Spirit, soul and body

The next section will be commentary.;

I have studied many opinions about three parts to our being.  Theologians teach that God is a three part being, father, son and spirit. They teach that individuals have three parts, spirit, soul and body. Aristotle says there are three parts to life; pleasurable, political and contemplative. By life he means activity and the motive behind them. Pleasure is to please our body, political is how we are known and contemplative is our inner self. Although the religious studies I have had in the past have a hard time separating spirit, soul and flesh, this makes the division clearer. To depend on stimulus and always need bodily pleasure to be happy is what simple people do and also is closer to the motive behind an animal’s actions. To depend on reputation for happiness can also be a dead end since it makes one dependent on others. The contemplative self is the best place to get happiness. None of them are bad, but pleasure and honor are unreliable unless we manage them properly and keep them in their proper perspective. What is important is the inner self, as the saying goes: “Be true to yourself”. We can see a correlation between spirit and self, soul and reputation, then body and pleasure; three motives behind our actions.

Modern communication teaches that we have a presentation self and our true selves. They also teach that ruminating can ruin our lives. This is saying something similar; what we meditate on makes us. It is unhealthy to worry so much about what others think. It is also unhealthy to base happiness in material things. Jesus told his followers not to depend on wealth and pleasure. He became of no reputation. He also taught that the kingdom of God is within us. Sounds like a parallel to me. I am sure the same can be said for other religions. 

These teachings have been invaluable to me for clarity. I decided to study this over a year ago and have been fascinated by it ever since. I hope to keep things on this blog understandable and free of boredom. Don’t be afraid to comment.