5.
THE SOUL 
     I MIGHT AS WELL START DISCUSSING THE IDEA OF THE SOUL (BEING
THAT VOID I SPOKE OF EARLIER).  MANY OF THE GREAT MINDS OF THE PAST
HAVE TRIED TO LOGICALLY ASCERTAIN THE PRESENCE OF THE SOUL: SOME
OF WHICH ARE SOCRATES, PLATO, DESCARTES AND MANY OTHERS.  THEY ALL
HAVE VARIOUS METHODS, LOGICAL OR NOT, FOR PROVING THE EXISTENCE OF
THE SOUL.  I WILL NOT TRY TO DUPLICATE THEIR EFFORTS, JUST MERELY
STATE THAT THEY ARE VERY BRAVE AND BOLD AND I WISH I HAD IT IN ME TO
TRY.  I CANNOT AND WILL NOT TRY TO CONVINCE YOU I AM RIGHT, BECAUSE I
DON'T KNOW IF I AM.  THIS IS JUST MY CURRENT MISUNDERSTANDING.  EARLY
ON, BY A LEAP OF BLIND FAITH, I JUST ACCEPTED THE EXISTENCE OF THE
SOUL AND THAT I HAD ONE.  NOW, I BELIEVE THAT THE SOUL IS THE SPIRITUAL
PART OF ME AND THAT IT IS IMMORTAL.  SINCE THE SOUL IS IMMORTAL, I
BELIEVE I AM A SPIRITUAL BEING HAVING A HUMAN EXPERIENCE, NOT A
HUMAN BEING HAVING A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.
(B)  HOWEVER, I AM INTRIGUED WITH SOCRATES' ELEGANT AND SIMPLE
IDEA OF CYCLES, EVERYTHING IN NATURE HAS CYCLES: THE DAY TURNS INTO
NIGHT, WHICH TURNS INTO DAY, WHICH TURNS INTO . . . ;  THE RAIN FALLS ON
THE MOUNTAINS WHICH FLOWS DOWN THE STREAMS WHICH FLOW TO A
RIVER WHICH FLOWS DOWN TO THE SEA, THE SEA EVAPORATES TO FORM
CLOUDS WHICH RAINS ON THE MOUNTAINS . . . ; PLATE TECTONICS CAUSES
PLATES TO WELL UP FROM THE MANTLE WHICH SOLIDIFY AND MOVE ACROSS
THE EARTH'S SURFACE FINALLY FOLDING DOWN UNDER ANOTHER PLATE
MELTING AND MIXING INTO THE MANTLE AGAIN. . . .  THEN WHY WOULD HUMAN
LIFE BE A FLAT LINE, MOVING FROM BIRTH TO DEATH AND THAT IS THE END? 
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY COMPLETE THE CYCLE?  MAYBE WHAT IS MISSING IS
A SOUL WHICH GOES FROM DEATH TO LIFE, AND COMPLETES THE CYCLE.
     MY SOUL IS THE ESSENCE OF WHOM I AM: MY COGNITION, MY SELF
AWARENESS, MY WILL, MY EGO, MY PERSONALITY, MY MEMORY, AND MY
LITTLE TINY VOICE WITHIN.  CONSIDER THIS FOR YOURSELF WHAT PART OR
PARTS OF YOURSELF YOU WOULD WANT TO TAKE WITH YOU FROM THIS
HUMAN EXPERIENCE AND MOVE ONTO THE SPIRITUAL PLANE.  SURELY NOT
YOUR TOE NAILS, OF COURSE NOT, BUT YOUR EGO, YOUR PERSONALITY,
YOUR SELF-AWARENESS, YOUR MEMORY, AND YOUR COGNITION.  THESE ARE
THE PARTS OF YOU, WHICH ARE YOU!  I THINK ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE
HIGHER MENTAL FUNCTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CORTEX.  MY IDEA OF
THE SOUL IS THAT IT IS THE MIND.  THE BRAIN PRODUCES MY MENTAL IMAGE
OR PERCEPTION OF REALITY, BUT THE BRAIN IS NOT THE IMAGE, IT ONLY
PRODUCES THE IMAGE, IT IS SEEN BY MY MIND'S EYE.  ONE EXAMPLE IS THAT A
TELEVISION PRODUCES AN IMAGE, BUT THE IMAGE IS NOT THE TELEVISION. 
ALSO, A LIGHT BULB PRODUCES LIGHT, BUT IT IS NOT THE LIGHT.  IN THEORY
LIGHT WILL TRAVEL FOREVER IN A VACUUM AND SO SHALL MY SOUL TRAVEL
FOREVER IN THE SPIRITUAL PLANE.
     WE COULD ARGUE ABOUT WHEN THE SOUL ENTERS THE BODY.  I DON'T
KNOW THAT EITHER.  HOWEVER, I WILL SAY THAT THE SOUL IS IN THE BODY
BY  THIRTEEN SECOND AFTER BIRTH.  WHY THIRTEEN SECONDS?  WELL,
ALMOST EVERYONE CAN AGREE TO THAT.  IT MAY BE THERE SOONER, BUT I
WILL NOT ENTER THAT ARGUMENT OR THE OTHER ONE ABOUT ABORTION AT
THIS TIME (SEE ABORTION IN THE OTHER RAMBLINGS FOR THE ANSWER TO
THIS ONE).
     SINCE WE ALL HAVE SOULS AND THUS ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS, I BELIEVE
THAT WE ALL HAVE IN US THE NEED AND THE ABILITY TO AWAKEN THE
SPIRITUAL SIDE OF OURSELVES BY LOOKING FOR GOD. IT JUST REQUIRES THE
OPEN-MINDEDNESS TO LOOK FOR GOD; GOD IS JUST WAITING TO REVEAL
ITSELF TO US.