Some humans like to think they are spirits, temporarily housed in a body. St. Francis referred to his body as "Brother Ass", not in reference to a posterior but to a plodding, strong, stubborn beast of burden. Others feel that the evidence is clear that while we do have brains and minds and can create, transmit elaborate codes and languages, we are our bodies. Our bodies have to be something very elaborate but they are still bodies, in this view.
Rene Descartes (1596-1650) was a philosopher and mathematician as smart as they come. At a point in his life when he was trying to figure life out, he considered himself, his church and everything he knew. While searching for the most solid basis for believing and living, simultaneously working within the religious framework of the day, he stated that the body and the soul/highest mind were two separate entities. That might be a nice idea for further considerations of the immortality or afterlife of the soul but as modern research proceeds, it seems that not only that there is a smaller and smaller place in our thinking for many religious ideas but that the place for ourselves, our souls, our unique minds and thoughts is also shrinking. Be that as it may, there do seem to be pathways emerging in the fog that we can follow to maximize our joy and love.
Very ancient practices and methods and yesterday's research both point toward relaxed acceptance of our bodies,our minds and our lives. Judith Bardwick, professor of women's psychology for 40 years, says women ARE their bodies. Men, too, are lving, breathing, growing, aging bodies. The ancients and Prof. Arthur Herman say to tense and relax every muscle and then meditate. Modern yoga practice can do many things but an important one is improve mood and ability to see good in the world and appreciate it. Sounds odd, maybe, but gently moving our limbs in the various ways we can typically lifts our mood. Doing so can give us a genuine feeling that life is fun and worth having.
As evidence accumulates that most of us seem to be designed for happiness rather than logical reasoning or battle, we are finding ways to be aware of the infinity of goods and blessings continuously in attendance, waiting upon us. We can move from acceptance to better use of ourselves to joy. Physical therapy, yoga, simple tense and relax, better awareness and acceptance of our foibles and stumbles, our lapses and spurts brings awe and gratitude.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
Rene Descartes (1596-1650) was a philosopher and mathematician as smart as they come. At a point in his life when he was trying to figure life out, he considered himself, his church and everything he knew. While searching for the most solid basis for believing and living, simultaneously working within the religious framework of the day, he stated that the body and the soul/highest mind were two separate entities. That might be a nice idea for further considerations of the immortality or afterlife of the soul but as modern research proceeds, it seems that not only that there is a smaller and smaller place in our thinking for many religious ideas but that the place for ourselves, our souls, our unique minds and thoughts is also shrinking. Be that as it may, there do seem to be pathways emerging in the fog that we can follow to maximize our joy and love.
Very ancient practices and methods and yesterday's research both point toward relaxed acceptance of our bodies,our minds and our lives. Judith Bardwick, professor of women's psychology for 40 years, says women ARE their bodies. Men, too, are lving, breathing, growing, aging bodies. The ancients and Prof. Arthur Herman say to tense and relax every muscle and then meditate. Modern yoga practice can do many things but an important one is improve mood and ability to see good in the world and appreciate it. Sounds odd, maybe, but gently moving our limbs in the various ways we can typically lifts our mood. Doing so can give us a genuine feeling that life is fun and worth having.
As evidence accumulates that most of us seem to be designed for happiness rather than logical reasoning or battle, we are finding ways to be aware of the infinity of goods and blessings continuously in attendance, waiting upon us. We can move from acceptance to better use of ourselves to joy. Physical therapy, yoga, simple tense and relax, better awareness and acceptance of our foibles and stumbles, our lapses and spurts brings awe and gratitude.
--
Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
