As humans we are subject to our basic experiences as such. This involves the concepts of the Sprit and the Body. Since the dawn of our history, humans have constantly tried to find the balance between the two. We work to preserve our bodies that house the intangible existence of our spirit. Like the egg and the yolk, the Body and the Spirit are one in the same, but the methods of which they are preserved, handled, and experienced are two very different concepts.
We first understand ourselves through the Body. As babies our basic instincts are to find a way to preserve the Body that we are. Eating and sleeping are the only basic requirement that we are to fulfill for ourselves at this point—it’s the only thing that we are able to do on our own. We are dependent on our parent or care takers to provide a place for these activities to be facilitated.
It’s not quite understood when the Spirit becomes activated within the Body. It is speculated that this occurs after the developmental phase of the Spirits housing is congealed. Some have referred to this as awareness: we become aware of ourselves as I, self, and me. Humans have organized institutions that are directly related to the existence of the Spirit i.e. churches, synagogues, and mosques.
Despite the Body and Spirit’s unity they are very different. This is seen in the motives of the two.
In reference to the Body, it is an animal. Like when we were babies, it is prone to acting on its basic instincts and experiences. If the body is hungry it will drive the human to find food. If the body is tired, it will drive the human to a place of rest. The body only knows to preserve & comfort itself, and at times will seek these things at whatever cost is necessary. Because of this, the body is prone to developing routines, habits, and addictions. Ultimately, like all animals, the body will die.
The Body is a limited creature. It can only comply with the laws of the universe in which it is a resident of. It is frail, and non adjustable in the fact that it cannot leave its environment without the proper suiting. The Sprit, on the other hand, is much more efficient in itself.
The Spirit has been called many things in the time that we have been aware of its existence; the mind, the inner self, the soul, essence of self, and consciousness are just a few of the terms used to identify what is being addressed as the Spirit. Though the very concept of the human spirit is at times a very controversial subject, for the sake of this writing we will—simply—define it as such: the part of the human identity that is intangible.
According to Christian theology the Spirit is not able to exist without a body to inhabit. Its existence has never been fully proved, nor has it been disproven by modern day science. Most people would say that it exists in a place called the Spiritual realm. It is not agreed upon on any exact way that one is to maintain the spirit. It is said that each human is to learn that for them selves. In the past many humans have gone on spiritual quests to fully know & understand what it is to connect with their spirit & the realm in which it resides.
From my own personal experience I have found that the Spirit is the very essence of self. The spirit is the driving energy that allows for the heart to beat, and upon the Spirits exit from the Body, the body no longer lives. If one was to recall whenever they have seen the dead body of a loved one at a funeral, they can account—either saying it to themselves or hearing someone else say—that it is as if the loved one weren’t there even though their body is.
The Spirit and the Body have both affected the world & human culture; they both seek to understand and create. It is known to me that the Body—a creature of this tangible world—is responsible for the architecture, the sciences, medicine that we have, while the Spirit—a creature of the intangible realm—has made way for cultural movements, the essences that provoke art, and the harness for our deepest emotions.
Though they are very different creatures, the Spirit and Body are one in the same. Every human has both, for without one or the other, a human one is not. To find the balance between the two one must learn to handle with the care each of the two by sustaining them in the separate ways that are required.
