 Spiritual: April 25, 2012 Issue [#5009] |
  Spiritual
This week: The Nature of a Soul Edited by: NaNoKit  
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What is a soul? We can't see it, or touch it, but many of us believe it's there, inside of us.
This week's Spiritual Newsletter is all about souls, and the things that shape us.
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Life starts. Death ends it. That's the way it goes. I won't be telling you anything new there. It's the in-between that's so interesting, because all throughout life we have this tiny voice inside our heads that we tend to identify as "me". It's there when we go to school, to work, hang with friends and family, and keeps us company during the times when we are alone. It's even there in our dreams, whether we can steer them in the direction we want to, or simply try to make sense of what is going on.
Right now, when I am typing up this article, the little voice reads out the words I have written and tries out new ones to see if they fit. I don't know what to call that voice. All I know is that it's a part of me. It's the one part of me that I can't ever imagine not being there... not even after the rest of me has passed away.
Is it my soul? A soul is difficult to come to grips with. We know a lot about the human body. We know where everything is located, and we have a pretty good idea of how the various parts work. We can look at the body at a molecular level, and even have a peek at DNA, but I have yet to read anything conclusive about where our souls are located, though the brain is probably the most likely option.
There's a lot we don't know about souls. Some would argue that souls don't exist. Others would argue that they do exist, but only within humans. And there are those - myself amongst them - who feel that everything that's alive has a soul, from the largest to the smallest creature, from the most majestic tree to the humblest flower.
We don't know at which point a baby gains a soul, nor when, exactly, it leaves us when we die. We don't know what happens to it afterwards, or indeed before it becomes a part of us. Various religions and spiritual paths have their views on this. Heaven, hell, ghosts, reincarnation, all are options we can speculate about, but until we get there, speculate, or have faith in it, is all we can do.
What I do know, is that I consider that little voice as the real me. Like most people, I act differently depending on the situation I am in. When I am at work, I have to be professional me. I'll act in a different manner than when I am at home, and different again when I am with friends, or family. When I am around people I don't know, I won't behave in the same way as with those I am comfortable with. That doesn't mean that any of those "personas" are false. They're different sides of my personality.
The esteemed sociologist Erving Goffman reckoned that we perform according to the setting we find ourselves in - that we are like actors in a theatre play, and play different roles depending on need. That is how society is shaped. We know what is expected of us when we're in a shop, or on the train, or at a concert, or in a theme park. Different roles are performed in each of those settings. Deep down, though - and not all academics would agree with me on this - I feel that we have a core "me". What I call the little voice. It is there throughout every scenario, and though it may have been altered slightly over the course of my lifetime, affected and influenced by successes and errors, and an increasing amount of experience, it's been pretty consistent on the whole.
Some academics feel that who we are is shaped by our relationships with others, and society around us. I am certain that that is true, to some extent. From our earliest days we are taught by our parents about right and wrong, how to behave, and we are exposed to what they choose to expose us to. Then we go to school, and our social field is widened, but we are still pretty sheltered. After school comes high school, and then we move into work or further education, and the field widens more, but how many of us are lucky enough to experience life in a variety of countries, with a variety of cultures? Sure, we go on holiday, or travel for work, or meet up with friends from all over the world, and lots of countries are pretty multicultural, but how much opportunity do we have to properly immerse ourselves in these different cultures? Even though I was born and raised in the Netherlands, and now live in the UK, and even though I am blessed with friends from all over the world and from different faiths (or none), I don't claim to know everything about every aspect of Dutch culture, or British culture, because every region has its own slightly different habits and quirks. And I certainly don't claim to know everything about everywhere else. Far from! Which means that most of us are likely to be sheltered to a certain extent, and shaped by what we are exposed to as well as the limits of our exposure.
So I accept that we are influenced, our personalities shaped by those around us, our relationships with others, and our environment. I don't accept the theory that all that we are is those influences, that there isn't something at our core that defines us. Something that's unique in each and every one of us.
Perhaps I am wrong, but I've known identical twins who have very distinct separate personalities. It is true that some of their experiences may be different, but as they were raised by the same parents, went to the same school, hung with the same friends, and pretty much did everything together, would the tiny differences in experience influence their personalities to such a great extent? I doubt it.
Twins may be an obvious example to use, but what about people from the same area? People from the same school, people from the same country, even... there are many different factors in their lives that could influence them, but wouldn't the similarities be rather noticeable? Yet, as much as we have stereotypes, we're all individuals.
And if we are all unique individuals, none of us the same, doesn't it make sense that what makes us so unique is that individual voice that is with us throughout our lives? It may be influenced, it may soften or harden along the way, but there is always something there that does not alter, and that's what makes me, me, and what makes you, you.
Speculation? Sure. I don't have all the answers. If people far more learned than I am can't figure it out, I don't feel that I stand much of a chance of getting it exactly right. Perhaps it's for the best that we can't locate a soul, nor know exactly how it works. That means it can't be tinkered with.
All I know is that a soul is something to cherish. If it weren't for that little voice to guide me, I wouldn't be who I am.
kittiara
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For this week's Spiritual Newsletter, I have selected some of the latest additions in the genre. I hope that you will enjoy them  .
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The Spiritual Newsletter Team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in!
njames51  - Thank you for highlighting my poem, "Twirling Night Sky" in your Feb. 29 newsletter. Much appreciated!
You are most welcome!
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troy ulysses davis  - Well written. I am a first time reader and I will be looking forward to reading the next edition of this newsletter.
Welcome to the Spiritual Newsletter, and thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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Mia - craving colour - I believe Granny Weatherwax may be on to something. It's amazing how much easier life is when you don't have others trying to talk you out of what you believe and prepare you to deal with it instead.
Thank you so much for writing in. I fully agree! With you, as well as Granny Weatherwax  .
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fragmented - This was a really good article, I feel like you really hit the nail on the head. Quoting Terry Pratchett was a master stroke, his words really drove the point home. Brilliantly written, I tremendously enjoyed this. Keep up the good work!
 Thank you so much. I don't think anyone's ever called my words brilliant before!
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Lilithmoon☽ - Excellent NL I enjoyed it very much!
Thank you very much! I am glad you enjoyed it .
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Zeke - There is really only one true evil and that is Satan.
Zeke
Thanks for the feedback, Zeke! I feel like we could have a really interesting discussion about that. Perhaps a topic for a future newsletter!
~~~
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
the Spiritual Newsletter Team:
Sophurky  , KimChi , kittiara
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