Nasruddin's friend, Mansour, saw Nasruddin on his hands and knees searching for something under the streetlight. "What are you looking for?" asked Mansour. "My key!" responded Nasruddin. Mansour got down helping his friend search. After a fruitless while, Mansour asked, "Where did you lose it?" "At my house," Nasruddin responded. "Then, goodness man, why are we searching here?" asked Mansour. "Because the light is better here," said Nasruddin.

 

This Sufi story demonstrates the principle that escapes too many of us. We are looking for happiness, fulfillment, and meaning out there somewhere in the world. We go from one high to another, never feeling the deep, soulful satisfaction of a life being well lived, because our focus is on searching where the light is bright, but not where the key to our lives lies.

Spirituality is our attentiveness to the soul within, where happiness lies, where meaning is found, and where we are fulfilled even as we thrive and flourish in this world. This is not about the fear of eternal damnation; it is about the joy of being and doing in this world, as one grounded in unity, love, the miraculous nature of creativity, and the wisdom of knowing the difference between matters of value and matters of price.