What's wrong with being single? Any regrets?

 What's wrong with being single? Any regrets?

Being Single: Is There Regret? A Spiritual Perspective

From a spiritual viewpoint, several insights emerge regarding being single.

Of course, living as a single person is not inherently negative. Many people navigate life fully and meaningfully while remaining single.

Spiritual medium Hiroyuki Ehara has stated that after death, what a person can carry into the spiritual realm are only their experiences, emotions, and memories. If one finds satisfaction in these, then being single is nothing to regret or consider bad.

Additionally, in Buddhism, it is said that after death, a person is shown their own life. If regrets arise during this reflection, they can become karmic lessons, carried forward as challenges to be addressed in a future life.

Being Single: Reflections from a Spiritual Perspective

When recalling past experiences, it is not absolute, but often what comes to mind are memories related to human relationships.

If one marries and has children, memories associated with family life naturally arise. If no regrets emerge in such circumstances, being single is not inherently negative.

However, it is worth reflecting deeply. From a spiritual perspective, when viewing the present life from the spirit world, one may notice descendants who carry thoughts and feelings for those who have passed. For someone single, without anyone in the physical world thinking of them in this way, can one truly withstand this spiritually?

As discussed repeatedly on this blog, the growth of the soul is reflected in each individual insight, just as the growth of knowledge is based on each piece of understanding. Similarly, spiritual growth—or the elevation of one’s spiritual level—comes from each insight of the heart.

As one’s spiritual level rises, so does one’s spiritual presence, along with the ability to positively influence others’ hearts. The more insights one gains, the wider one’s perspective becomes. This is not a difficult concept; it is simply a matter of maturing spiritually.

Conversely, a low spiritual level reflects weak spiritual presence. Such individuals tend to prioritize satisfying their own desires over nurturing others’ hearts, and their limited insights restrict their perspective. Again, this is not complicated—it is simply spiritually immature.

Some may argue, “Life is only once—what’s wrong with living selfishly?” This mindset often reflects a lower spiritual level. A characteristic of spiritual growth is that, as one’s level rises, previous attachments or interests naturally fade, giving way to higher-level desires.

In other words, as spiritual level increases, attachment to the present world diminishes. Even after death, one is less bound to the physical world, and satisfaction with one’s lived experience becomes easier to attain. This manifests as a lighter attachment to events such as Obon and a smoother transition to a higher spiritual dimension.

Japanese education often values only knowledge acquisition, neglecting the insights of the heart. This environment makes it easier for individuals with lower spiritual levels to emerge.

Not all single people feel negatively about their status, but from a spiritual viewpoint, the mindset of “What’s wrong with being single?” often reflects a prioritization of one’s own satisfaction over nurturing others’ hearts, which is indicative of a lower spiritual level.

Those with a higher spiritual level rarely hold such thoughts, as their attention is not self-centered in this way.

From a spiritual perspective, there is also a trend: singlehood is more common in developed countries, whereas marriage is more prevalent in developing regions.

Furthermore, leaving a legacy does not necessarily require descendants. Civilization itself may be considered a natural continuation of human effort, rather than solely reproducing through children.

Finally, even for those unmarried, each heartfelt insight contributes to spiritual growth. In fact, those with a higher spiritual level may have a greater likelihood of remaining single, reflecting the deep growth of their soul.