To expand on the lesson of Spirit, Soul, Body this will look at what the issues are with the soul, both good and bad. Take a look at the chart to the right to remind yourself what consists of the soul and how the soul makes 1/3 of who we are and how we respond.
To begin with, why do we even have a soul? God created a soul for us because He wanted us to make a connection with each other based more than just on physical pleasure. He placed inside us a mind that can think, reason, imagine, discover, search, and comprehend. He gave us the desire to try and find answers to the universe and to discover who we are. But not only about His creation but also to use all of the above to know about each other, another pleasure given to us. Our relationships have another level.
What kind of relationship can be built upon the soul? This relation is deeper than the one with the body. This one is multi-faceted. Our emotions though are the foundation of this relationship. Our emotions are made up of all of our situations and backgrounds, such as our thoughts and feelings. We can connect on an intellectual basis. And when we do we can grow in education. We can see things in a different light. It can cause a deeper feeling of purpose. We can share our thoughts. And when we do we find out about more of who we are when we are able to understand we have the same issues in life. We can share our feelings. And when we do we make that intimate connection where we develop a loving emotional relationship. This emotional relationship is based on our similarities where we can develop the greatest of friendships. But if all we do is base our relationships on our emotions then we can become disappointed in the actions of others. They will always fail us because of our expectations. This is where the idea of forgiveness comes in. God gave us guidelines here too. We need to treat each other with compassion, mercy, hospitality, generosity, and above all love. This is the essence of the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Paul. But people mistake emotions and its actions for marital love. This is why marriages such as those in like Hollywood don't last. They like the person on the surface but they fail to create a deeper relationship and later on realize they are not connected anymore. This is why intellectuals spend too much time away from each other in a marriage. They think their intellect is higher than the other and that starts many arguments. Ever notice most people marry someone with similar intelligence level? But if they have no better foundation than their intellect then the marriage is not strong. This is also why no one should get married at a young age and why "puppy love" is not real. The relationship if built on emotion can be filled with disappointments and the "love" goes. Phileo love is a brotherly love. It is for friendship. Animals have friends. Heck the dog is man's best friend (because they can't argue). You are higher than an animal.
How does the soul react to the world? There are only two ways, the soul uses logic and reasoning. During the Enlightenment era people like Voltaire and Rousseau stressed the idea of using logic and reasoning to discover the answers of the universe. They claimed there were natural laws of the universe that were constant and man could not work outside those laws. They denied many religious beliefs like miracles because these would go against these natural laws. They relied upon their intellect to explain the world. But some things in this existence can never be explained by logic or proven by science. Is there a mathematical equation for love? No. Can science completely prove the beginnings of the universe? No. Sure we can come up with the best of theories and do many experiments based on what we know. And we can actually prove many things with a constant result but we can never fully understand the universe. If we try to prove everything by logic and reasoning only then some things we will never get to experience because we deny its existence or some things we will never get to understand because we deny the possibilities. The worse thing they can do is over think things. They try to rationalize each and every aspect of life. Views on both sides of every argument seems rational but they aren't. See Rationalization for more explanation. Liberal ideas distort truth because they sound correct but are full of falsehoods. Humanism, atheism, feminism, ideologies, and philosophies all start to sound like truth but are pseudoscience. They stress individualism but look for a belonging. They are confused but claim they have all the answers.
How is the world enhanced for the soul? We write self-help books. We write text books. We go to psychologists and psychiatrists. We study. We observe. We take classes. We have support groups. There is nothing wrong with any of these. These were made so that we could get help and make connections with others, to know that we are not alone with our struggles. But people use these as a crutch. These things become excuses. They blame their mother for their criminal activity because a psyche book said that is what happened. Nothing becomes their fault because they can explain their behavior. How about...you were just wrong and take the consequence. Psychologists try to pinpoint everything on our psyche. Simplypsychology.org But not everything is based on our past. Sometimes we are who we are because of our distorted thinking. To quote from a great movie, "Stop breaking the law A-hole". When all we do is try to explain our actions then we never get to what the real problem is and we keep feeling ashamed and confused. But we are human. If we do wrong we will have these feelings and will keep having them unless we understand there is a higher calling.
What is the result? This is the most important part about understanding the soul. We want to find that special someone that we are special to as well. We want to make that connection with others so we feel like we belong. This is why we join teams. This is why we join clubs. This is even why we read, to find something we feel a part of. But when we can't find that right relationship we start to wonder what is wrong with us. Our mindsets become focused on the negative. We start to hate ourselves. We don't see ourselves as worthy of anything, or any gift. We struggle with our thoughts. We look for answers and if we look in the wrong places then we find the wrong answers. Years of pain and stress cause depression. We feel like our sanity is up for grabs. Instead of just causing physical pain for relief, many take the next step and want to end it all. Knowing everything just isn't enough. There is still a part of us that is unfilled.
We are human. Having a soul is part of us and we should not ignore it. We are geared towards curiosity and a desire to understand. God created a universe so vast that our minds will never stop wanting to find it all. But there are limitations and mysteries that God left open. Mankind though thinks they know better and creates theories. Those with high intellects think they don't need anything else. The screenshot of someone to the right explains a lot. The person who posted this is one of the greatest people on the earth and deserves so much more than life has been lately. But they can't find the answers. They wonder what is after this life. They are an atheist but still have a question about after you die. That's because God's spirit is still in them but they deny it. Those who rely upon their intellect can't see past the natural world. But there is another world out there. And we wonder why the world is the way it is.
You are important. You have dreams and hope. You are more than just emotions. Yes, you have a body. And even more importantly, you have a spirit. Use it.
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