The Soul

Foreword 

         I am a writer by choice, but only slightly. My mind is a perpetually spinning tornado of thoughts. It blows all day-- even at the times when it is least convenient to have a natural disaster surging through my fatigued brain. And, as with most tornados, it is impossible to escape. It is a strong vortex that pulls me in. The eye of the storm within my head is mainly focused on society--society, people, human nature and the possibility of a soul. These topics are complex and confusing; I find myself questioning what I truly believe in on a daily basis. For this reason, I choose to be a writer, in the same way I choose to eat or sleep. The clearest way to sort through my mind is by means of short stories, extended metaphors and the occasional poem. This writing is for myself, primarily, but could be of some use to others as they begin their own spiritual journeys.

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         If there is one thing capable of keeping me up at night, it's the idea of a soul. What is a soul in the first place? I have contemplated many answers to that, though the two of which I find most plausible are unfortunately contradictory.
         The first and most tempting idea deals with a basic morality of man. In this scenario, every human is born with a clean, virtuous soul. This sort of philosophy is commonly referred to as "tabula rasa" or "blank slate" (John Locke).  However, that blank slate quickly becomes stained and dirty when we do not learn to monitor our thinking. Thoughts become words, words become actions, and actions become the defining characteristics by which we judge the morality of a person (as if that is our place). Having complete control over one's own mind is important, because without that control, the influence of the world and media seep into the spaces where original thoughts and enlightened ideas might have resided. Ultimately, we all have the ability to do good things and impact the world positively. The more we lace our thoughts with good intentions and embrace people without hatred or discrimination, the brighter the lights of our souls are able to shine.
         The second is a more realistic idea routed in some sort of scientific information. You see, our thoughts are not matter. They are connections between neurons that generate ideas. People have a hard time believing in souls because there is no way to prove they exist. They have no matter or mass. They cannot be measured. We have no problem believing in ideas though, because we have clear evidence in the world around us and inside our own brain. But what if our own brain actually contains our "soul"? What if the same unique processes (found only in humans) that give us thoughts and consciousness also give us the core fiber of who we are and the morals that separate us from the animal world? The point in spiritual beliefs, for me, is to put faith in an idea bigger than myself. But if my soul is something I created with my own mind, then it cannot bigger than myself. So I find myself questioning, "What is bigger?" Or, more importantly,  "What is biggest?" And I don't have even the slightest clue.