We live in a cultural wasteland. A virtual blend of everything that is antisocial, yet we still crave contact, so we design environments, artificial environments, to make this contact happen.
Our neighbors are the world. Unlike centuries ago when we didn't know a lot about anything a few miles away, we now know everything about everyone. We know what the Prime Minister in Australia is doing even before many of his citizens do.
And what's the value of that.
We no longer need to exercise. In fact, I see the day when exercise will be futile. Because it won't be necessary to keep in shape.
Remember that movie with Bruce Willis? Surrogates. Where humans lived via remotely controlled androids, or clones. They stayed in their homes and operated the clones using amazing technology. And apparently experienced "real life" using those clones.
If you haven't seen the movie, then you should because it mirrors what's happening today.
We live online. We experience everything via our computers, phones or tablet devices. We would stay all day, and all night, in the comfort of our beds, except that we need to make money and eat. If clones were around today, society would disappear.
And so the short of it is that we've neglected our bodies. But have no fear. Medicine will solve that. The makers of The Matrix were not too far off.
But I've been thinking. Is a life without a body a complete life? After all, our mental faculties are really just chemistry. At the end of the day, it's ALL physical, isn't it. Not having good physique must impact your mental and spiritual state, at some level.
That's why beer and wine are so popular. They alter your mental state.
Do.
That's the keyword.
Do.
Leonardo Da Vinci said: I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said: Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
In this information age, we are creating information, some of us. But a majority are consumers.
The body is inextricably linked to the mind. Which is linked to the spirit. Your desires and feelings. It goes like this. Your mind is restless. So you infuse your body with a drug. Your mind then goes into a Zen mode. And you become spiritual. You calm down.
Even though you can be good, great or at least OK even if you ignore your body. You are better off if you don't. Unplug from the grid and look up into the sky. George Carlin said that everyone should spend an hour looking up into the sky and dreaming. It's difficult to unplug from the matrix. Because our minds need to keep busy. But unplugging to do something is so vitally important for mental health.
The Spirit:
I've never really understood the trinity, but there is something to be said about the fact that we have a spirit. I used to think that the spirit and the mind were the same thing, until someone gave me this distinction. The spirit feels. The mind decides and acts. But just as the mind is affected by the body, so is the spirit. When I go on a really long run. And the endorphins kick in. I have a sense of the sublime. The numinous. I feel spiritually connected to everything on the planet. I'm happy. Even if things are not going well at work, or at home. At that moment, when I've exhausted my body. I feel wonderful. And my mind feels the same way too. Clarity of thought.
This connection has nothing to do with religion. Has nothing to do with meditation. Has nothing to do with spiritual consciousness, of the type preached by Deepak Chopra. This is a euphoria that springs from physical activity. Not consciously forced by meditation or a spiritual belief. Something that simply wells up when the body works.
The spirit guides by intuition. The mind by logic.
The Mind:
In computer terminology, this would be called the central processing unit. It's primary purpose is to receive data from the outside world, and determine the options available. See Lion. What to do? See girlfriend. What to do? See boss walking towards you. And you haven't handed in that assignment. What to do? It doesn't always answer the question. Sometimes "See Lion" is answered by, "push friend forward." Or, "scream!" Or "push friend forward, scream and then run."
The mind is housed inside this shell. The body. The mind is a physical thing. Even though it seems to be doing intangible, non-physical things. We think of the mind as separate from the body, but in reality, it isn't. It's a piece of flesh, with chemistry just like muscles, kidneys and lungs. When damaged, it affects the entire body. However, it can be righted by physical stimuli. Dangerous criminals, whose minds tell them to do terrible things, can be quietened by lobotomy. Or by injecting them with chemicals to alter the brain chemistry.
Like the body, the mind becomes better with use. You get stronger if you stress your body. Similarly, your mind grows when it's challenged. Make it do complex things. Stuff that it doesn't want to do. Just like lifting heavy weights makes you stronger. Or running long distances makes you stronger. Making the brain really work will only make it better.
You make the brain work by giving it tasks. Work to do. Not just input. But mainly output. Not watching television or listening to music or reading all the time. But also engaging it by making it write, solve puzzles, paint, do math and also make music. The mind grows when it does.
Do.
The trinity is connected.
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