You remember Rainn Wilson? He’s the guy we all loved to laugh at in the US version of The Office. Dwight Schrute saw the world in a very specific way and you’ll be surprised to know that aside from his residuals from nine very successful seasons of The Office Wilson is an author and Christian.
So what answer does he have to the world’s problems?
Well it’s in his new book and something he has been ruminating on for a few years, outlined in “Soul Boom – Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution”.
“Things are falling apart in our world. From our political climate, to racism and sexism, to income inequality to climate change. More and more young people are feeling this new anxiety, which has turned into a full-blown mental health epidemic for their generation. And there are solutions to be found through spirituality and the tools of spirituality, but we’re not discussing them,” The Office actor explained to Relevant.
Spirituality itself is a wide-ranging topic and Wilson explains in his book that we need to get back to basics.
Wilson explains that he’s got a much simpler definition than that: “Spirituality is about heart and soul.”
For Christians in particular, he says, spirituality is discovered and cultivated by the Bible and in the Church. And when it comes to a spiritual revolution for Christianity, Wilson wants everyone to take a renewed look at what essentials of our faith need a renewed focus.
Wilson knows this from personal experience undergoing a spiritual revolution himself. After growing up in a religious household, Wilson walked away from faith in his 20s.But he came back after years of “having fun” and acting in New York because it made him anxious and depressed.
“It has given my life a tremendous amount of meaning, focus, hope, love and perspective,” he told Relevant.
Of the current state of the world and how to navigate it, Wilson also has some sage advice: “There are two forces at work going on in the world right now: the forces of integration and the forces of disintegration. It’s really easy to get stuck looking at the forces of disintegration. Things are falling apart. They’re getting more disunified. So what to do is shift your focus ever so slightly to where integration is happening. There’s plenty of content on social media, websites, grassroots organizations, people working to make a better world. It’s easier said than done, but we have to focus on the integration and start to let the disintegration go.”
“I know some people will read my book and think, ‘But I’m just one person, so how much difference could I make?’” Wilson said. “But the truth is, we all need to partake in a spiritual revolution. We don’t make a difference out in the world if we don’t start with ourselves first.
“If we all do our little bit, one step at a time to make the world a better place.”
