Search Results (56)

This study explores the Bonaventurian synthesis of the human being as imago et similitudo Dei, highlighting its anthropological and existential implications. Against the backdrop of contemporary reductionist approaches that fragment the understanding of the human person, Bonaventure offers a holistic vision that integrates intellectual, affective, and volitional dimensions within a Christocentric and Trinitarian framework. Through a systematic analysis of Bonaventure’s primary texts—particularly the Itinerarium mentis in Deum and the Collationes in Hexaëmeron—and supported by critical scholarship, the article argues that human fulfillment transcends the limits of pure rationality and culminates in the unitive act of love with God. The study identifies two central principles of what Lázaro Pulido calls “Christian Socratism”: (1) human life as a journey to the Father’s house, and (2) the configuration of the soul, in wisdom and love, as a dwelling place of God. By situating the moral and spiritual life within the logic of divine attraction, Bonaventure overcomes both Aristotelian intellectualism and postmodern individualism. Ultimately, his thought presents happiness not as self-realization but as conformity with Christ crucified, revealing a path where suffering acquires meaning and the human vocation to love finds its ultimate horizon in the Trinity. Full article

Within a stress-and-coping theory of forgiveness, two dimensions of forgiveness have been hypothesized—decisional forgiveness (DF) and emotional forgiveness (EF). Each is theorized to have different impacts on different dimensions of well-being—psychological, spiritual (or religious), social, volitional, and physical. A scoping review was performed to explore the associations of each dimension of forgiveness with each dimension of well-being. A total of k = 30 articles met the criteria for inclusion, and estimates of the association between DF and/or EF with one or more indicators of well-being were extracted. Both dimensions of forgiveness were positively linked to all dimensions of well-being, except that there were too few studies on physical well-being (e.g., self-rated physical health) to analyze. DF was generally more strongly related to indicators of spiritual well-being (e.g., faith maturity), psychological well-being (e.g., happiness), and volitional well-being (e.g., conciliatory behavior) than EF, whereas the inverse was observed for social well-being (e.g., marital satisfaction). However, because most studies were cross-sectional, firm conclusions about the associations of both DF and EF with well-being were limited by a paucity of robust studies. Suggestions to guide future research are provided, including the need for more rigorous longitudinal research and better evidence-based theorizing. Full article

The pursuit of peace in international relations requires an integration of key perspectives—inclusive of the developmental, environmental, political and cultural—through which to transform conflict into a positive dynamic of societal flourishing. By examining the foundational teachings of peace researcher Johan Galtung and subsequent insights and systems investigating global peace, a more comprehensive evaluation is gained. This allows for the representation of an integrated vision of peace through a cosmogram known as mandala in Hindu-Buddhist spiritual philosophy. The mandala, while grounded developmentally in Indic cosmology, represents a transformation technology that is universal across time and cultures. Buddhist concepts in support of this methodological platform are dukkha (suffering), sukha (happiness), the doctrine of ‘dependent origination’ and the associated concept of impermanence. The findings of this exercise are that peace needs to be approached through multiple perspectives, that it has cosmological significance in its own right, as shown through Galtungian and Buddhist thought, and that it is a process that is constantly renewed. Full article

The development of new quality productive forces and the improvement of human capital have significantly improved people’s material and spiritual living standards. However, this has not brought people time affluence. Time poverty is related to lower happiness and physical health, and should be of concern. This paper theoretically analyzes the relationship among new quality productive forces, human capital level and time poverty, and conducts an empirical study based on the data from the Residents’ Life Time Allocation Survey from 2006 to 2021. The results show that more than 40% of individuals feel time poverty. Under the combined influence of new quality productive forces and human capital level, individual work time is still increasing, while leisure time is decreasing, which has contributed to increased time poverty. Individuals participate in more leisure activities in less leisure time, so they do not fully enjoy their leisure time. Moreover, with the improvement of new quality productive forces and human capital level, individuals are more inclined to participate in cultural appreciation, educating children, amateur learning, etc., activities. These activities are more like the extension of work time, so that people feel that leisure time is dominated. All these effects are significantly different in terms of gender, marital status, occupation, family size and income. Full article

