“Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul.”
Dorothy Day
My daughter asked me yesterday, ” What really is the ‘soul‘?” Her intellectual brother-in-law quipped it was part of a shoe, and his partner added that it was the Capital of South Korea! But I knew what ‘soul’ she was referring to, but I’d never really explained it in simple terms before, so I was momentarily speechless.
Each time I tried to define that immaterial part of a human; that spirit self which we might deem to constitute a soul, I found it was difficult to explain without using some kind of religious reference. And I am not religious!
In order to find clues that might point to an explanation of such existential matters, I turned to the traditional proverbs and sayings. As usual, they were a good source of information.
Some proverbs intrinsically link the concept of a soul with nationhood and language, identitiy itself, perhaps. This appears to occur across a variety of the world’s cultures, and ones as diverse as Scottish Gaelic and Irish, to Malay, Spanish and Indonesian.
Bahasa jiwa bangsa. Bahasa menunjukkan bangsa.
Indonesian Proverb
Language is the soul of a nation. Language represents the nation.
Apparently, King Solomon tied the concept of a ‘soul’ to personality traits and interactions with others:
“Your own soul is nourished when you are kind;
it is destroyed when you are cruel.”
Whilst Aristotle is thought to have said:
“The soul never thinks without a picture.”
the Mexicans contrastingly focused on what nourished the soul:
Conversation is food for the soul.
Mexican Proverb
and it was the Polish that thought mostly of its expression:
Conscience is the voice of the soul.
Polish Proverb
What does the concept of the ‘soul’ mean for you?
Do the sayings reflect the relevance of the meaning of the word today?
Does one’s soul play an intrinsic part of your identity, or is it significant in determining your values, or life’s purpose?
Or is it rather only an ethereal, mystical entity of which you feel detached from, in real life?
I invite you to join in the discussion by leaving a comment.
Everyone’s opinion is important. What is yours?
Mostly anonymous, proverbs are a portal through time to generations past and echo a diverse range of cultures. They speak of the experiences of many lessons learned and the wisdom from thousands of lives already lived. They offer us knowledge; knowledge that is passed to us in much the same way relay runners might pass a baton.
Once it’s handed over, it is up to us what we do with it and how we pass it on.
Quotes, like proverbs, make us think more deeply about something.
Something to Ponder About 
I think Billy Joel’s song ‘All about soul’ encapsulates my take on this.
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I don’t remember that one, Peggy. Will have to search for it on Youtube,
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One of my favourite songs.
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Soul, eh ?
You couldn’t be less religious than I am, I think.
My interpretation of the word is … [thinks] …
Wilson Pickett, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin.
How’s that ?
[grin]
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Haha! That was my rebuttal when my son proposed it was a part of a shoe! I said, “No, the other kind,” and then added, “..and don’t tell me it is a style of music predominant in America.” I took the words out of your mouth, M-R.
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How dare you ?! 😀
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Lol!!
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The nature (or even existence) of the soul? We have been debating that for ages 🙂
I have yet to find a more eloquent statement of it, than C.S. Lewis…
“You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.”
– C.S. Lewis
And, oh I like that Indonesian proverb you brought – very true 🙂
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I stumbled upon C.S. Lewis’ quote when I was researching for this post, N.Dragon. It didn’t really speak to me in the way I was thinking, and I wasn’t really sure how to take it. There are so many ways I could interpret the meaning. Which way do you interpret it?
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Some years ago, I read about an experiment in a hospital in New York, where they measured the weight of people immediately before and after death – and found that the body (including fluids and all) was a small amount lighter after…
The Russians have tried to photograph auras, with some success – depending upon how you look upon the results – and have experimented with the physical manifestation of “souls”.
And of course – we have a couple of thousand years (at least) of thoughts and more-or-less rigorous investigations into the whole “nature of soul” question… 😉
And yet, despite all of that… we have no real idea of what it is. Or even, if it is.
