According to New Atheist Richard Dawkins, religion and spirituality should not exist—the human species should have evolved to a more elevated state.

The problem is that Dawkins has misjudged the human species. People continue to be more religious than ever, seemingly proving the point that we are programmed to pursue meaning, often in ways that have no evolutionary value.

Much of today’s religion is in the form of spirituality, which is essentially religion without requirements. It’s like having the cake without the calories. Both religion and spirituality address the core issues of meaning in life—they are variations of the theme.

Rodney Stark has described how the world is more religious than ever (The Triumph of Faith[:] Why The World is More Religious Than Ever). It has increasingly morphed into a fluid spirituality which fills the crevices of many places. There is a perennial search for meaning in life beyond mechanical functioning.

Among the proponents of spirituality are leadership speakers who sell massive numbers of books and appear before large audiences. Surely, they should be beacons of an evolved rational species devoid of religious and spiritual baggage, yet that is not the case.

Robin Sharma, the spiritualist motivational speaker, has reportedly sold 20 million copies of his books—he can presumably do this by giving his flock what they want, addressing felt needs, and satiating their inner longings.

Sharma provides a heavy dose of spirituality—with no qualms and apologies. By contrast, John Maxwell, when he brings up his Christian faith and role as a pastor, seemingly needs to apologize profusely and advise those lightly offended to skip quickly to the next sanitized chapter.

Not Robin Sharma. He has a lot of great insights for business leaders and he is a gifted communicator. At the same time, he delivers spiritualist gumbo. Generally, that means feeling good, being positive, and having no demands, but bland encouragement.

This post is focused on his recent book The 5 AM Club[:] Own Your Morning Elevate Your Life. He says in the “Message from the Author + Dedication” that writing this book was “an intensely spiritual process, a responsibility higher than my own needs encouraged me to continue.”

This book is written as a fable, to present some interesting insights in a long, drawn-out tale of a few key characters who dispense wisdom. Sharma quotes with approval from the likes of Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet [35, 197] and the Sufi poet Rumi [41].

What’s life about? Here’s the answer: “All that matters on your last day on Earth is the potential you’ve leveraged, the heroism you’ve demonstrated and the human lives you’ve graced” [49].

One strategy: "Go hard on cheating aging” [142]. His advice is to live long. Tell that to people with a terminal illness.

As noted earlier, he shares lessons through a fable format. He describes the actions of one character as follows: “The billionaire paused. He drew his hands together as is the custom in India, where people say ‘Namaste,’ which is Sanskrit for ‘I bow to the divine in you'" [142]. Amen, brother.

He talks about “Soulset” [142]. He states he has "learned that every single one of us has an unstained spirit and spotless soulfulness that rests at our very center” [142]. Richard Dawkins would likely not approve.

Of course the obligatory disclaimer: “Soulset refers to your spirituality. That’s it. Nothing mystical, really. Nothing religious. Nothing voodoo or freaky” [143]. Of course, no one wants to be “religious.” But that horse has already left the barn.

The advice from one character, the billionaire, is as follows: “Become a devout spiritualist. And just so that term doesn’t spook you—and shut you down to this education—all I mean to say is spend some time in the quietude of the early morning to make the result to the courage, conviction and compassion within you” [143]. What’s the outcome? Then you will understand the “Shangri-las of greatness and Nirvanas of light” [144].

What's life about? Sharma provides an answer via one of his characters: “The primary purpose of life is growth: to be continuously pushing yourself to materialize more of your potential” [187]. Sharma unabashedly pushes his personal concept of the meaning of life. Further, “do not neglect the call on you to deploy your fullest talents, magnify your spectacular strengths, multiply your happiness and discover a paradise of peace within you that no outer event can ever reduce” [188-189].

What’s life about? “Heaven on Earth isn’t some mystical, spiritual place to aspire to… I’ve discovered... that Heaven on Earth is a state that anyone can create” [277]. Further, “Utopia, Shangri-La, Nirvana and Heaven on Earth are just names for a state of being, not a place of visiting. You enter the magic of life and begin to experience outright bliss daily once you reclaim the inherent power that lurks in your core. And when you don’t postpone being grateful for even the tiniest of everyday graces. You’ll become a magnet for miracles when you begin being a magician of sorts” [278-279].

There you have a framework of the religion of Sharma, from the purpose of life and an answer to the afterlife. This is all shamelessly embedded in his book. Hang on to your amulets. You may be forgiven for having thought you were buying a book on leadership.