This study explores the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between spirituality and happiness among environmental engineering students in northern Peru, emphasizing its implications for sustainability in education and professional development. Through a quantitative cross-sectional study involving 392 students from public and private universities, two key hypotheses were tested: the direct influence of spirituality on happiness and the mediating effect of resilience. Data were gathered using validated instruments, including the Personal Spirituality Scale (SPI), Connor-Davidson Brief Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 10), and Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS). Structural equation modeling revealed that spirituality has a significant direct effect on happiness and an indirect effect through resilience. The model showed high explanatory power, with spirituality explaining 87% of the variance in resilience, and both variables accounting for 76% of the variance in happiness. These findings highlight the importance of promoting spiritual and resilience-building practices as key strategies for enhancing subjective well-being, a critical factor for preparing sustainable professionals capable of addressing complex environmental challenges. This study contributes to the understanding of how spiritual resources and resilience mechanisms can support the development of socially and psychologically sustainable future engineers. Full article

The biological aspect of human embodiment frequently constitutes the primary basis for personal assessment, with an emphasis on rationality, free choice, material well-being, and happiness as fundamental attributes of worth. This perspective is also evident in cultural practices of body modification, which reflect societal standards and identity expression. The promotion of standards of bodily appearance that are often considered unrealistic within contemporary culture has the effect of creating a social environment in which those who do not conform to these standards are rejected and stigmatized. This can include individuals with disabilities, the elderly, or those with chronic illnesses and different bodily appearances. In the majority of cases, the so-called ‘body capital’ culture views the disabled body through the lens of a person’s physical appearance, which is, to a certain extent, associated with a biological dysfunction or reflects a kind of physical disability or vulnerable corporeality. This paper seeks to examine perspectives on the body through the lenses of major discourses surrounding disability, biblical anthropology, and disability theology. These perspectives advocate for the intrinsic dignity and value of the disabled body, challenging contemporary norms and projections upon the body, by underscoring the biographical, interdependent, and spiritual dimensions of human embodiment. This approach stands as an alternative to the reductionist view of the body, which prioritizes physical attributes over a comprehensive understanding of complete personhood. Full article

Gratitude, defined by many as being thankful and appreciative of things that make life and relationships meaningful and purposeful, catalyzes holistic well-being. It is considered a manifestation of both inner and outer spirituality and develops spiritual growth. In this article, twenty-three students from a large public university in the U.S. representing various faith traditions explore the practice of gratitude as spirituality and its impact on well-being. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how gratitude, also conceptualized and articulated by college students as spirituality, influences students’ well-being. By exploring common and unique themes based on students’ individual reflections and synthesis on their weekly journal entries on the topic of gratitude as spirituality toward well-being, students assert that first, practicing gratitude enables them to experience something of the essence of spirituality, which is about interconnectedness and bringing into focus the things in life that they must be contented with and happy about. Second, expressing gratitude helps shift students’ perspectives by looking at conflict more as an opportunity for growth and constructive change than anything else. It redirects their mindset to transforming conflict’s negative and destructive energies into something beneficial, although the process might seem difficult. Third, practicing gratitude improves students’ overall mental, physical, spiritual, and social well-being. It helps them develop a sense of empathy and understanding toward others and aids them with better communication, deeper connections, and awareness of the self and their surroundings. This article concludes that there is, indeed, a dynamic interplay between gratitude and spirituality regarding students’ well-being. The article recommends that academic institutions and teachers of higher education provide students with classroom and public spaces to integrate conversations around gratitude, spirituality, and well-being into their academic studies as this helps enrich students’ overall learning experiences. Full article

This paper examines the role of the Medicine Buddha in the healthcare system in Bhutan, a bipartite system where allopathic and Bhutanese Traditional Medicine co-exist. Discussion is informed by a wider study that explored the use of mindfulness practices by nurses across both sectors. An emergent theme from this narrative inquiry is that health practitioners across the sectors spoke of the importance of the Medicine Buddha in their professional practice. To better understand this centrality, we provide a historical overview of the long-standing presence of the Medicine Buddha in Bhutanese society and the materiality and spirituality of Medicine Buddha practice, and review how this healing aspect of Awakened Mind (Buddha) is integrated into nurse training. We then explore how this unique holistic education is integrated into the lives and practices of nurses and their workplaces. While recognizing that empirical proofs remain elusive, this paper is also informed by our own reflective practice and individual experience with the Medicine Buddha in affirming a healing heuristic in our own lived experiences. To wit, we can see value in the pivotal role of Medicine Buddha in the Bhutanese health system, and, more broadly, the health of Bhutanese society. Full article