So in the end, it all comes down to belief. Do we believe that we have a soul? Personally, yes, I do. In fact I am sufficiently far out that I believe that all life have souls… which, I think, makes me a distinct minority within the somewhat obscure field of soul-theory. 😀
But it is from that point of view that I like Lewis’ way of putting it. Because most (though not all) ideas/beliefs about the “soul” place the soul as the primary element and the ego (consciousness/will) as secondary. And if we accept that viewpoint, then indeed – the soul has a body, not the other way round. 😉
PS: disclaimer – the references to research and experiments above are from books dealing with out-on-the-edge-of-reality supernatural effects, and I am fairly sure that those have not been ratified or acknowledged by anyone within the mainstream community of science…
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Guess what? I am in that minority too in that I believe all living creatures must have a living essence or soul. To me, it makes no sense to say that humans have the exclusive right to a soul, whilst dogs or other creatures don’t. The closest thing I have come to understanding soul via this discussion is that it is the life force, which the experiment you mentioned, tried to prove/disprove in some quantifiable terms. Coincidentally, my son’s partner referenced this same experiment you mention, when we had the conversation about the “Soul/sole/Seoul.” –
Bizzarely, as I told her, I read a collection of short stories when I was in primary school. I think I was around 10 years old, and there was a fictional story about a science student accidentally being locked in in a lead lined room and died. As is Scientists want, before the authorities were notified, the Scientist noted there was a change in his weight of the body once it was removed from the lead lined cavity. The writer must have been reading about this experiment, or the Americans were inspired by the story? The story stuck in my mind. As you can see, many years later, I am still trying to figure out the concept of a soul.
My husband can see auras, always has done. So it is surprising that they haven’t figured out yet how to photograph them. Do they want to study the photographs?
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I am not sure that auras are perceived entirely with the optical nerves in the eyes. If there is a mental/spiritual aspect to it, then that would explain why cameras do not “see” them. I have an aunt who also see auras, at least sometimes, but I am not sure that I myself have. Sometimes when I am tired… but the eye plays tricks on us then, does it not?
I tend to think of the soul as that, which continues. One cannot know for sure, of course, but it is a comforting thought to imagine that there is that, which travels on after death… 😉
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I think most of us need a reassurance, of some kind, that there is some sort existence after death of our mortal body just because without it we might feel completely purposeless. As we know, religions are based on this concept of reassurance. I do not disbelieve that our soul continues i its present form but that imprint we leave in life, or that essence of our spirit is left to endure in many ways. I don’t believe in an after life but I think that as matter can only change form, and not be destroyed, (correct me if I am wrong there), I feel reassured that my essence will persist, but certainly not in a mythical heaven. Whether that be as a mark on history, changing lives for the better, a fading thought or mannerism in my own child, (I note physical mannerisms going back 3 or 4 generations present from time to time, in my kids), or a straight out mental genetic trait/influence in our DNA in the wider family tree or DNA memory in a generation yet to be born, or even, merely as fertilizer for a garden bed enriching the earth in a lawn cemetery.
I am comforted by the fact that there will be no more pain or anguish in death, but I am sad that I will no longer get to see my children. That is the thing that bothers me the most.
My daughter is particularly troubled by the eternity of death. I feel that as we had no concept of life, before birth, it won’t trouble us too much after we are gone.
Interesting thought about auras. My husband maintains it was only an optical vision, but that it did take focus for them to appear.
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Don’t most of us wonder about the purpose of life at some point? Years ago I decided that it was kind of futile – but one could hope, and meanwhile at least maybe I could make life a little brighter for at least some of the people around me. A purpose, of sorts, in that every bit of light or beauty helps make the world a better place… 😉
As a general thing you are right about matter not being destroyed – when we speak about what we experience here on Earth. But when we deal with nuclear processes (atomic power, radioactive materials) or solar (fusion) processes, then matter is indeed being destroyed. Or rather – technically speaking – transmuted into energy. As there is a very strict correlation between matter and energy, it is not actually “destroyed” as such; it is just turned into energy (light, movement), and ultimately into heat.
