How Are The Body and Spirit Related

HOW ARE THE BODY AND SPIRIT RELATED?
Philosophers consider the human person as defined by the union of the body and the spirit. The human
person is an embodied spirit. Not only are the body and spirit united, but they are also integrated with
each other. This means that we cannot separate the two and they go hand-in-hand in making us who we
are. Whatever affects the body also affects the spirit, and this unique trait of the person enables him or
her to experience both the physical world and the spiritual world. Embodiment enables us to do and
experience all the things that make us human persons.
To understand embodiment better, let us talk about love. What has love got to do with embodiment,
you ask. This would all depend on if you have ever been in love. If you have not yet experience falling in
love, it is certain that you know people who have been in love, or know what being in love is like from
what you have read in books or seen in movies and television.
People often associate this feeling with the symbol of the heart. Many believe that the heart is the
center of feelings of love and affection, as love seems to cause the heart to flutter or beat faster.
Scientists, however, consider love a result of various biological reactions associated with an increase of
hormones, which have certain effects on the body. Some even identify a part of the brain, the
hypothalamus, as responsible for the feelings we associate with being in love.
Philosophers, on the other hand, argue that reducing a profound experience such as love to biological
functions or the activities of certain body parts is absurd. We love not just with the heart nor with the
brain, but we love another person with our entire being. Embodiment, therefore, is the one thing that
enables us to feel love and love others.
Our experience is also a product of embodiment. The human mind processes information through the
senses, which are experienced through the body. Aside from perceiving through the senses, which are
experienced through the body. Aside from perceiving our surroundings, we also react to the things we
experience emotionally. Most of our meaningful experiences are often closely tied to emotions such as
happiness, anger, or sadness. If you are to recall a happy moment in your life, you not only remember
the happiness you felt at that moment.
The human body also stands as the mediator between the material world and the spiritual world. Being
an embodied spirit, the person is able to encounter the world of objects (including other personal
subjects) in a manner that transcend the physical. This feature of the person allows him or her to form
an intimate relationship with those outside him or her. Human embodiment allows persons to attach
certain feelings or ideas not only to people, but also to objects. For example, a pair of rubber slippers
could be someone’s treasure. How is this possible? Because the pair of rubber slippers in question is not
just a material object to someone, but it could be something meaningful as a present from a loved one.
With human embodiment, physical acts are no longer purely physical acts, because the body conveys
something from a person’s inner world. These emotions and ideas are given to another person who,
because of interiority, recognizes the thoughts that the other wishes to convey. This explains why
people who are in love with each other seem to communicate effortlessly without words. The mere act
of “holding hands” conveys a powerful message between lovers, as it is through this act that they can
express their affection toward each other. A smile from a stranger will not elicit a reaction from you, but
a smile from your crush will immediately cause an intense emotional reaction in you. A pat on the
shoulder may mean a lot to a person if it comes from someone he or she looks up to. These examples
show that it is through embodiment that a person is able to have a very unique relationship with the
world. And it is this unique relationship that defines us as humans.

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HOW ARE THE BODY AND SPIRIT RELATED?

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