The soul is the “deep” and “natural longing that we have to address those questions of purpose and meaning” in Bishop Martyn Snow’s mind. This definition of ‘soul’ in particular intrigues me, because I feel that everybody is searching for at least some level of truth in their lives. Snow’s statement implies that humanity’s search for truth, however great or small, is part of our souls and therefore not simply our genetic coding.
Up to this point in the session, the main thing that had stuck with me
was the talk of ‘parrots’ and ‘peacocks’. A ‘parrot’ was defined by Nigel (the programme
facilitator) as “that voice on the shoulder”, the words that have stuck with us
from points in the past, that impact us negatively. Conversely, the ‘peacocks’
are the voices of encouragement we remember, the words that give us confidence.
I have to admit, I really struggled to remember too many of either on this
occasion, yet one idea from the group did stick out: maybe we can be our own
‘parrots’. This concept could easily be relatable to most people, and what
really intrigued me was ‘where might this lack of self-confidence, in the
modern world, have come from?’
Now we discuss the soul, how do we best take care of what’s deep inside:
that part of us that may well remain once everything else is gone? Nigel
mentioned ‘engagement’ and ‘abstinence’.
We should become completely immersed in positive activities we can enjoy
with others; times of celebration, prayer, meditation and play. At the same time,
we need to perhaps fast more from things we find ourselves unnecessarily
reliant on. This doesn’t just mean food, but other things like sex, alcohol or
any addiction. One of the topics we largely discussed was social media. The
impact it’s had on our generation has been staggering, but perhaps its
influence is too great.
I feel personally that stepping back from the media in general could be
healthy because it ties in with that question from earlier: why do we have such
poor self-esteem? Perhaps it’s the magazines, you know the ones that tell
people how they should look and what they should be able to afford. This is of
course not just limited to magazines, but all forms of media that could be
damaging to us has transferred to the ever growing internet. Perhaps this makes
it the biggest negative influence of all. Taking time off from it won’t just
give use time to enjoy life more, thus nurturing the soul, but it will also
allow our souls protections. The internet is the ‘parrot’ of the modern age.