Many a philosopher attempted to
determine what the soul was. Socrates stated it was one part, reason.
This was in opposition of the popular thought of the time called the
"common sense" theory. The common sense theory stated it
was two parts, desire and reason. Socrates stated that there was not
desire, just good and bad reason. So if you made a bad choice or gave
into desire that your reason or ability to think was weak, not that
reason was overpowered by desire. Now his student Plato went further
into the theory of the soul and actually added to the concept and
made is much more complicated. Not only was the soul reason and
desire like the common sense theory stated, but it also was will or
spirit. Reason was impartial and thought bore no weight. So it needed
the weight of will to pull against or counter the weight of desire.
Big thoughts from great thinkers. Kind of cool to be reading more and
more about them.
Now there are more and more that take
on this great endeavor as time marches on. There is also much more to
the conversations that these people brought up through out time on
the concept of the soul. Now I am wanting to take a crack at it, but
through my own train of thought. I am thinking that they do not have
it wrong, but I think they are making the mistake of all great
thinkers and not taking the path of the engineer. I think Socrates
was closest to my idea. The more streamlined and simple, the more it
makes sense to me. After all our body is made of simple concepts all
working together to create a complex machine. The complexity of that
machine is one of the reasons we break down and wear out. If it was
simpler it could run longer.
This point is proven time and time
again in a literal sense, and also in the metaphysical sense of
simplicity. Look at your life and and those you know. Those good
people that where cool enough to share their life with you that died
can attest to the benefits of living simple. At least in my
experience those that lived a simple life held onto the mortal form
a bit longer, then those that used their bodies like a stolen car and
drove it into the ground, literally, faster then everyone else. They
both lived their share of life, some just crammed it into a smaller
space of time. They enjoyed it with a greater intensity, but it was
much more complicated, therefore more inclined to break down. While
those that did not live in interesting times, enjoyed less
complication and took their measure of life and savored it, and
rationed it.
Both ways are good, and each has its
place. I personally do not mind if I die early, because I like the
richer flavors that life has to offer me. I also like to look at the
soul more than the flesh. You see to me the soul is indeed eternal.
It can survive as long as the universe survives, because it is
energy. Energy can neither be created or destroyed right? So if you
die in the straw or by some other great means, it is only your body
that dies. Your soul is freed, and will go onto the next mission. It
will continue to live. It will thrive or stagnate as it sees fit, and
with the ambition it has.
While I agree with Socrates, I think
the soul is whole, not separate parts, like a body is whole. Things
like emotions, memory, education, these are the organs of the soul.
They can not survive on their own but you can make them out. So you
can work your biceps in favor of your triceps, as you can work your
will more then your desire. These are all part of thought, and
therefore all part of you, or your soul. So you can rationalize your
life choices, and exercise short term judgment, or you can exercise
wisdom and make good long term choices. Either way those choices can
be brought into different shades of good or bad.
I think we are more intuitive with this
as children because we have not been told all kinds of crap to break
up our sense of simplistic good or bad. A cookie is good, so we eat
it and smile. Now we eat a cookie and we think about running an extra
mile so we don't get fat, because getting fat is bad right? We learn
to not trust people on appearance, and we start learning to judge.
Children do judge, but it is much more simple than the judgment of
adults. We complicate things, and get one step closer to wearing
things down. Its not good or bad, its just the way it is. You either
stay in a simple black and white world, and avoid having things
happen to you, and in that world you live a long long time. Or you
embrace the complicated facets of life, and bring those complications
into your life. When you bring more complication you do not get any
more or any less of a measure of the physical life, you just use it
up faster. Its like gas in the tank, and how much do you mash the
pedal, and how often do you stop and look around?
So when you stop at the cosmic gas
station you can plan your trip, or you can see where the road takes
you. It is your choice, your decision, and your level of involvement
that gets you where you want to be. Either way the trip ends, and
your soul leaves the car behind. The only constant in this equation
is not matter if you try to prevent it or not, we all die. So you can
live your life as you see fit, race to the end, or stave off the
inevitable for as long as you can. Me, I am not so worried, my soul
will live on. I plan to have some great stories to tell the other
souls I come across.
So what parts of your soul would you
like to work out and work on. Do you let your soul reflect the
average body? Do you pack some weight on? Do you let your
cholesterol run out of control? Or do you fight to run a two minute
mile? Does your intangible you have great six pack abs? What scars
does is have? Do you walk with the limp of a pimp? Is it a meek
little creature that other souls shove into lockers at the cosmic gas
station? Does it shine and declare your presence? Or is it dark and
unnoticed? Good long term judgment, or short sighted self indulgence?
Do you work on the carefree aspects, or do you hold onto rational
behavior with a death grip? How much of an effect do others have on
your reality? How many shades of gray are you? Me I am better
describe by how many shades of great.
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