Personally, I do not believe in Heaven either, but I do prefer to believe that the soul “moves on”… But we are definitely on the “believe” side of things here. 😉 And by the way, if we do say that the soul “moves on”, then there is a possibility that ghosts and spirits are also real (well, kind of) – and then it could very well be possible for you to follow/visit your children afterwards, even if they may not be aware of it.
But yes, death is a fact of life… and there isn’t that much we can do about it – yet. It is a very fast-growing research area though, with a lot of capital going into it; it seems there are some very rich sponsors who do not relish the thought of dying very much…
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Many thanks for a thought -provoking comment, N. Dragon. You sound like you have given this much thought and there is extensive knowledge behind those comments. Perhaps your soul has moved on from a previous life of an erudite person?
And you tell me “rich” sponsors are researching how to prevent death! Wow. I have heard of Simon C. ‘s IV injections to preserve youth and extend his life, but then Ricky Gervais (whom I find it hard to like), made a comment about living longer: He said something along the lines of: What is the point of living longer when those last ten years or so, [if we are fortunate to live that long], are filled with discomfort, ailments and all the other problems that come with old age. So he eats pizza every night….
Fission/fusion – matter being transmuted into energy – yes, I feel energy is still another form for the soul to take. But spirits/ghosts – I would like to think that is possible. Certainly matter can influence other matter in a completely different location. I have seen a few very strange things in my life, UNexplained things, and perhaps I can one day be reassured by the possibility that it was spirits of past souls moving through my realm. That could perhaps be comforting.
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It is said that cats can look into the “other realm”. And at times they certainly behave as if they do. 😉
The research into “avoiding death” presently follows a number of paths:
1. The Freezer: for a couple of decades there have been experiments with freezing people down, with a view to thaw them up again at a later time when we have progressed to a stage where death is curable.
2. The Ghost in the Computer: I recently grew aware of experiments ongoing – I think it may even be a commercial service offered, at least as a beta release – where tried to download the minds to computers, so that the mind would continue to be available. If this would result in a true AI (a “singularity event” – the birth of a truly self-aware computer), it would be a novel way of achieving what could very well be total immortality.
3. Youth Serum: the IV infusions you heard about was an attempt at transferring “youth” literally by infusions of blood from young people. A trope of black magic in fantasy books enacted in the real world.
4. Cell Regeneration: the most direct attack upon death – research into how to prevent the aging of cells and the reactivation/restoring of the regenerative powers of youth. Numerous research centers, some which are very hopeful that they will be able to “push the envelope” within the next decade or so, and add maybe 5 or 10 years to the expected lifespan – as a beginning.
5. Cybernetics: replacing the failing parts of the body with machinery. The ultimate aim would be the total transplant of the brain into a machine, which would keep it alive and well (I read, last year, about an experiment which actually planned to do just that).
Personally… I think eternal life would be an unmitigated disaster for humanity. It’s not that I look forward to dying, but… dying is the one and only thing which actually prevents the instant fulfillment of Malthus’ dark prophesies about the fate of civilization.
Of course, it is possible that eternal life would only be offered to a select few. But in that case we are opening a whole other kettle of worms: who gets to select those people (money?) – and what happens with society, when the most influential/rich people no longer dies? Not only would they gain massive amounts of experience – they would also block the next level, their lieutenants, from advancing…
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Cats… ugh. I am afraid I am a dog person more than a cat person, as I am allergic to cats, but I agree that cats appear to be on a different level than us, sometimes. That saying: “Dogs have family, cats have staff,” often rings true in my experience.
The cryogenic human option – cells thawed out, I think might always be science fiction, due to cell damage from being frozen, I think.
– A mind meld with a computer! Wow – this is real sci fi!
– Serum – eew! Sounds awfully aberrant!
Cybernetics and Cell regeneration sounds the most plausible option. Like you, I had the thought about how does one go about choosing who has that option. I am not sure I would want immortality – in any form, (other than hovering in the ether watching over my kids). Who would want to live on without friends and close family that can relate to you? I doubt we could relate to someone from 200 years ago, so I think immortality would be quite a lonely existence. It certainly would not be helpful for the environment if everyone lived much longer. How many people can the earth really support?