Objectives: To analyse the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the development of anxiety in nursing students and the factors involved. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Data source: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science. Background: Nursing students are at an increased risk of developing mental overload, due to the presence of many sources of stress during their academic training. Therefore, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the mental health of the general population, especially on healthcare workers and consequently on students undertaking placements in healthcare settings. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science databases. A total of 24 articles were included in the review, and 20 articles were selected for the meta-analysis. Results: We found that the anxiety scores of nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic were slightly higher (50%) than before the pandemic. The most influential risk factors for developing anxiety were academics, age, gender, having children, living in urban areas or with family, having an addiction to social networks, and having a fear of becoming infected with COVID-19. Resilience, spiritual support and feelings of happiness protected students against the risk of developing high levels of anxiety. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased levels of anxiety in nursing students. Thirty-five percent of the meta-analytically analysed sample had elevated levels of anxiety. Full article

Education policies are often critiqued for short-sightedness and increasingly contended for their unsustainability. In the face of a bipolar characterisation of educational goals for economic utilitarianism and humanism with spiritual gratification, this study examines Bhutan’s Educating for Gross National Happiness (EGNH) as a policy tool. Aiming to understand whether EGNH is an inclusive, holistic, and sustainable policy instrument, this study pivots on coalesced methodological approaches of deliberative policy analysis, documentary policy reviews, and comparative policy analysis. The research design included examining the effectiveness and sustainability of the EGNH initiative through the lens of policy design. The main findings reveal that external and internal factors such as foreign policy influences, inconsistent internal policy interventions, interferences by party politics, weak policy coherence, and a lack of a comprehensive policy framework are the principal reasons for unsustainable policy gaps. This study offers valuable insights with a proposal for a comprehensive and dynamic framework to shape the future of education in the spirit of sustainability. Full article

This study investigates the well-being of primary caregivers responsible for orphaned and vulnerable children. Well-being is defined as overall wellness, happiness, and satisfaction. Through mixed methods case studies and purposive sampling, we analyzed data from the Ziway Food for the Hungry Ethiopia program in 2017. Our explanatory analytic approach highlighted issues including resource constraints, chronic illnesses, and community challenges faced by the respondents. Nonetheless, spiritual well-being emerged as a crucial factor for their coping mechanisms. The findings underscore that critical well-being deficiencies require immediate attention. Strategies should prioritize financial and emotional support, emphasizing community capital to enhance the well-being of primary caregivers. Full article

Traditional village residents’ emotional perception is a mapping of the man–land relationship in rural areas, which leads to the attitudes and behaviors of the residents. Against the background of previous studies focusing on technical rationality but neglecting the exploration of “human” emotional factors, it is crucial to carry out research on the traditional village residents’ emotional perception to promote people-centered rural development of high quality. The paper selected 123 residents from 14 traditional villages in Guanzhong region and constructs an evaluation index system which includes three dimensions based on the logical framework of “spiritual attachment-functional dependence-developmental cognition”. Next, the questionnaire method was used to collect data and the empirical analysis was conducted using the obstacle degree model and the network analysis model. The research shows that: (1) the overall level of the traditional village residents’ emotional perception is in the middle-upper class and there are significant differences, and there is a non-equilibrium in different evaluation dimensions. (2) The main obstacle to the improvement of the level of traditional village residents’ emotional perception is perception of development, followed by the sense of belonging, and the sense of happiness has a greater supportive role. (3) “Sustainable development of the village” (D-07) is the central node of the network analysis model of traditional village residents’ emotional perception. Meanwhile, the nodes “willingness to live” (G-02) and “basic rights are guaranteed” (X-10) are the central nodes of the sub-networks of sense of belonging and sense of happiness. (4) The residents’ education level and the frequency of community participation have a significant positive effect on their emotional perception level. Finally, the paper explores the dynamic compensation mechanism of traditional village residents’ emotional perception. Our results provide policy guidance for achieving sustainable development of traditional villages. Full article

