Ah, yet again I am here having an age-old argument with my cursor. It is hard to believe that this problem still persists. I mean, I get deployed for a while and when I return I find some things haven't changed. It still thwarts my existence with its incessant blink blink blinking. Accursed thing. But for now I will ignore it and continue into my article...

Today's topic is one about the human soul. Do we have one or don't we? Do we fade away in a decomposing pile of rotting flesh with all that we ever were in a wooden box, or does the 'I' leave the body and go somewhere? And is that somewhere preordained or is it subject to the life we lead? So let me open up with some personal blither before I go into other trains of thought. This is done in an effort to establish a base from which the reader can understand the point of view that this is written from, kinda like a pre-emptive disclaimer...

Do I think that we, as humans, have a soul? Yes. There are enough things in this world that we cannot explain nor hope to understand; to deny the existence of a soul would be, in my opinion, ignorant. Now that being said, do I hold close the precepts of modern religion and deny those we, as a western civilization, call pagan? No. I see the anthropological inheritance of religion... that being one in which to give the human animal a way to justify his/her existence and to give order and morality to the chaos. As long as one believes, then one is saved. As long as one does things that don't impede ones ethics then they can be justified within that person. Now are there exceptions - yes - the McVeighs and Dommers of the world don't categorize here. I am talking purely from the concept of the absence of evil. Do I feel that we separate from the existing mortal coil and go somewhere? Is it preordained?... I don't know, I hope not. Now with that being said let me continue into the meat of the article.

************WARNING**********

Attachment is the great fabricator of illusions. So separate your beliefs and read this article simply for content.

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The concept of a soul is one that has plagued the human psyche for as long as we have had complex thought. The inner 'I' has been something philosophs have mulled over at bathhouses and local taverns. What makes the 'I' the 'I', and does that have anything to do with the soul itself. There are those that say, 'I am here aren't I, so I must exist', but what are they. A simple structure of the basic elements of life. A mish mash of moving parts and bad breath. Does this constitute the 'I'? There are those who say, 'I think therefore I am'. So is a brain dead man on an inhaler at the hospital not a person anymore cuz he can't think. If I am not thinking at any given instance do I blink out of existence. It all has to deal with perceptions. Simply that. Subjectivity runs rampant through this topic and it can't really be helped. Objectivity cannot play in this. Period. No quantifiable study has ever proven the 'I' or if it relates to the soul. Does the soul reflect the 'I'? Who knows? Those that feel that reincarnation is a possibility, feel that we bring a preset memory with us. If that is true why can't we remember it, and if it is something that we take away from our lives, where does it all start? Or does it ever start? I ask only to promote thought.

Elizabeth Barret Browning once said that; 'Earths Crammed with Heaven, And every common bush afire with God: But only he who sees takes off his shoes.' This speaks leagues to the topic of religion and faith. There are many that blow sunshine up peoples colons about the existence of God and all the goodness therein, without believing it themselves. Seeing the miracles of God or whatever deity they may subscribe to in the world around them, but to truly believe it is another matter. And this alludes to the concept of the soul as well. People can sometimes hide behind fatalist attitudes and justify their actions behind measures and dogmas of faith in order to make light of their misdoings. Justifing it as, hey I am going here or there no matter what so why not have fun. Or the 'We only live once' argument. And then there are those that hide behind obscure dogma to dictate the lives of them and those around them. Ever seen The Virgin Suicides? Kinda the same dilemma. They find those facets of some particular ideology to hide behind and lend credence to the way that they think, no matter how unsociable and incorrect they might be.

So now back to the soul. How does the soul relate to this? Perhaps the dignity of a soul needs to be inherent in this argument. The acknowledgement of the existence is necessary in order to justify Browning's quote. So here I will take the point of view that it doesn't exist. How does one justify their existence without the acknowledgement of a higher spiritual power? Does one simply question Deity or does one refute its existence entirely? Anthropologically religion and the concept of a soul seek to give meaning to life. So what does life mean to those that have no faith and acknowledge no soul? Is it meaningless or do they justify themselves in other ways, and can those ways be construed as the kernel of another religion?
Now then, lets say a soul exists. Anthropologically, it gives credence to the good deeds and bad deeds we do in life. The paradise paradox. But all those things are subjective. Good and bad is dictated by the paradigm in which the person lives in. We, as a western culture, feel it is a good thing for women to strive to succeed in the community, but in eastern cultures women are repressed. This is just an example. So even the existence of a soul is one which needs to be taken with a grain of salt and with a realization that all things will be considered with respect with the dinner table morals each of us have.

The point of this article is simply to provoke thought and discussion. I welcome all opinions and entertain all thoughts. So until then, Godspeed and good luck.

Cobra 2-6 out.

Aaron O'Keefe

15.08.02 Front Page

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