By Banji Ayoola
The human physical body cloaks the spirit on earth. It is the gift of Creation meant to serve the human spirit, who is the real human being, on earth.
It is the vehicle that moves the spirit around on earth. It is the tool given the human spirit to implement, execute or carry out his wish, or volition on earth.
The human body is the implement through which the spirit manifests his volition in the earthly. In other words, the human spirit, that is the real person, manifests on earth through the body.
So, anything done to the body aims at, touches, or impacts the spirit, the real human being inhabiting the body. It is directed at the spirit.
Also, the care, naturally, of the body, its nourishment, or feeding impacts the spirit, the real man.
Likewise, the denial or starving of the body of the nourishment, care, food, water, and everything it needs in sufficient quantity, and required quality to exist, survive, or live on earth, is the denial, or starving of the spirit of supply of the necessary provision, food, and water, or nourishment he needs to live, and work on earth.
By constantly nourishing the body with the appropriate foods, and drinks, when it needs them, one nourishes the spirit. By this, one provides the spirit with the healthy environment he needs to keep on living, and working on earth.
Apart from denying, or starving the body of the appropriate nourishment it needs to survive, there are many other ways through which we abuse, maltreat, torture, damage, and endanger the body, and thus the human spirit.
These include denial of the body of sleep; over exertion of the body in physical activities like sports, sexual intercourse, and work; excessive consumption of foods, drinks, alcohol, hard drugs and substances; and smoking, or injecting hard drugs, and substances, among others.
Through these, and many other abuses, and maltreatment of the physical body, we destroy the body which is the garment the spirit wears in matter on earth; which is the cloak and house of the human spirit in matter; the implement, tool or vehicle the real human being needs to work, and move around in matter on earth.
Indulgence in any of these, and other excesses incapacitates the human spirit. It makes it difficult for him to live, and work, or carry out his volition on earth.
Worse, overindulgence in these, and other excesses, or damage, abuse, maltreatment and starving of the body of what it needs in appropriate quantity, and quality overtime may force the spirit to withdraw prematurely from the earth.
Part of the nourishment of the body, and spirit is the emotional nourishment.
Positive emotions such as joy, happiness, care, and genuine love of others are nourishing. But negative and repulsive ones such as sadness, sorrow, hostility, hatred, anger and the likes drain off, and push off. They are unhelpful, and unhealthy.
Constant or ceaseless exposure to bombardments with negative emotions frustrate, and endanger the human spirit.
Thus any shot fired at the body aims at the human spirit within the body. Any injustice, or wrong done to the body is done to the real person inside the body. Likewise, any love shown to the body is directed at the spirit.
