As a child, Marco had never been religious. Then, during high school, thanks in part to his girlfriend, he discovered his spirituality through Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF).
Hans, although born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also had a lesser understanding of the importance of God and the divine in his life until he was a teenager—around fifteen or sixteen, he says.
As college students, they are not atypical in the importance they place on spirituality.
According to a 2005 survey, The Spiritual Life of College Students, published by Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), eighty percent of typical first-year college students are interested in spirituality. An equal number discuss it with their friends. Seventy-nine percent believe in God, and 69 percent pray. Seventy-six percent are searching for meaning or purpose in life.
And despite the common association of spirituality with religion, "70 percent agree that most people can grow spiritually without being religious."
While an overwhelming number of students are interested in spirituality, however, Marco and Hans are two of a small minority who take the time to consistently commit themselves seriously to religious or spiritual activities while at school and, as is the case for both of them, to actively share their forms of religion with others.
Hans took two years after his freshman year of college to serve voluntarily as a missionary in Santiago, Chile, an experience which he says allowed him to bring "the same joy and peace that I have found in my life to the lives of others."
Marco, who meditates regularly every morning and evening to help his spiritual advancement, began holding meditation sessions at college in order to allow other students to experience what he has experienced.
He describes the yoga he practices through SRF as a spiritual science, which includes a moral code in addition to physical and mental exercises meant to improve oneself.
While the level of dedication both of them show is rare, many colleges and universities now strive to provide the resources for students to develop this side of themselves. Responding to student interest, many religious centers offer services for most, if not all, of the world's major religions.
On many campuses, student religious groups also provide a setting for students to explore their spirituality. In high schools and middle schools, including public schools, students have also succeeded in creating clubs to support their spiritual needs.
Nonetheless, according to a 2003 report on Spirituality in Higher Education published by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, over half of university students (62 percent) still say that professors never encourage discussion of religious issues in class. Spirituality, religion, and spiritual advancement are entirely extracurricular.
This is despite the fact that, according to the 2005 survey, "highly spiritual students… often have better mechanisms for coping with hardship [than other students]." College is invariably a more difficult time of life, full of transitions and decisions. Not surprisingly, those with a good spiritual base tend to be well rewarded.
Despite the dedication and effort it takes to make religion a part of their lives, both Marco and Hans would agree.
Hans says, "My beliefs have changed me in that they have given me a perspective on life that many I don't think have at our age. Knowing that God has a plan for us on earth lays things out in a clear manner in spite of the tangled world we live in."
His involvement in the church since his arrival at college has not been difficult due to the Mormon Church's uniformity. It has also helped him to make friends, "which is very easy when you share a common belief."
Marco points towards self-fulfillment and realization of the truth and identity. "You could have the most brilliant ideas, the greatest longing to know what the truth of it all is, a great moral philosophy, but if you don't act on them, what's the point? We're always waiting for that 'something else' to give real meaning, real joy to our lives. But does it ever come?"
He and Hans both encourage others to find themselves spiritually.
Hans says, "In order to know the truth or the direction you should take, investigate what God has put before you and then pray about it….he will show you what you need to do and you will be able to tell both in your heart and in your mind what you should do."
Marco similarly encourages students not to give up, and to find the source that will satisfy their spiritual hunger. "I can understand why a lot of people are turned off from organized religion…but that's no excuse for giving up on spirituality completely. There are so many paths..."
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