Unfortunately, an idea that has taken root in the Indian psyche over the last 1,000 years is that spiritual life and worldly life are poles apart. In the busy worldly life in which one is simply moving from one concrete task to another, ‘where is the time for spirituality?’ is a common complaint. What we forget is that spirituality can enter everything that we do.
Hence, without neglecting any of our obligations and responsibilities, and without spending any extra time, we can lead a spiritual life. Spirituality enhances, enriches and ennobles worldly life. Spirituality brings love, peace, joy and fulfilment to life. Spirituality helps us discover and realize the true purpose of life. Spirituality makes the world a better place to live in.
In recent times, Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have been pioneers in not only expounding a strongly life-affirming spiritual philosophy but also demonstrating in their ashram at Pondicherry that the philosophy can be put into practice. What Is Spiritual about Being Punctual?, based on their philosophy, has more than 30 essays on topics ranging from punctuality to photography, topics which would rarely be considered to have anything to do with spirituality. Yet, these essays show how each of these has a spiritual angle to it.