marichiko

Brianna, apology accepted. And I realize I was out there myself with all my claws and teeth, so I hope you will accept my apology, as well. I am curious about just one thing, and I don't mean this question to be argumentative, I am merely curious. As I finally understand it, you worked as an RN for 25 years. Surely you had private disability insurance as a part of your benefits package?

Now back to your question, Cat. You and everyone else have made some excellent points. Cat, you seem to be asking about what makes up the essence of the human soul. I think that on a certain level, that is something which only each individual can define for herself. The soul or spirit of a human being is an elusive thing at best, difficult to pin down with mere words.

Who am I, really? If you look into my eyes, you will see the answer reflected back at you there.

I am
you
are
We are
God
is
me.

Lest this be misunderstood, I hasten to add that I do not personally believe I have supernatural powers and am the ruler of the universe (this should be obvious, but I know this gang well enough to understand that some devil's advocate would love to jump in there and make this accusation).

When I speak of the spirit or that of God (call it whatever is most pleasing to you) which resides in us all, I am talking about this:

The awe we feel when looking up at the stars on a clear summer night or when we come across the beauty of a meadow of wildflowers or the vastness of the ocean or the great mountain ranges of the West.

The tug we feel at our heart when we look at our child or the person who is our partner in life, or even a little 4 year old girl whom we've never seen before and will never see again, but there's something about how she runs in the park as we watch, her face turned up toward the sun and her smile of pure innocent joy.

The compassion we feel when we see the suffering of a friend or a woman on the 6:00 news who has experienced some terrible tragedy. Our hearts ached when we saw 9/11 going on one morning on our TV sets, and it didn't matter if we lived on the East coast or the West or knew someone who worked at the World Trade Center or not, something in our hearts went out to the innocent people killled or injured in such a terrible way.

The moments which describe our essence are precisely the same moments when we let go of our small everyday selves and become part of the greater Self - when we love truely, have compassion for others, are awed by the beauty of this world we live in.

Each one of us, without exception, is a most precious soul; created in the image of God, quite simply because taken as a whole, we ARE God. AS Joseph Campbell said, eternity is in this very moment. We create our lives right now in the present because that is all the time we will ever have. With our each action we can help to create "this earthly paradise" or this living hell. It is up to the spirit in each one of us which one we choose.