Spirituality Can Transcend Religion and Culture When a Clash of Civilizations Occurs, As Samuel P. Huntington Prophesied
Author: Jacob Ereste
Freelance Journalist
Spirituality can indeed transcend religion and culture when the spiritual journey is undertaken diligently and consistently, drawing closer to God. Along the journey, it is very possible to encounter adherents of various religions, even distinct cultures, who share different values and nuances. Therefore, the intimacy of encounters with spiritual practitioners of different religions and cultures is a very rare moment, almost unexperienced by those who do not follow the spiritual path.
The Sufi garden that stretches within the soul is open and willing to lay aside egocentricity and be embraced by the love of God, who understands and accepts all complaints and sorrows, to become the energy of a life filled with faith and trust. Thus, Sufism, when enjoyed, transforms suffering into beauty, like mystical poetry that soothes the heart. It is an experience that transcends knowledge.
The exhilarating spiritual journey, transcending religions and cultures, offers the opportunity to discover sacred gems, illuminating future civilizations unbounded by boundaries that confine beautiful landscapes never before seen or experienced. This is truly heart-shaking and awe-inspiring.
The ability of spirituality to transcend religious boundaries is due to the fact that it does not question the differences within religions. For spiritual practitioners, any differences within religions are believed to be part of an effort to enrich inner experience, and differences possess a power that needs no equating or even comparing. Therefore, the spiritual path can guide interfaith harmony without being forced. The journey itself can be vibrant and unique, enriching a variety of inner experiences never before experienced.
Spirituality transcends diverse dimensions and cultural backgrounds, and is also possible because spirituality is acceptable to any entity, group, or culture, from the more traditional to the modern, to the avant-garde cultures that will eventually emerge from cultural clashes or major civilizational clashes in the world. As Samuel P. Huntington once described in his 1993 work “The Clash of Civilizations,” which was later expanded in 1996 with “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order,” this idea was later echoed by Francis Fukuyama, who, from the outset, wrote “The End of History” from 1989 to 1992.
Samuel P. Huntington’s prediction that future human conflict would no longer be dominated by ideology or economics, but by clashes between the world’s major cultures and civilizations, namely the West, Islam, Confucianism, Hinduism, and so on. Therefore, the role of spirituality, capable of transcending religion and culture—in the context of maintaining world peace and tranquility—will become increasingly relevant for nations around the world who cherish the comfort and harmony of humanity on earth.**
Banten, September 21, 2025
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