I am not familiar with Malthus’s prophecies. I shall read up on that.
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“Prophesy” was my own take on it. Properly speaking (if you want to look it up) it’s known as “Malthusian trap”… It’s one if the more scary things I know of – because it is so inevitable. We’re only staving it off due to steady technological advances – and a truly draconian resource distribution inequality: we’re (ultimately) letting people die of starvation in Africa so that we won’t go hungry ourselves…
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The Malthusian trap is indeed a terrifying prospect. We do indeed live in a finite world, with finite resources, something that capitalism, the modern economic model and politicians fail to appreciate. Population growth is a life-threatening issue. I remember reading about Ehrlich and also the hopes and failures of the Green Revolution back at Uni. One of the reasons I no longer work in Environmental areas, is that the future was so very bleak. We can only find comfort in doing our best to increase awareness, improve the quality in our own microcosm in any way we can, and as you said, contribute to the happiness of those around us, in the present moment. Think long term, but be present and pay attention to every moment.
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Ok, that was incorrect – dying is not the *only* thing preventing those prophesies from manifesting. Radical advances into agriculture and farming, new sources of food, education and birth control, etc. All of those are major enablers of population control/feeding as well. But I am sure you get the point. 😉
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Population control…. it should not be so hard to fix that. However, we have to fix poverty first….
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Indeed, Amanda. And that is no small thing. Poverty and population control are intricately linked; poor people depends upon their children to support them in their old age.
I think the Chinese succeeded, with their “1 child” policy. But it would take a society like that, with rigid controls and a culture of following the state, to make it happen. And I think (though this is an impression only, not knowledge) that they also have a society where they are more dependent upon the collective, especially out in the villages, than on the family as such.
India failed; the state wasn’t strong enough, and they are very family-dependent.
The link between population increase and poverty is also, by the way, why I place no great faith in population/culture/immigration prognosis. In many places, people are afraid that the descendants of Muslim immigrants will outnumber the locals within a couple of generations… but everything we know tells us that is unlikely to actually happen.
Of course, the ongoing climate crisis could well turn the whole cart over; we could get truly wholesale immigration from Africa and the Middle-East. What we get today is, when you look at the numbers, barely a trickle…
By the way – I did not get to write as much about privatisation in my new post, as I would have liked. I am planning another one on the topic, but we’ll see how it goes… 😉
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It is funny as I was thinking about the complaints I hear about the Muslims having large families and the tender age that the girls begin having their children when I was talking about the population bomb and the Malthusian trap, to my daughter. Is this a plausible explanation for why many Europeans are fearful? And right wing activism on the rise?
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Yes, it is. And yes, they often do (have many children). And everything we know about how that works tells us, that they will not continue having many children…
There are three different effects at work there:
1. The requirement to have many children is based on need for security – your family is your support. Once that security is provided by society, the number of children will fall within a couple of generations. (note though: we are speaking “generations” here, not years).
2. Once women enters the workforce, they often find that having children is a limiting factor on their possibilities in life. The fall in childbirths throughout Western culture generally has been closely linked with that.
3. Having children is a great thing… in moderate doses. Having many is a “strain” on the body. It is not really that attractive, from a physical-health point of view. Once women gain more freedom to choose, they will generally opt for a more limited brood…
Now, that was my input. However, you have – as a nurse, mother, woman – specific knowledge here which I do not… I will value your comments, Amanda. 🙂
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Hmm. There is much I could say on this topic, but I shall limit the conversation to answer your points. 1. Very true. Of course there are exceptions but generally speaking… 2. Unfortunately still true, but less so than in past decades. 3. Antenatal care improves and infant mortality falls, but I feel the reasons for the the opting of a limited brood might have more to do with the necessity of having two incomes and economic reasons than for the possible implications on one’s body. I think the idea of having children is regarded differently today in developed countries, than in years gone by. Birth control has given couples more choice about when to have children and therefore, children are much loved and wanted by and large, when they finally do arrive. Families value time and contact with each child, generally speaking. Hand in hand with wanting those treasured and long-awaited children, is the desire to give those children the best possible start in life, and that of course, means less children. Children are very expensive to raise. However, religious and cultural traditions don’t always give every woman or couple the right to choose or even the choice to work so that the influences you refer to may take more time to extend. There also seems to be a movement of 1st or 2nd generation children to adopt traditional practices that were abandoned by their grandparents when they immigrated or re-located to the new country. Whether they are seeking closer ties to their heritage and traditions on a personal level, or whether it speaks to a political protest/movement/statement is open to conjecture. Assimilation was the buzzword of immigrants in Australia for many decades and has now become almost derogatory.
