The Confusion of Living in a Body

Ofer Raveh said: Start your journey from being a body with soul to becoming a soul with a body.

We simultaneously live in 4 different worlds, and we need to juggle each of them with delicate jubilance.

The 1st world is physical, that of the body, society and the physicality of the world around us.

The 2nd world is the emotional world, what we feel as we interact with the world, it is the "vibes" (as my kids always say) we get from being in this world. The emotional world is like the weather inside of us, it shifts, surprises and sometimes contradicts itself.

The 3rd world is that of the intellect, living in the world of ideas, possibility, hope and rationale.

The 4th world is the spiritual world, which is perhaps the hardest to define, as it can also encompass religious life and community, but it also can encompass the feelings we get when we immerse ourselves in nature, sing our hearts out at a sing along, or the awe we feel when helping someone else.

Living as a human today is quite complicated, as sometimes each of these worlds inside of us can contradict one another. It is impossible to only live within one of these worlds, yet I am sure that each of you (like myself) have dreamed about a simpler life where all of your values and desires can be in alignment and simplified as if we solely existed only in one of these worlds.

The Uruguayan writer, Eduardo Galeano, said, “The church says: the body is sin. Science says: the body is a machine. Advertising says: the body is business. The body says: "I am a fiesta.” 

There is so much going on in my body alone, forget my other realms of existence that we cannot and should refuse to be put into boxes and one-dimensional versions of ourselves. Each individual is like a rich tapestry woven from a multitude of strands that encapsulate their unique experiences, emotions, thoughts, and identities that cannot be reduced to simplistic labels or categories.

Our goal is to approach life with the complexities of the body and soul, recognizing that we are not merely defined by our roles, professions, or societal expectations. Instead, we must embrace the entirety of our being, including our strengths, weaknesses, passions, and fears.

When we are disconnected or confused, it’s easy to misread what we actually need. Here are some things that I am guilty of, so I am also wondering if you ever have:

• come home from a terrible day needing emotional nourishment… and ended up in front of the fridge?

• felt intellectually bored at school or work… and found yourself scrolling endlessly for stimulation?

• longed for spiritual connection… but poured all your energy into a relationship instead of the deeper work?

Circles overlapping reflecting the Different worlds we live in.

We mix up the needs of the four worlds all the time.

It is also important to not "starve" any of these worlds, it may not be possible to equally nourish them, but to set yourself up for success by investing in your own, physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual growth.

We are not here to flatten ourselves.

We are not here to smush ourselves into a box.

We are here to become whole.

By embracing the complexities of our bodies and souls, we can work towards a life that reflects inner essence, fostering an alignment of our Physical, Emotional, Mental, Spiritual worlds.

Thank you!

My thoughts about the four worlds are influenced by Jewish Kabbalah and my own lived experience.