"You might think you want what you see,
but you may not get what you think..."
- anonymous
We carry two bodies around all the time…The physical body in which we live – programmed to live some 80 plus years –subject to illness, cold, injury and sometimes, unendurable agony. There is the ‘us’ that lives within our bodies – sometimes referred to as the heart or soul subject also to pains and troubles of its own.
On the other hand, they have the capacity, barring accident, with the proper maintenance, to be healthy and well. Both clothe themselves – one with cotton, wool or some other fabric…the other with words, thoughts and ideas. They can be healthy or ill depending upon the way we treat them.
The outside…
Our physical body is subject to certain natural laws, which keep it running as smoothly as possible. Exercise lubricates and keeps the cobwebs out, making it able to meet most of the demands of the day. Proper nutrition – carbohydrate, protein and fat – fuels the engines permitting the body to do the exercise that lubricates and keeps the cobwebs out. Sleep provides maintenance checks and repairs necessary to use the nutrition that fuels the engines permitting exercise to...you get the picture.
The thing about the physical side of things is that it is extremely temporary. If not maintained consistently, the system tends to break down. Even when maintained to optimal levels, it slowly wastes away – that we know for certain.
The good news is the early warning systems that keep us apprised of the things that help us remain healthy. If we try to do too much, rapid loss of muscle nutrition and insufficient of oxygen reduces our capacity, keeping us from overdoing it. The sensory system tells us if something is too hot, cold, sharp, or too loud. When our fuel get low, hunger pangs remind us it is time to put some ‘gas in the tanks.’ If we don’t sleep properly we experience fatigue, cognition deficits, balance problems, susceptibility to illness, shortness of temper, and the list goes on.
The thing is, that while we describe these systems separately, they all work together like the music of a great symphony. All are interdependent – each doing its part to create the most awesome of self-actuating systems.
The inside…
Our spiritual body is also subject to certain spiritual laws, which keep it running as smoothly as possible. It must also be exercised to keep lubricated and the cobwebs out. It exercises faith, hope, love, compassion, trust and many other attributes. It is nourished through the hunger of curiosity and fed with knowledge and understanding. Meditation and prayer provide the maintenance checks and ‘rest’ that permit renewal needed to exercise the spiritual body in an optimal way.
Like its physical counterpart, these functions work interdependently to create, and manifest an even more awe inspiring self-actuating system.
Things aren’t exactly the same
There is, however, a difference between our physical and spiritual bodies. One can be seen and one cannot – yet, both undeniably exist. The fact that no one has ever seen a ‘soul,’ doesn’t mean it (we) doesn’t (don’t) exist. Thomas Aquinas writes:
“A thing can be self-evident in either of two ways:
on the one hand, self-evident in itself, though not to us;
on the other, self-evident in itself, and to us.” - Summa Theologica
The former argument fits ‘us’ the soul and the latter, the physical body in which we reside.
Our physical body is evident to itself, and to us, because we can see it; smell it, and touch it. The soul, on the other hand, might be self-evident, but we have never see one – or ourselves for that matter. Without seeing, smelling or touching the soul, it is not self-evident to us. When we cannot grasp a proof of the existence of something – yet clearly see the effect of the unseen, it is accepted as a matter of faith. Existence of the soul then is a matter of faith.
So what’s the point?
This is leading to the way we eat - our hunger and nutrition systems. When we are physically hungry, it is important we eat a properly balanced diet. Sometimes the foods we eat taste good, but are empty calories, meaning there is energy in the food, but not much nutrition – cotton candy is a great example. Looks good, tastes sweet, but one is reminded of comments by Madame Thénardier in Les Miserable (musical) concerning her husband’s boasts of manly prowess – “…there’s not much there…” Pure carbohydrate in moderation is not a problem, but a steady diet creates difficulties for our metabolism.
The same thing happens spiritually. It is important to eat a properly balanced diet – for example, faith, assurance, love, and compassion to name a few. Sometimes the things we are attracted to seem good, but actually are not satisfactory to us. Our curiosity may be filled with gossip, the news of the day, the tabloid problems of others, the fantasy of the latest film or television show. Surely time occupying, and in moderation, not a problem but very often “…there’s not much there…”
It is frequently said, “We are what we eat…” but in fact, “We eat what we are.” The things we eat are actually the elements our bodies are made from…sugars, proteins, fat, a few vitamins and a little water. On the spiritual side for example, love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness and faith are what we the soul are made up of.
Making the choices
Keeping our physical body healthy is a choice. How we exercise, what we eat, the amount of sleep we get, is on balance a choice. The quality of activity, food and rest we choose results in the quality of health we have for the years of our journey on this planet.
Keeping our spiritual body – our soul – healthy is also a choice. In this instance, we become exactly what we choose to be in our lives. No one is responsible for the internal workings of our mind, but us. What we expose ourselves to, what we read, what we watch, what we listen to, what we say, all grow our spiritual body.
So - this day, as we rise to “…do the work of a human being…” let us do it with gratitude and choose to make this day a better day for both those bodies...
- ted
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