If I was a refugee who landed in a country far from home, I might seek to re-create a community and my own family, and indeed if my own prospects were limited, I might still – as happens so often in the third world, regard children as my insurance in my old age.
In the developed countries, some women are opting NOT to have any children at all. In my group of high school friends, I was the only one out of six who had more than one child. The other four had NO children at all.
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See? I knew it was a great idea to ask you, Amanda! 🙂
Your arguments about childcare/rearing are compelling. I wonder… one of the technological developments which is going to hit us full force in a generation or so, is robots. It is still open for debate whether we will get a real AI (as in: a truly self-aware computer; the stuff we call “AI” today just about qualifies as clever tools, they have no actual biological-style intelligence at all). But there is absolutely no doubt that what we will have, within maybe 30 years or so, are robots (which may indeed look like humans) and which will be able to take over many tasks which we today ask real people to perform:
drivers, concierges, waiters, nannys, dog-walkers, shoppers, accountants, secretaries… all of those jobs, and many more, are in the front-line for being taken over – wholly or partially – by intelligent, self-ambulatory (ugly word) robots.
How intelligent will they be, those robots? Well, that depends quite a lot upon whether we will get actual, workable quantum computers going by then. If we do, then … possibly quite intelligent, even if maybe not self-aware. Without quantum computing, a reasonable level of intelligence would still be achievable, but it would be slower – more of it would be based “in the cloud” rather than within the robot itself…
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Nannies????????
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What, never thought of robotic nursemaids as being a terrific idea? 😀
Trust me, it will be an item at one point. There are simply too many science-fiction movies with that theme…
(and people are already saying that the constant use of a phone/computer screen leads to loss of emotional insight/linkage with other people… whatever will happen with children who grow up with a computer nanny… )
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I do NOT like the idea of handing over the care and attention of one’s child to a robot, for goodness sake. Sure the child’s physical needs could be met and intellectual ones, perhaps too, but zero emotional content. Look what happened to the institutionalized orphans in Romania who were deprived of emotional nourishment. For someone like me, who saw my role as a parent to educate my children and prepare them as best I could for adult life in this world, it sounds like a nightmare! I think there would be very many more mental issues develop from inability to interact with others, and the sadness that comes with not feeling understood or that one belongs. Yet I can see that many people would consider this a viable option. It make me think of Rosie, (why do I remember her name!) from” The Jetsons,” TV series of the sixties/seventies that I watched as a child. On the positive, at least I wouldn’t have to do the vaccuuming any longer!
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The world is turning…
Well is it said that “there is nothing new under the sun”, and yet – “nothing ever remains the same”.
Points of view.
My point of view: there is no possible substitute for real parents and real human interaction, when speaking of children.
(Nor is there, actually, for adults – even with the best of current-day technology, there is still no comparison between actual face-to-face communication and teleconferencing.)
If, one day, we get to the point where we can make a robot which is sufficiently human to actually take on the job as a nanny, then that will be because that robot *is* a human: in physical expression, emotion, communication, understanding, warmth of being…
To say we are still have a while to go to achieve that, would be… an understatement. We won’t get to that point while we are still alive. 😉
The sad thing is, we are sure to see “robot nannies” appear much before they are actually ready for it. Look at how many people treat their children today, effectively giving them away to the iPad/computer for caretaking. I have no doubt that a “robot nanny” would be a smash hit in many families.
