I ran across this question in a discussion group dealing with relationships. We started with defining what a relationship with self looks like. Body, mind, and soul became front line characteristics. By looking at how to respect and cultivate self, we found out that many people confused mind with soul. Knowledge and wisdom, are they mental or soulful? Can they be both? I ask that you think about what makes a soul? How can you respect or cultivate the soul? Our group came up with a bunch of things that fell into both mind and soul.
For some reasons I find it hard to accept that there is no clear boundary between the cliche’ of mind, body, and soul. I think that many can agree that the mind is clearly different from the body. So why isn’t mind so clearly different from soul? The only way I can understand the difference is by looking at how they interact with each other. Body holds the mind and soul, the mind moves the body and the soul influences the mind.
Yet whenever we tried to separate the tools used to grow them, we ran into the same problem. Emotional Awareness, Both! Education, Both! Meditation, Both! The whole topic became frustrating to a point where I regretted asking the question.
For a while I began to look at the soul like something that can’t be grown, but I do believe that it can be reshaped (like a piece of clay). Even though it can’t grow, the number of people that it affects can grow. In the pursuit of growth and respecting the soulish self, one would have to reshape their soul to affect as many people as possible. If done correctly, I believe it can create a lasting legacy.
What are your thoughts on the topic? Are your characteristics of “self” different? Have you grown in a soulful way? If so, how? Has the shape of your soul created a positive or negative effect on those you encounter? Has the shape of your soul been influenced by others?
BIld av Okan Caliskan från Pixabay