What is the core of spirituality?

Seeker: I should like to know what are the essential ingredients of a genuine spiritual life. There seem to be as many kinds of spiritual life as there are people practising it and this could lead to a situation where the blind leads the blind whereby both of them fall into the ditch.
Guru: People without true enlightenment and spurred on by selfish ulterior motives are really blind and they are bound to fall into the ditch along with their followers sooner or later. People tend to identify themselves by the expectations others have of them forgetting in the process what they themselves are essentially. The starting point for a true spiritual life, therefore, is to be conscious of our true self irrespective of what the world has laid down as criteria for greatness. This presupposes a certain amount of detachment from the values of the world so that space is created for the beginning of a true spiritual life. The ultimate goal of spiritual life is union with God for which our entire life has to be steered purposefully and with dedication.