The physical – I have a body. It is what interacts with other people. It is where my will gets ideas from which to choose. This body is a challenge. It tells me everything it wants. I cannot give it everything it wants. If I don't give it what it wants it becomes very difficult, though. Worse, if my body doesn't get what it needs, it actually dies. My body is a challenge.
The social – I exist in the world. There is a time and a place where I am and when I am. There are other people around me. I exist in a context. My name is related to other people, as is my nationality, language/s, etc. Who I am is more than a question about which body I am, though it certainly does include that. It is also about what that body does in relation to others. The one who smiles a lot; or not. The child of ______ and ______, the friend of ______, ______ and ______. Where I fit in to the story around me is important. I want to matter. How I manage to matter can lead to all sorts of temptations. Sometimes it is more tempting to appear to be a certain way than to actually be a certain way. My social identity is a challenge.
The spiritual – I am a spirit. What is a spirit? It is a will. The greatest spirit is of course God. He says his name is YHWY = I AM that I AM. Because everything exists out of him, he does everything by sheer will. He chooses and it is so. Man is created in God's image. How? We have material bodies with spirit breathed into them. That makes us living persons instead of just lumps of dirt and such. It is what gets us valued in social circles. If I choose to do what the others value, my value can go up in their opinions. If I will, or choose, to do what is not valued, my social belonging goes down. Because my social standing can also affect my physical options, all of me cares about this. Having a will, being a spirit is a challenge.
No comments:
Post a Comment