Blog - 10/29/06 - Self Improvement
What is it to be human? Humans are made up of a conscious being that is aware of and interacts with its body, intellect, and soul. The soul is a mixture of spirituality and emotions. The architects of Columbia University’s Morningside Heights campus recognized this in 1892 when they decided to build a monument for each of the components of the human. In honor of the body they built St. Lukes Hospital on Amsterdam Ave., in honor of the intellect they built the university itself, and in honor of the soul they built St. John the Divine Cathedral at the end of 112th Street.
We as humans will be alive on the planet for a relatively short period of time before we die and get swallowed up by the earth and eventually forgotten by mankind. Many of us squander this short period of time and go through life asleep at the wheel concerned only with attending to our creature comforts and those of our family. By improving ourselves we create a more interesting, engaged and fruitful life. Each of the three human components can be improved through different techniques.
Improving our body can be done by focusing on diet, exercise and sleep. We can improve our diet by eating the right mixture and amount of proteins, carbohydrates and fat. We can strive for at least eight hours of uninterrupted, deep sleep and manipulate factors that affect our sleep to help us achieve this. We can exercise regularly once or twice a week doing cardiovascular exercise that brings our heart rate up to a faster pace and holds it there for 15 minutes.
The intellect is like a muscle. If you don’t use it, it will atrophy. If you use it, it will grow strong and powerful. Some techniques to improve the intellect are: 1) regularly reading relatively rigorous content, 2) doing an occasional long division problem, and 3) constantly learning about new things.
The soul is a little trickier. What is the soul? Webster’s defines it as the animating principle of an individual life, and the moral and emotional nature of human beings. I have found that people with a lot of soul have an energy about them, a profoundness to their deportment that people with no soul lack.
How do we improve our souls? The conventional way is to follow the rituals set up by one of the many established religions. Religions have become so overlaid with extraneous matter that their spiritual essence has become almost completely obscured by it. Spiritual leaders associated with established religions teach people how to cultivate their souls, but many spiritual leaders suffer from corruption making them incompetent as spiritual guides (although there are some good ones out there). Then there is the payment for spiritual mentoring. Some ask for contributions with the pass-around basket, tele-evangelists want you to mail them money, some religions demand a tenth of your annual income. Following an established religion also results in the intolerance problem which stems from the notion that "my religion is the right one and therefore all other religions are wrong."
Here's how I think we can improve our souls: Parents can give their children a head start by inculcating them with appropriate moral guidelines. Meet your professional and personal responsibilities and do your duty whatever it may be and do it well. Strengthen your willpower and minimize your selfishness. Discourage hate and ignorance in yourself. Encourage creativity in yourself and promote the emotions of joy and sympathy.
The conscience is the sense of the moral goodness of one's own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good. Follow your conscience. When faced with a decision to do the right, more difficult thing or the wrong, easier thing, do the right, more difficult thing.
Peace is freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions; it's a state of tranquility or quiet which includes harmony in personal relations. Achieve and maintain peace with others and with yourself. People who like children, animals and nature and who are sensitive to environmental issues tend to have more "souler" energy.