Today in class we read the book of 4th Maccabees. This book stated that reason controls the soul, whereas the mind controls both body and soul. Mind is the only place you have reason and wisdom, and it is through these means that you become closer to God.
Although I agree that our minds are extremely powerful instruments, capable of incredible things, I question whether they truly control our souls. There are some emotional responses that cannot be tackled or harnessed by any amount of reason.
Enter exhibit A: Love. Human beings are infatuated with love. We love the drama that surrounds it, the mystery and intrigue of the chase, and the happily ever after. Point blank, we LOVE love.
Yet love is not something that you can control through any amount of mind-power or reason. There’s a reason why it’s called “falling” in love, when it happens it often hits you in a way that is completely out of your control. I believe that love is a choice, if you’ve committed yourself to someone, you chose to love them no matter your mood or emotions. Yet the emotional side of love, the side that hundreds of thousands of movies are centered upon, cannot in any way be controlled or harnessed by rational thought.
I know this is true from personal experience. While I can attest to the mind’s power over the body, as I have been involved with athletics since my childhood, I can also attest to the feeling of being completely in love with someone, even when my mind deems the situation as irrational. I know I’m not alone, just turn on the radio and in the course of twenty minutes, I bet you will hear at least one song with lyrics pertaining to the conflict between one’s head and one’s heart. While the mind is undoubtedly the gateway to the soul, no amount of ration or willpower will ever be able to harness or control love. Love permeates our world. Controlling it would be like trying to control the wind.
In my personal opinion, I am thankful that love is beyond the control of man. I love the feeling of being in love, and I love the unsuspecting way in which it often hits. Although some of the greatest stresses I’ve encountered in my life have been due to the disconnect between my heart which is in love, and my brain which deems it irrational, I would not go back and change anything. While the heartbreak associated with love is of the worst kind of pain humans can endure, it is this sorrow of the soul that makes me feel alive. I would much rather be in love, than not, even if the world tells you it’s illogical. Why? Well I guess for one, because that’s a situation I’m currently going through, and although there are times when my mind attempts to distract me from the stirrings of my heart, love prevails. Love is the last untamed territory.
So if prevailing love is the result of humankind’s inability to harness emotion through reason, I hope we never gain that priviledge. I hope love, above all else, remains pure.
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