The Human Map

The idea that we are pure, spiritual beings bound to flesh exists in many of the various philosophical schools of Greece and Rome. This idea is also very common in Eastern religions, like Buddhism. Orphism is the main Greek school that teaches a cycle of rebirth and transcendence. But the following ideas are a mixture of Orphism, Pythagoreanism, Buddhism, and my own thoughts. Enjoy

I divide the human into three distinct parts. The first part consists of our physical being. The second part is our emotions and impulses. The third part is our logic and reasoning. I believe that this logic and reasoning, being the only thing that separates us from other animals, is our soul or at least our connection to the divine. Our Soul is constantly working to tame our Heart and thus free itself from the Flesh. To relate this back to the myths, I like to look at the fire's of Prometheus as the Soul but I'll write more on that later. 

We grow our Soul and strengthen its power by practicing Wisdom. Wisdom is simply acting in a way that causes maximum pleasure and minimal pain. Every aspect of our being is geared towards achieving pleasure, but sometimes we find ourselves buried deep in dukkha (a Sanskrit word encompassing all forms of discomfort). The Flesh may lead us towards things like food or drugs for pleasure. The Heart may lead us towards sex or vanity. These things are not bad by any means. Alone however, they can become obsessive and drive us to extreme ends of the spectrum causing much pain. The Soul is what introduces temperance and moderates the the Flesh and Heart.

To be continued...