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Friday, April 22, 2016

S is for Soul

My theme for this year's A- Z Blogfest is DEATH (who I hope is like DEATH in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series): "...tall, thin (skeletal, as a matter of fact), and ALWAYS SPEAKS IN CAPITAL LETTERS. Generally shows up when you're dead, or just when he thinks you ought to be." Today we have S for Soul or Spirit.

According to Wikipedia, the soul is the incorporeal and immortal essence of a living being. According to Abrahamic religions, only human beings have immortal souls.

I like the first part, but not the second. According to my belief system (assuming the soul exists separately from the body), every thing has a soul.

Do you believe you have a soul? I hope I do. There's only one problem. The laws of physics do not back this idea up. 


Excerpt from Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett in which DEATH attempts to get War to ride out with him [Famine and Pestilence have declined]...

TALKING OF THE OLD DAYS, he [DEATH] said carefully. I'M SURE YOU REMEMBER THE TRADITION OF RIDING OUT?

War gave him a puzzled look.

"Mind's a blank on that one, old boy."

I SENT OUT THE CALL.

"Can't say it rings a bell..."

APOCALYPSE? said Death. END OF THE WORLD?

War continued to stare.

"Definitely knocking, old chap, but no one's home. And talking of home..." War looked around at the twitching remains of the recent slaughter. "Spot of lunch?" 






12 comments:

  1. But doesn't say that energy doesn't die, it just changes form? I think our soul is the energy in our bodies. When this body dies, the soul merely changes form. AND I think animals have souls. I fully expect to reunite with all my beloved fur babies. Perhaps that is naive, but it is what I believe:)

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  2. I believe animals and insects have souls. Except cockroaches, because they're demons from hell.

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  3. I believe every living thing has a soul, whether individual or collective. I think the only human beings thing is for less guilt over feeding off of animals or other living things.

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  4. I believe we have a soul. It's not because we can't see it with our eyes that it's not there :) And I believe that science can't explain everything.

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  5. I believe we are all unique, and much of that is due to a spark, an intangible, what some might call personality and some might call soul. And of course this vanishes when you die. If you believe what theoretical physicists have to say about the particles that make up the universe, they exist in some form forever. So if this spark is made up of some small elemental matter that we have yet to understand, I suppose it has to go somewhere.

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  6. I think man's scientific laws only tell so much of the story. At least I hope so! It's my profound wish that my beloved cat Luna will greet me on the other side in the lap of a loved one.

    I hope you are having a lovely day. I'm enjoying all the birds looking for mates this spring while seated on my back porch. Even the woodpeckers are hammering out a love song!
    Awakening Dreams and Conquering Nightmares with a Pen
    Happy blogging, my dear.

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  7. I believe that most things alive have a soul, but that some humans do not. How does one tell? - the blank stare, killing without remorse, etc.

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  8. I am sure War works up an appetite
    I do believe in souls and I think some folks are born with an old soul

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  9. This reminds me of Christopher Moore's "A dirty job." Awesome book, very Pratchett-like. :)

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    The Multicolored Diary
    MopDog

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  10. Great post! I believe in the concept of the soul. I think that's what makes us human.

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  11. I thought there was that movie once where the soul weighs so much, that after we die, we all lose that small amount of weight and it's thought to be our soul?

    I'm not sure if I am saying that right but I sure like the idea.

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