Philosophical Musings

Why are you – YOU?

Some will answer…
– I think therefore I AM.
– I AM because of my physical brain.
– I AM because of my memories and experiences.

I disagree with all of these answers.
My answer is simply because – I AM.

Our physical nature (brain/body), thought patterns, memories, and experiences all contribute to who we are, including our personality and our temperament.
However, underlying all of that is a something much more fundamental to the core of our being.
That something is the essence, the life force, the spirit, the soul, the anima (it has many names).
The soul is at the nucleus of our identity and our being.

However, it goes both ways…
– The soul cannot animate without the physical realm (brain/body).
– The physical realm would be lifeless without the spiritual realm (soul/essence).

YOU are not even technically needed in the physical realm.
Your brain/body could function without the soul – stimulus and response, cause and effect, thought and action.
Without the YOU, the brain/body would be a lifeless mechanical robot.
On the other hand, the YOU would be a wanderer like an endless dream without a physical body to ground it into the concreteness of existence and animation.

Maybe the spiritual realm needs the physical realm, so the individual soul can have experiences.
These experiences allow the soul to grow or decay, depending on how we choose to live.
Whether we strive for truth, justice, and good vs deceit, injustice, and wickedness.

The modern philosophy of materialism has reduced the soul into something mechanical and cheap.
Our modern materialist-consumerist culture tends to do this with everything in its egotistical hubris.
Its a way to devalue personhood, individual identity, and the mystical grandeur of nature.
Its premise leads us down a path of nihilism, and is a reason why our values/morals are in disarray.
The beauty and art is lost on the philosophy of modern materialism.

Not to say that materialism in itself does not have a place in philosophy.
The study of materialism is important and is the foundation of many sciences.
However, when materialism is not balanced by the philosophy of the soul, it becomes stale and inhumane, which is the variety of materialism our culture possesses.

My preference is the musings of the ancients, who wondered at the night sky and were fascinated by the subtleties, synchronicity, and hidden clues found in nature.
They were much more in touch with their intuition, instincts, and the spiritual realm compared to our modern materialist culture, which is disconnected from nature yet makes the biggest claims about it.
The ancients were less distracted by frivolous things that make us lose sight of the beautiful patterns.
They understood the importance of the I AM.

One must wonder if science and philosophy will eventually come full circle – back to the ancient philosophy.
As we continue to push forward through relativity and quantum physics, we are finding out that nature is not so exclusively mechanically materialist after all.
The essence of being itself (the soul) might be the most fundamental element.

Everything has a soul – all animals, plants, bugs, and maybe even things we consider inanimate.
This opens the door to a much deeper discussion, which is worth exploring during another post.