African tribes believed that a newborn baby was not yet a person, but also believed that a deceased person who lives in the memory of his or her descendants is a person still.
This intrigued our minds to try and come up with a direct definition of a "soul"
therefore, our open ended question is
What is a soul?
Africans had a special scence of nature, and had a belief to be one with nature.
The belief that man is part of earth, adn we are in fact dependent on it, and it is also dependant on us, thus we are nature.
The belief that entities throughout nature are endowed with souls is called "animism"
the souls they speak of are are thought to be the souls of "ancestors".
our group discussed greek philosophy last week so i realize that the greek philosophers also questioned what a soul is.I think it was plato (dont quote me) who in so many words considered the best part of you to be the soul. Others (whose name i cant remember lol)thought the soul was simply the breath in your body or the thing that keeps you alive. I consider the soul to be the sacred part of you that is clothed by the body. Thats why its important to me as a christian to be concious of what i put in my body. Ultimately it effects my spirit/soul or the most sacred part of me.
ReplyDeleteI thought something intriguing was that personhood (or manhood) was something to be attained and not just a "right" or "privilege" that humans are born with in African culture. I don't think I'd like to have to gain my personhood through participating in ritual/proving through action to my community that I am worthy of it but maybe this is why African communities/communities have had more of a close bond with their "tribe" or community. Which begs the question: if we have to work for our manhood, does it make us value it more and in turn respect ourselves and others more? I think that this could be argued that that is absolutely the case but that also requires personal worth work which not many people seem to have time for these days. Also, the idea of someone saying that a child isn't a person is slightly flabbergasting so I don't think that would go over very well in our society/time.
ReplyDeleteAbout the soul... An interesting possible conclusion that we came to in our group was that the soul is the same in every living thing. Its the one thing that every living thing has in common which gives us a basis for all of our relationships; it is the way that we connect. The difference is what we do with our soul or "spirit". Do we take advantage of it and use it to do marvelous things or do we neglect it and maybe do terrible things?
I personally think (today, my ideas change) that the soul are a piece of eternity that gives that gives all living things a common ground and the idea that two souls can "connect" when forming relationships is quite a marvelous idea. Finding something that every living thing has in common is a really bonding idea.
For more information on the "soul" and what different religions/groups of people think it is, look in PW on pages 26, and 32-33
I think the Africans had a very interesting take on the concept of a soul, and from what I know so far, it is a very unique viewpoint. Most other groups that I have learned about in the past believe that souls are completely unique and cannot be shared by more than one individual. That is the way I personally choose to believe. I think a soul is everything about who you are mentally and the body is simply a physical being and is the medium that the soul uses to express itself. I do not think a soul is an everlasting entity. I think that it ceases to exist at the same time the body does.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the soul is unique to every human being. I believe that the soul is indeed what makes us individuals. Though I do think that the African belief that the soul can be shared by those living or since deceased but still alive in memories, I do not think like that. I can't imagine the thought that I might have a shared soul with, say, my mother, grandmother, or great-grandparent or ancestor of any sort. I believe that I have my own soul who makes me 'Me' and they have their own souls that make them 'them'.
ReplyDeleteI would like to believe that rather than the soul making us individuals, it is what connects us to one another. I don't know if the soul is shared or it the soul it just a kind of energy that every life form has. That would not only connect humans to humans, all living things to all living things.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion every living thing has a soul. I agree with Mickey that souls connect us to each living thing. I think that the africans were wrong with saying that younger kids had not earned their "soul" yet. (my opinion)
ReplyDelete