Every day I question my appearance. I ask myself, what makes me ……. me? If I lose a part of me will I still be me? These questions may not make sense to you but these are some things that I ask myself.
When it comes to the human body, I feel as if I am a spirit that is temporary occupying this piece of flesh. The body is what God gives you, to maintain until he calls you home. Some may think that your body defines you but I beg to differ. For instance, in class we discussed how some people feel incomplete if part of their body is missing. If I were to give a kidney to anyone who needed it, I believe I could do it with no remorse. Others may feel as if the part that they have donated will always be a part of themselves, meaning that wherever that piece of the body is, they will be there also.
Spirituality and the body are two different things. Think of a present. How the box looks on the outside doesn’t really matter, what matters is the gift on the inside. What’s meaningful, about the gift? When you throw the box away, do you consider it just a box? Or do you keep the box because that’s what the gift came out of, so it is part of the gift. Without the box is the gift the same?
I really like the thought provoking questions you include in your blog, but I don’t necessarily agree with you.
I, especially, find your last analogy problematic. A person should never be compared to an object. (Ex: When Donald Trump’s son compared human lives to skittles)
A person’s body does matter and so does their “inside”. When you don’t feel good mentally or spiritually, you’re body can express that pain. (Tears)
When you treat your body correctly, your inside feels better to. (Happiness, more energy)
I think the body and the inside are connected and equally important. They both make us who we are. No two bodies are exactly alike, even twins have something that sets them apart. Our bodies are unique, just like our inside voice is unique to us.
I enjoyed reading your blog.
Your beginning questions make total sense – I often ask myself things like that.
The part of your post that stood out to me was your mention of the belief that some people have of considered donated organs to still belong to the original owner. Specifically, I think of those stories you hear about the family of the deceased meeting the recipient of the donated heart, and listening to the heart beat and feeling closer to their loved one that has passed through this experience.
Biologically speaking, I understand your perspective of considering the spirit separate from the organ. Especially, since the deceased person’s blood is no longer pumping through the heart, thus causing it to function. It is the recipients blood and body that allow this organ to function, and this the heart is theirs.
However, I can also understand the other perspective. Being a biology major, and being currently enrolled in a developmental bio course, I can’t help but associate an organ with the original owner. Thinking of it in the sense that the cells of your body and organs came from a single cell in the earliest stages of development, it is understandable to consider an organ forever belonging to the original owner.
Your post definitely raised some interesting questions and thoughts for me.