I woke up at 4:45 this morning with clarity of thought on this idea.
We commonly speak of the whole self as body-mind-spirit. Focus is given to the body and mind, but what are your thoughts on the spirit? Is it not what makes us different from the animals?
What is this spirit that we sometimes speak of? The body is what we move around, our physical selves. The mind is our own personal central processing unit. We make sense of our surroundings and generate ideas with our mind. It is closely connected and part of our physical being. It works through the processes of the brain. It is what I believe is the connector between the body and the spirit.
I imagine the spirit as more of a universal force that is unique to each of us, but is who we really are. An cosmic person in the ethereal spiritual soup swimming in eternity. I believe our spirits are all the same in intent. It is essentially good and is unselfish. The collective spirit all pushes in the same direction for the same goals. Our body on the other hand is selfish. It wants. We crave food, and money, sex, nicotine, dopamine, and amphetamines - things of this world, the physical and that which the physical can give us. How can I survive? Me me me. The spirit desires and seeks peace, friendship, love, unity, utopia.
When we do something that is opposed to what we truly believe, if we take from someone who is unable to defend themselves, or lie to mislead for our own gain - we feel shame for this without being reprimanded by someone else. This is our mind realizing we have done something in opposition to the spirit. Feelings of discontent, anger, fear, and unhappiness manifest themselves. We feel joy and love through our minds and in our body when we do things that are in line with our spirits. Even though these feelings fade, be they pleasant or malcontent, these decisions we make slowly form us into who we are.
The spirit can be quieted and contained in those who completely buy into the stock of themselves. Self survival gone awry can overpower the spirit, our minds listen to what "I" need more than what we need. I believe though that these people can eventually learn by the teaching of the spirit that chasing after the things of this world can leave you void and unhappy.
Some things are essential, some are born with access to more, things are not bad, but how we use them can be. Go out, be successful, make the most of who you are, but listen to your true self.
I feel God communicates with our spirit, the bible says God is spirit. As God was a man through Jesus Christ he communicated with men directly, now our spirits are our direct lines to God. Listen to the what it says. Turn off yourself, what do you hear?