And yes, the emotional/psychologial impact is scary; it already is… just as with the Romanian orphans.
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That is true, N. Dragon. The robot would be just as acceptable “for short periods,” as an ipad or television, in acting like a babysitter. The trouble is the short periods become longer because parents relish the free time to do something else that needs their attention. But can the Robot Nanny of the future emit empathy, which has to have the nuances of being able to place oneself in another’s shoes? That would be near impossible, despite how much affection and cuddles a robot might be able to share.
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Quite agree. There is a distinct difference between empathy and cuddles. The understanding required for real empathy would be… difficult to achieve (to say the least). Still, I think it could be done.
Mimicking human behaviour is significantly easier than building real intelligence; mimicking it to near-perfection is difficult, but we have actually achieved that today – when dealing with written language in specific circumstances. Doing so in the far more fluid and chaotic circumstances of the common family is a couple of orders of magnitudes more complex.
But here is a thing: we are very good at dealing with increasing complexity, these days. As long as that is the only challenge, then I have no doubt it will get solved.
The more difficult part is the whole matter of “how do I actually convey emotions in a matter which a child will relate to in the same way as it relates to parents?” I think that is going to be insurmountable – until we get to the point where we can make facial masks which can mimic human expressions to near-perfection.
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Oh good point. Children are very focused on facial expressions and read more in them especially in the pre language phase. It really is sci fi meets reality, isnt it?
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It is. And we will see more of that in the years to come. Autonomous cars – even flying cars, possibly, though I am doubtful they will be really practical for many years still; robots which look and act like people; vacuum cleaners which will magically clean the carpet while you sleep… (wait, we already have those! 😀 )
😉 As long as out civilization isn’t breaking down under the strain (which may well happen), we will see a steady stream of wonders, year by year…
Quite another question altogether – what will be the cost? That one worries me…
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A decline in multi-tasking abilities, perhaps? A decline in problem-solving, natural inquiry, and patience, maybe? Or were you talking in financial terms?
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Twofold – there is the emotional/psychological cost born by lack of real interaction with ones parents, and there is the cost in environment and resources.
The psychological cost is not something which I really feel confident about evaluating; I would have to find an expert somewhere to weigh in on that.
However, the cost in terms of resources and environment … as we transition to cleaner energy sources and production with less environmental impact, the overall impact on our environment will grow less – per item we produce. But the overall production of goods will increase dramatically over the next couple of generations, as China, India, and Africa get on the consumerism bandwagon.
Nobody, I believe, have any real impression of the consequences of that – except that it will likely be dramatic.
And then, we are using up non-renewable resources at a furious rate presently. Both in terms of minerals and organics. Madagascar is almost denuded of original jungle, the Amazon is threatened, and our biodiversity is skydiving. We are killing off most of the insect diversity, the bees are disappearing from major areas – with grave consequences for our farming – and our ability to find new medicines depend for a very large extent upon discovering new pharmaceuticals in plants… which we will no longer have available for research because their forest/natural lands have been cleared away for farming.
And then we have the whole impact of the declining efficiency of a antibiotics – which is also going to get worse and worse the more people are able to afford and use them…
Grave news all around.
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Summed up the challenges well, N. Dragon. The disappearance of the bees is a big red flag about what is happening in the environment. And the farming monocultures are prey to plagues of undesired insects. When nature is interfered with, the balance is lost.
There are so many challenges we face and so many angles that must be considered. It is so multi-faceted it is hard to see control and balance being re-gained. Particularly with the loss of habitat and forests – these are not easily replaced. Yet we continue to denude them in the name of business and prosperity.
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… (cont.) …
The relevance with your comment: much of the household work and basic childcare could be taken over by robotics, which would mean more time/resources for more children…
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A scary prospect in many ways. Thinking of that Irobot movie
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Hehe, I like what M-R added above. 🙂
I love Slovenian word for soul. It’s Duša (pronounced dusha). It’s also the name of my mom’s cousin. She often played with me when I was little with Legos. Not so long ago she started to paint and has gifted me four or five wonderful paintings.
