If we are to believe in a soul, and that this soul survives our mortal existence, then it follows that this soul very possibly preceded us as well. Many of us confuse heart and soul, but it’s clear that there must be a distinction. Clearly, the heart can be traced to conception, or at least to the period following the dance of the chromosomes when our genome becomes intact. The heart, as the seat of our emotions and the expression of our instincts, is a function of our genome and would not be possible without it. The soul, on the other hand, has always had the aura of spirituality surrounding it, as of something beyond mortality. To assert that the soul begins also at conception seems to confuse heart and soul, and there is no reasonable explanation as to why the soul would be present. If the soul were itself a function of our genome, then we are forced to ask why it would survive our existence while the rest of our being does not. It seems more intuitive, while also more logical, to imagine that the soul begins apart from us, and at some point in our existence attaches itself to our heart as a kind of stabilizing and steering mechanism. That this would happen before the soul could exert some measure of influence over us seems illogical, but this is for another discussion, and thus we have arrived at a clear distinction of heart and soul.
In the previous discussion it was asserted that our destiny may be imprinted within our soul, and this would explain the soul as a steering mechanism, while also stabilizing us if it can be assumed that our destiny will be a positive one. Now, if we can imagine our soul as having existed before our mortal being as well as surviving after we die, then we are obligated to assign some measure of vitality to it, that it is in fact alive, and at a level which we may have a difficult time even imagining. I think of my soul as a part of me, while recognizing that at some point we will be separate. I also think of my soul as profoundly enhancing my existence. Most of us do not have careers which were not at some level decided upon, and we would certainly not sustain a career without our continuing acquiescence, though many of us may regret our earlier decisions. To think of my soul as alive, carrying my destiny within it, and to think of my soul as beyond me while also being a part of me, I am obligated to honor its existence. It is only a small step from here to conclude that the soul at some point decided upon my destiny, or certainly agreed to it, and therefore I (by identification) agreed to it as well. This would explain a lot which never made sense before, and would make many of the frustrations of life more endurable, knowing that at some level I have already accepted a particular fate.
Why are certain pathways inexplicably blocked to us though we may desperately be craving them? There was a girl in my neighborhood growing up, for example, whom I was strongly attracted to romantically, and though I hesitate to speak for her I later discovered that she had been attracted to me as well. Many assumed that we would end up together, or should end up together, and yet not even the semblance of a romance was generated, except for the mutual craving. Honestly, it devastated me as a young person, though fifty years down the road it all makes perfect sense. I am left with a deep sense of gratitude for her lasting influence on my outlook, but if we had tried to make it work it would have ended tragically, and herein resides the wisdom of destiny. We were not destined to be together, or otherwise it would have happened somehow. At least I would be left with a deep sense of regret. Her presence in my youth has informed me throughout my life in ways which would not have been possible if she had not been there, and she remains a monument to life’s potential.
Manufacturing destiny always courts disaster, and we are only at peace with ourselves when we are in harmony with our soul. We are free to pursue any authentic path, though some people may be convinced that we are dangerously misguided no matter what we do. The substance of freedom is in knowing what we ought to be doing, and without spiritual clarity we will not know. The heart has its own set of preferences, and it is likely that we are assigned destinies which are to a large extent in harmony with our inborn tendencies. This suggests that perhaps we are scanned genetically before a soul is assigned to us, ensuring that we are paired most efficiently. If this were to be true, freedom would then seem to be mandated in our cultures, for how would some autocrat know best what I ought to be doing, or some governmental central control? Should we stunt the development of our soul so that some self-absorbed fat guy can maintain his dubious grip on power? Even this is better than complete anarchy, however, for without some structure to society we will be reduced again to instinctive survival mode, and we can assume that the soul has already been there numerous times.
In order to appreciate the substance of our freedom we need to develop beyond the shallow sense that freedom means that we can do whatever we might want, whenever we might want, with no regard for the ultimate effect of our behavior. This is the abuse of freedom, and paradoxically threatens to destroy it, for we perpetually hinder one another, until the aforementioned fat guy becomes sadly preferable. The unspoken assumption underlying the concept of freedom is that it will ultimately prove productive, constructive, and worth the many annoyances of its abuse. For this to become reality we must first collectively accept the responsibility of making it so, by surrendering our hearts to the ultimate source of our freedom, which is the Spirit and the deity from which it flows. Now, we will tend toward cooperation, and our institutions might ripen in unforeseeable ways, till we will wonder what the heck we were all arguing about not so very long ago. The dark side of freedom is the seduction of self, and to transcend this tendency we must surrender the heart. It must be an unconditional surrender, for otherwise the pressures of life will restore the unmitigated tyranny of self, and we will bake in the overheated vessels of our bondage rather than bask in the glories of our freedom. It really is a choice, and we must refuse to blame the other guy if the mechanisms which support our freedom should somehow collapse.
It is a little sneaky that political and legislative freedoms conveniently keep us in charge, as if we were deities ourselves, and not the willing subjects of something greater. Just look at the ways we pray, and you will see how desperately we want to be in control. We make demands when we pray, as if God were somehow our servant. This is not the essence of surrender, but rather it is the residue of the tyrant, who will somehow even bend God to his will. The surrendered heart is meek though confident before God, and if it is not in control of itself then how can it control the multitudes? Freedom is potent and impressive wherever the heart is surrendered to the Spirit, yet is a dissipating wisp of smoke wherever the genome is in charge, for now we are back to the Stone Age and the smelliest guy always wins. We need to take seriously our responsibilities toward the potential inherent in our freedom, for if the freedom is taken away then the soul will be stymied in its progress, and our destiny will be in the hands of the smelliest guy, though in our final act we may rebel, and in so doing urge our soul one step closer to its fruition.
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