Another reality we are forced to confront when we ask what it means to be spiritual is the struggle with power.
That spiritual struggle is not — as some suppose — a struggle between those who foreswear power and those who abuse it. Such easy distinctions are made by people in deep denial about their own lives, never mind social realities.
Power takes many forms and is unavoidable. It is a function of social status, family roles, the classroom, boardroom, and garage. It is the traveling companion of money, social status, education, licensing, union membership, executive responsibility, age, experience, and seniority. From managers to mothers, tenured faculty to preschool teachers, older siblings to senior legislators power is a factor.
If someone denies that power exists or suggests that there is a system by which it can be eliminated, they are not being spiritual. They are being naïve. And they open themselves up to countless errors in judgment with moral and spiritual consequences for themselves and others.