When you do something with soul, you do it in an inspired, dedicated, happy manner. The result shows it.
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Hmmm. Did you see my reply to M-R?
That soulful manner! Doing it with every fibre of your being, your soul. With gusto, perhaps? I like the Slovenian word for ‘Soul’- You keep teaching me Slovenian! One day I might get to use it!
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Amanda, a fascinating study of soul … and for me the proverb from Poland and Indonesia come closest to reflecting my own thoughts on the subject. Intangible, invisible yet the very core of ourselves. I had to laugh at all the variations of the word soul! 😀
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Language and conscience maketh the soul, Annika? We think and we talk, and that reflects who we are. I agree that some explanation of what the soul is involves it being something intangible and invisible. I feel that it is hard to separate a logical view of what a soul might be from that backdrop of religion concepts that suggest this ethereal nature? Can it not be as simple as our body? As C S Lewis proposes?
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I think your soul is intrinsic and fundamental to who you are. I think I most likely place it with the Polish proverb conscience and soul go together.. 😉
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Conscience and soul, Lisa? I agree the inner voice had something to do with the soul. A bad conscience versus a good conscience. Sort of relates a bit to the concept of karma too, don’t you think?
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The essence of your energy, of the Light within. 🙂
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Those are beautiful words, Elena. When the lights dulls, and the energy fades so does the soul, the essence of who you are.
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SOS – save our souls. They want their very lives to be saved, not just some airy fairy part of them that will float off into the ether. Same thing when we say, “she’s a bit of a lost soul” – it means she’s lost here way a bit. To me the ‘soul’ is you, and me, and everyone else, in the physical living state If a boat sinks with 10 people on board being lost at sea, we say 10 souls were lost.
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So you are on board with the viewpoints of Northern Dragon and C S Lewis. And really, I am finding it difficult to separate the concept of the soul from the concept of body. And yet, I feel there is still some mystical nebulous character to the soul as well. Something completely undefinable. That magical nature of how we got to be here at this moment. At face value, it is another word for person, a human being.
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Now you have gone and done it, Amanda. Started a conversation on a subject that has a trillion possibilities. I liked several of the comments here. I lean toward C.S. Lewis. We are a soul using a body. Dying is like changing clothes and moving to a new address with a new job. Wish I could let you know when I get to the other side of this. I’m stalling because I’m having a lot of fun driving this car even though it’s old and breaking down a lot. Not quite ready to trade it in for a newer model. 😉 This subject could have hours of conversation and you would never need utter a word of religion. I’m like you, very spiritual but definitely not religious. I believe little of what I read and hear until it resonates in my body. The hair will stand up when I hear truth. Our souls are more important than our bodies. But we put good gas and oil in our vehicles and if we maintain them properly, they last a bit longer. The soul just drives them and keeps on going. So what challenge will you come up with next? 😉
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Thanks so much for saying so, Marlene. I am pleased to have provoked some thoughts, on this topic. I really like the way you say, ” The soul just drives [the body and it], keeps on going.” C S Lewis seems to be the most popular saying that most folks seem to relate to. I am certainly glad that you are not ready to trade in yours for a newer model, yet!
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Wow I have written something similar… More about thr food the soul needs
https://mrdsouza.wordpress.com/2019/07/22/soul-food/
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Thank you for the link. I think it is so interesting that if we believe we will have luck, it does tend to come along. I always thought we were looking to find evidence and thus it becomes a self-fulfiling prophecy, however, I have been conducting an experiment and have been wholeheartedly believing this is my lucky year and so far it has been in very many ways. Expect it or imagine it and the Universe conspires to assist you in making it reality.
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Wow… I believe in the same thing. People say the universe works in mysterious ways but I think we get what we expect and imagine vibrationally. And I pray that your experiment comes to a successful conclusion.
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If I expect it too, it will!!!
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