“The soul is the part of us that responds to morality, spirituality, aesthetics and intimacy.” Thank you, Dr. Edward Tick, for “War and the Soul.”

Whether the soul is imprinted in our genes, born in the mutuality of the mother-child relationship or a spark of the divine it resides in us individuals though institutions may seek to co-opt it. It’s difficult to separate information that nourishes the soul from that designed to pervert it. Much of our information overload comes from businesses. The multi-billion dietary supplement industry is fraudulent. Marketing of pharmaceuticals to the public can only increase high medical costs. Commodification of human talents diminishes our desire to develop of own. Selling erotica transforms opportunities for intimacy into athletic performances. The electronic media are the preferred platform for promoting such products. Unplug yourself and your family.

Our Declaration of Independence speaks to our souls, but our path to prosperity is paved with corpses and environmental devastation. When businesses no longer serve human needs but seek to satisfy demands that they themselves have created they become a cancer on the planet and our souls. Let’s save ourselves.

The information we need can be found in deep conversation with friends and neighbors, in museums, in extension classes and libraries. Printed media is suspect, but we consume it in bites, not bytes, chew it instead of passively absorbing it, spit it our if unpalatable. The recreation we desire can be found in public parks, community theaters and in hobby clubs. Great pleasure can be found in volunteering. Strive to create more than you consume. We can build a world more congenial to our souls.

 

John E. Gibson

Blooming Prairie