No Myth or Ceremony Required: Afterlife & Spirit

Many people believe in the existence of souls. The soul is described as:

Definition #1 focuses on the basic feeling that many people has of what they have inside of themselves. Definition #2 includes the idea of an immortal soul that continues to exist after the body dies, and then includes judgement of some sort. One of these definitions is something that I find to be based in instinct and introspection. The other is something I view as learned behavior.

The only places I have ever found the words “infinite” “never-ending” “forever” and “immortal” has been in legends. Everlasting youth and life are the goal of several epic fictional journeys, and even a few real-life quests. The fear of death is something that everyone deals with. Even those “fearless” people who say that they would die for a cause consider it a hefty price that is extremely meaningful. The idea that death means nothing outside of the physical world is salt in a fresh wound of loss, but does that make it incorrect?

What is a soul?

The soul is an ephemeral and inconceivable system of a biological body. Ephemeral, as its existence can only be detected while alive, which is a very short period of time. Inconceivable, because most human beings on earth can feel it there, but none can truly describe it in a way that can be corroborated. The reason I call it a system is my conceived feeling that if I did not have this system I would not exist in my present form. Some view the soul as a kind of parasite that lives within a host for its lifespan before moving someplace else after the host dies, but I think the soul ceases to exist when the body dies. I think that the soul is the ignition that starts the engine of life.

A living being that has a soul is not special, because everything that has life has this elementary component of life. The death of a living being only has resonance with the spirits of others close to that person. We may all weep when a beloved prominent figure (like Martin Luther King Jr. for example) passes away, but this is not a spiritual response as much as a social response. The times when you feel the pain of a loved one’s death deep in your consciousness are the times when you truly feel loss and emptiness. This is the vacuum that a dying soul creates in the emotions of the people whose lives touched it. Grief is as spiritual as it is emotional and social.

The soul provides us with instincts and a form of intuition. Most of the time these senses are internal, meaning that they warn you of personal danger or calm you in a safe place. But much of instinct relates to interpersonal relationships. My mom would wake up in the middle of the night when she somehow sensed I snuck out with my friends past my curfew. I could be as quiet as a thief in the night and she could still tell me the next day exactly what time I left and what time I came back. I have many friends whose parents did the same thing. My dad always know when I’m busy doing something or just about to do something that requires my full attention, because that’s the time when he always chooses to call me. My brother knows exactly what to say to me to piss me off. Kati can practically read my mind, which I do my best to prevent (futile).

The soul is also the part of you that leads you to your ideal mate. People talk about “chemistry” and “compatibility” but nothing will ever serve as a better barometer for who you want to be with than the indescribable sense within your soul. This is definitely one of the cheesier parts of this article, but following my instincts led me to Kati. Fighting those instincts led to tribulations and hard times in our relationship that only ended when I let go of them. It is very very hard to un-learn learned behavior that teaches you what you should be attracted to and what is acceptable in a relationship, but it is rewarding to just allow yourself to be with the person you are compelled to be with (and in result: be happy).

The human body is a machine that functions because of the most wondrous mechanical systems that work within it. As a species, we have yet to fully understand exactly how the human brain controls all of the involuntary muscle systems, the metabolism, or even how these incredibly complicated systems came to be in the first place. My own limited understanding of it has led me to research far beyond the scope of what a normal one of these blogs has ever taken me before. My aversion to massive, complicated and uncertain blocks of text prevented me from finding an answer to my philosophical dilemna, so my current answer stands as it was: The body cannot live without its soul/mind/essence. That essence takes care of all of those things I have yet to understand, much like Zeus caused the rainstorm that’s happening outside right now.

How does your soul feel to you?

Does your soul feel old and experienced? Do you feel your soul advising you, guiding you, and watching over you as if it were a mentor or parent? Perhaps you think that you have “past lives” that you share your soul with. Many people think of their lives this way, but not me. My soul feels like a friend that has grown with me and learned from my experiences. It helps me remember my personal history and makes me feel that “something just isn’t quite right” feeling just before something bad happens to me. It gives me relationship advice that I rarely listen to the first time around. My soul is 100% me in my purest form. I have found greater happiness and peace whenever I have allowed myself to open up and allow my spirit to be seen by myself and others.

My soul also misleads me at times. There are occasions where I have destructive compulsions that I must quell externally to avoid consequence. If this part of my spirit were to be set completely free, there would be a couple ex-bosses with missing teeth today and I’d definitely be single (and in prison most likely). I have no idea where some of these tendencies come from, but they feel the same way as my innermost instincts, fears, and passions. There are times when I’ll have a glass soda bottle in my hand and for no reason at all, I would get a strong compulsion to smash it on the ground. This is not a logical thought and I don’t consider myself a violent or psychotic person, but I wonder if others have the same instincts at times. Whether it’s the schoolgirl who is compelled to insult a classmate for no reason, the little boy on the playground who shoves his unassuming friend into the sandbox, or the kid with a spray can that defaces an otherwise beautiful piece of public art, I see these instincts being followed through all around me. I’m not sure where they would come from or what their purpose is, but I find that the ability to supress the negative ones and amplify the positive has a direct impact on a person’s quality of life.

Do animals have souls?

Some religious people I have come across have told me no. They consider animals to be “unclean” and merely existing for the amusement and survival of humans. This is one of the notions that put me at strong opposition to the more strict Christian philosophies before I ever had a pet of my own. The Bible refers to humans and animals using the same terms: The Hebrew word “Nephesh” or “living being”.

As telling as a Bible verse may not be for many of us, this information is not far from my own truth. When I’ve had pets or been around animals in general, there is no doubt in my mind that the Nephesh I am interacting with indeed has a spirit and life all its own. And that goes from my beloved dog SooCoo, to all the cats Kati has taken care of, to the horse I rode in Hawaii only once. Perhaps it is a unique gift that only I and a select few have, but I doubt that. I can feel something there when I look into their eyes. When I see/feel their bodies react to me. I couldn’t look into SooCoo’s eyes without feeling like she was seeing my spirit through my eyes as well.

What happens when you die?

This is where the true agnostic within me lives. The only way to find out the answer to this question is to die, so I will not be blogging that answer when I find it. I do know what happens within human perception when someone dies of course. Every person that you interacted with in life will be somehow affected by your death. To those closest to you, your absence will tear out a piece of them. They will have a huge and important part of themselves ripped from their hands despite their tightest grip. It will be painful and traumatic as if your soul exploded and left the shrapnel of somber memories scattered in its wake.

And it did. Once your loved ones have passed beyond the initial grief of their loss, they will continue to think of you. They will honor you or curse you. They will speak to you as if you were right next to them and ask your advice. They will have moments where they see you in their everyday lives and smile or scowl. They will assign your “essence” to objects that they keep for sentimental value.

Your life has meaning for everyone around you. You can see that easily in your own friends and family. Maybe you don’t have many friends, but the ones you do have will hold you in their souls for the rest of their lives. They may pass that essence down to their friends and family. And at the end of the day, who do you truly care about remembering you? The New York Times or your closest friends and family?

We will never know if there is anything beyond that. Speculation and imagination are always fun, but should not be taken so seriously that it limits how you live your life here on Earth. Make every moment count and touch the lives of others in as positive a way as you can. That is the only way you can be completely assured that your soul will live on after your death.

There may be some great cosmic miracle that occurs when you die, but we do not need one. Our lives all have massive significance right here on Earth.