost in the current wave of spirituality.
Currently, the most prominent spiritual practices surfacing are yoga, meditation and manifestation, all of which are rooted primarily in Hinduism.
Many of the modern-day guides who preach spiritual practices are everyday, American teenagers posting on TikTok. When someone thinks of spirituality, due to social media, they think of eclectically decorated rooms, expensive crystals, a boho fashion sense and colorful art.
For the most part, these TikTokers seem to have a fair grasp on the culture that they appreciate and utilize in their daily lives, but it’s impossible that their audience will receive all information about a culture in a short clip.
Religious minorities face hate crimes and discrimination regularly, especially when sharing their beliefs publicly on the internet. Many of these teenagers, however, are praised extensively for how worldly they are despite not originally being of the culture these practices originate in.
The thing is, putting a “#hinduism” should not be excused as respecting the roots, yet this seems to be swept aside as if this is a perfectly fine way to demonstrate appreciation instead of appropriation.
Cultural appreciation is when there is a goal of learning in mind when adopting components of a culture, but, taking just one specific aspect and labeling yourself as such is blatant appropriation. There isn’t a requirement to commit oneself entirely to a culture, though, there just should be a much weaker emphasis on labels if one wants to occasionally practice yoga.
These teenage creators will occasionally recommend books they have learned from to their followers or provide the names of teachers who have taught them how to achieve the deeper meaning of life. For one reason or another, though, the videos that seem to get the most attention are those broadcasting the aesthetic associated with these practices.
A major goal for TikTok users seems to be this “self-labeling” and using that as a way to find a niche. However, being spiritual isn’t just a label one can call themselves.
Self-labeling can be blamed on TikTok and other social media platforms’ abilities to set and maintain trends. TikTok is almost entirely about the presentation of oneself and showing all you can about your defining characteristics in a 15-second video, so it only makes sense that the surface level aesthetic is the end all be all.
Spirituality is not about an aesthetic. It is not about materialism, or how many crystals you own. By practicing just to improve outward presentation, the core principles of Hindu and Buddhist spirituality are completely discredited.
Spirituality is a practice that is open to all and largely beneficial to the human body and soul. In fact, labeling oneself to such a degree directly contradicts the point of being spiritual, for a label sets limits to all that is possible.
Taking bits and pieces of a culture when those aspects are trendy isn’t okay. Culture is important to the members of it, and not learning the origin of practices is belittling and damaging.
Photo by Eloise Rich/The ECHO