Prayer in human life enables directing attention to God and a transcendent goal beyond Earthly life. Singing has been present in the life of Israel since the oldest times, which is proved on the pages of the Holy Scriptures, in the Books of Exodus and Psalms. In the New Testament, there is a lot of encouragement to sing the glory of God in psalms and songs, as well as praising God Most High in Revelation. The Catholic Church is concerned with the quality of liturgical music through a number of recommendations and requirements defining the pieces that may become a part of the liturgy. Liturgical choir singing is a special form of common prayer. The aim of the present paper is to examine the effect of prayer by choral singing on human flourishing. The aim was achieved by analyzing recommendations of the Church on liturgical music, presenting the assumptions of the theoretical model investigating the effect of art on human flourishing, and then conducting empirical studies. Sixteen in-depth interviews were carried out with members of fourteen choirs. There were four groups of respondents according to their gender and family status. All obtained codes were organized into five main themes with four subcategories. They confirmed the assumptions of the model presented in the theoretical part and made it possible to identify the effect of choral singing on the performers’ health and the improvement of their skills. In addition, they showed a direct relation between prayer and spiritual well-being when singing in a choir, a coherence of activities with values as well as the striving for happiness. Full article

In promoting career sustainability, psychological theories historically have informed human resource management (HRM) development—three assessment directions are among them: work-related flow, happiness promotion, and appraising PERMA (Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment) factors. Csikszentmihalyi’s work-related flow represents an optimally challenging work-related process. Happiness promotion strives to maintain a pleased satisfaction with the current experience. PERMA represents measurable positive psychological factors constituting well-being. Reliable and validated, the experience of flow has been found to determine career sustainability in contrast to the more often investigated happiness ascertainment or identifying PERMA factors. Career sustainability research to inform HRM development is in its infancy. Therefore, publishers’ commitment to sustainability provides integrity. Given MDPI’s uniquely founding sustainability concern, its journal articles were searched with the keywords “flow, Csikszentmihalyi, work”, excluding those pertaining to education, health, leisure, marketing, non-workers, and spirituality, to determine the utilization of work-related flow to achieve career sustainability. Of the 628 returns, 28 reports were included for potential assessment. Current studies on Csikszentmihalyi’s work-related flow ultimately represented three results. These provide insight into successful, positive methods to develop career sustainability. Consequently, HRM is advised to investigate practices for assessing and encouraging employees’ engagement with work-related flow with the aim of ensuring career sustainability. Full article

Geoscientists are involved in both the upstream and downstream side of the extractive industries. As explorationists and field geologists, they are often the first technical people related to extractive industries that communities meet. It is imperative in an increasingly globalized and holistic world that geoscientists gain greater awareness of the socio-economic impact of extractive industries and become a more proactive part of improving outcomes for all with respect to extractive industries. When Jigme Singye Wangchuk, the King of Bhutan, first suggested the concept of ‘Gross National Happiness’ (GNH) in 1972, it was met with widespread cynicism and puzzlement. Was the concept meaningful in a hard, economically competitive world? A series of measures, including the Human Development Index (HDI), the Gini Coefficient (GC), and the now annual World Happiness Report (WHR), are evolutionary responses to the 1972 GNH and are widely accepted as proxy measures of holistic human progress. These measures go beyond the narrow confines of Gross Domestic Product and similar economic proxies, placing economic parameters alongside the social, environmental, spiritual, human rights, health, and holistic societal issues. The broad conclusions of the plethora of metrics are that ‘happiness’ links to issues and ideas such as equity, minimal economic inequality, excellent governance, human rights, individual freedom, and so forth. We ask the question: what is the relationship between extractive industries (EIs) and GNH? We present a wide range of data and analytical diagrams/text examining potential correlations and associations between GNH and EIs. We examine potential relationships using global data and case studies for Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, the DRC, and Jamaica. The conclusions of this analysis of course suggest a complex relationship between EIs and GNH. We acknowledge that in situations of weak governance and institutions, EIs struggle to make any tangible difference with respect to GNH. A counter conclusion that EIs may even be a major cause of weak governance, which in turn suppresses happiness, must be seriously considered. We document examples where EIs have made a definitive positive improvement to GNH. Data suggest that hydrocarbon-rich countries have made better progress with respect to GNH than mineral-rich countries. However, the main conclusion is that the link between EIs and GNH remains a work in progress, and that a narrow focus on profit and shareholder return is an antithetical approach to the GNH paradigm. A key recommendation is that industry must adopt a far more active role (rather than merely a passive role) with respect to translating the many potential benefits of EIs into GNH than has hitherto been the case. Full article