Three gifts, no Magi.
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Editors note: The author uses lower case i out of respect for a non-egoic position
These treasures are fundamental, they are more basic to our existence than any religion. These are gifts that can never be taken from us (at least, not until the very end). They umbrella cultures, beliefs, ethnicities, and races—they span and connect species, as well. These three gifts probably are not uniquely ours (as human) and yet they truly define us as human.
The Body
i’m biased, five days a week i work on bodies; 8-10hrs a day, every work day, i help people fix some problem with their body. Some of these glitches are minor, some life changing. i’ve helped bodies for 25yrs. The gift of our body is miraculous – no other word can sum it up. Two cells come together, in a few months there is a tiny body, in nine months it’s ready to breathe air, in another three months it will be ready to stand and walk.
Give it another year and it’s communicating, it is self sensing wants, needs, harm, pleasure and then conveying these messages externally: afferent and efferent networks working and working together. This body can recognize harm, and learns to avoid it. If damage occurs, it sets to work repairing that damage. It knows (and knows how) to fight infections.
All the infinite things that feel good.”
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This body grows—proportionately, appropriately, interdependently. Muscles grow stronger – especially when they are used. Bones grow longer—and they too respond positively to physical stress, growing stronger specifically to the forces that they regularly encounter. The skin does the same thing – it knows when there is danger of compromise and becomes thicker, tougher. We consume a multitude of fuels and our body sorts them all out, keeping what we need, and purging the rest. This body even knows when we’ve consumed something detrimental, and it will do all it can to ensure that said matter exits ASAP.
And there is pleasure—pleasure in touch, pleasure in movement, pleasure in rest, pleasure in taste. All the infinite things that feel good—they don’t have to, but they do! Warm soup when you are chilled and hungry? Miraculous. Cool water when you are hot and thirsty? Miraculous. The hug of a loved one recently returned? Miraculous.
The Brain
Biased again (sorry), my parents were brainiacs. My brother is a brainiac.
Oh yeah, brain.
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Let’s go back to the beginning: two cells come together… and out of those two cells a brain builds itself. It builds itself, yet knows everything about every cell in the body. It builds itself, yet learns all there is to know about the world outside. It builds itself, but creates mathematics. Builds itself, but produces the Mona Lisa, Morse code, string theory, telescopes, poetry, jokes, science.
This brain organizes everything. Every intentional movement—brain. Every visual input—brain. Every sound—brain. Every smell and taste—brain. Every sensation—brain. Every single thought you have—yup, brain. Every memory. The fact that you know you are you? Oh yeah, brain. When you walk down the steps outside your house, your brain has already processed all the visual stimuli and conveyed it to every muscle that might even be remotely involved, it’s prepped every system for movement and has modified those movements to be perfect and effortless.
Good, bad, ok, questionable
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At the same time, it is ensuring that you are still holding on to your baby, [did you remember to ask it to do that? No.] Your brain has stored which button you need to push on the fob to unlock the car door (as you are still smoothly descending the stairs), not to mention which pocket it was in.
Good, bad, ok, questionable – all brain. Like this music, not that kind – brain. Oh, did you notice (as you were getting annoyed at that song that you were still breathing—brain). Uneasy feeling about this street at night—thank you, brain. Recognize your lover’s face—close call, thanks again, brain. From two cells coming together? And no instruction cd? Friggin’ kidding me?
The Heart
We are not talking (i don’t think….) about an anatomical organ.
We’re talking about that particular part of us that cries, that laughs, that goes silent. That part that grieves, that rejoices, that loves. It’s the co-creator of poetry. It is miraculous. It matters little to me what we call it. “Heart” works, it’s a term that has been used a long time. “Soul” would be ok, too. i’m going with “heart” – you can substitute at will. It is the organ of feeling – feeling (communicating and expressing) things that are not physical sensations. It feels loss, absence. It feels joy, wonder. It has it’s own expressions of its states: it laughs, it cries, it grows quiet, it sighs. Miraculous. This may be entirely, singularly personal, but for me it reigns because it is the organ of resonance, of empathy. My heart aches, aches, when a loved one is in pain. My heart lifts when good things happen to people i love.
my heart feels
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But, it is separate from identity. My ego can get involved in all sorts of shenanigans, but not my heart. Just as my gut doesn’t see, and my sense of smell has nothing to say to me about texture, my heart feels, but it isn’t who i am. And, like our other sense organs, it isn’t gendered. We may think (and we may be right) that women have easier access and give more ready expression to the heart’s input. But if that’s the case, it is only due to cultural/personal bias. In a crowded room we can choose to attend to certain voices and disregard others; our heart can be similarly instructed or trained.
Totality and Interdependence
We are not complete, not fully human, without fully developing and using each of these gifts, these essential, defining components of our being. As with any gift, it is required of us to appreciate and care for these gifts, to optimize each one. A quiet instruction accompanies them, “grow these.” Lose just one part of the threesome and we are no longer completely human. We are no longer wholly alive. And each one of these gifts grows stronger with use. Wise, nurturing use is recommended, but “abandon” even has its moment (for some of us). Live wisely, but live strongly. Use your body, daily. Use your brain, daily. Open your heart, wide. Daily.
This is our practice.
We are practicing humans.
Live fully. Practice completely
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