Body and Soul

We as humans are composed of three parts: body, soul, and spirit. I will focus this discussion on the first two.

First, the body. What is our body? That seems like an odd question, but it's still a good one. To define body, it is the physical part of ourselves that we and others can see, and we can manipulate it to do as we please, its essentially a puppet. At least that's how I see it sometimes. We manipulate our flesh, and bend it to our will, but we do have limits, and consequences for disobeying those limits. (i.e. pain and death) The body isn't immortal, in fact, from the moment that we are concieved, we start dying, just at a slow pace, for we must grow first before we can whither away. What is the focus of our bodies? Well, regrettably they have needs, like hungry, thirst, and rest. It would be easier if this were not so, but life would be less pleasurable. Which brings me to a good point, we as humans often seek pleasure. (Freud's Pleasure Principle, for those that survived last semester) We humans desire to do things that result in pleasure like, drinking, eating, and sex. These three Socrates mentions specifically in The Republic. We love to drink alcohol, it is an escape from our reality, and it makes us feel good. We also love to eat, and sometimes we tend to overindulge ourselves, which is not a good thing. (I'll admit though, I do really love food, because it tastes so good.) And the last thing mentioned is sex. Yes, the sacred act that God created specifically for marrige, and it deeply saddens me to say that people rarely obey this rule. (I believe that God created it for a reason, so I have, and will obey this rule) So, our bodies tend to lead us to seeking pleasure in life, which is great, but that's not what life is all about. Well, what else is there?

To answer that question, we will discuss the soul. What is the soul? The soul is the unseeable, untouchable part of our body that does not fade away, it is immortal. You can choose where it goes when your body fades, but that is another discussion entirely. It is inside of us, and it is the reason why we exist. Our soul is the puppet master, whhich controls the body, the puppet. I just like that analogy. Our soul is the part of ourselves that remains after the body fades away. What does the soul contribute towards life? Well, religion is a huge part, but it also makes us humans, and not just machines. We help other humans because we know in our heart and soul that it is a good thing. Our soul helps us to focus on the good and profitable. What kind of profit? Not in the business sense, but in the eternal sense, as in life after death. That's where religion comes in. Religion is a mode of existence for us that helps us secure where our soul will go. I'm a Christiian, so I believe in the one true God, but not everyone does. I've accepted Jesus as my savior, and I truly believe that I'm going to heaven one day, hopefully in the far, far, FAR off future. Other religions exist too, but one thing in common with all religions is that at some point your soul is discussed among them. That's how the soul affects us, it helps us to focus on the eternal and not the temporal.

So, as humans we need to achieve a balance between body and soul. We need to have some pleasure in our lives, but not make that the main focus of our lives. (Or Freud would win in the end.) And we need to think about our immortal souls too. We need to think about where it is going, and we need to focus on the good of life.

I commented on Lucas' 'Bite Me' post.