The Creator's Swimming Pool

Every person at some point in their life wonders what happens when their body stops functioning. It’s a pretty obvious question since everybody’s body stops at some point. Great-grandma is gone. Grandpa’s gone. Maybe even one of your friends is gone. And he was only 25 years old when he died. 

   Some people wonder if death is the end of the road, or if only the body dies and the soul, or self, lives on. Plato was the first recorded writer to propose a mix of the mortal body with an immortal soul. To this day philosophers debate whether your mind and body are one entity, or if they’re separate. 

It is not always easy to define exactly what "you" are. Studies in physics and biochemistry may not fully explain the essence of your being, but one thing is certain - you know that you exist. As the philosopher Descartes famously said, "I think, therefore I am.” And perhaps that is the best we can do in understanding the nature of the self. 

"You" can be thought of as having a non-physical component - having consciousness, a sense of self, and self-awareness. It’s also known as having a soul, mind, or spirit, that is separate from the physical body. If you believe the mind and body are separate, you are considered a dualist. 

Many people are dualists without even realizing it. This is likely due to centuries of Christian teachings about the body and soul. Even those who reject Christianity often still hold onto this dualist view, as it has become deeply ingrained in their culture. 

Some argue that people are born dualists, and it takes education to move away from this innate position. The book "Descartes' Baby" by Paul Bloom suggests dualism is a natural way of thinking that can be unlearned. 

However, most modern philosophers do not believe in dualism, as it is seen as an outdated idea. They believe the mind and body are a single, interconnected whole that cannot be separated. 

Despite dualism being unpopular among philosophers today, I still find it a compelling perspective. In exploring this idea, I want to briefly discuss the connection between spirit and the physical world. Since that is usually the strongest objection to dualism. 

Just as explaining "you" is difficult, so is describing the nature of energy. Although it is the most fundamental part of the universe, it is little understood, especially how it relates to consciousness. 

The physical world is made up of only energy which has two forms. There are concentrated bundles of energy, and then there is diffuse, transferring energy. Solid objects are not really solid at all. They are just concentrated bundles of energy that repel each other. When they get close to each other, they push away, which creates the appearance of solidity that we see in the physical world around us. This is especially true for the macro objects and materials that we interact with every day. 

Even more fundamental than the two different forms of energy, is the nature of energy itself. Energy is really just an extension of the creator’s purposeful action. Let me give you an example to explain what I mean. 

Imagine there's a pool of still water, and you walk up and push on the surface with your hand. When you do that, a wave starts to spread outward across the water. This happens because the energy from your hand gets transferred into the water. The wave then continues to move on its own, thanks to the physics of how water and gravity work. 

So the water itself is not the energy - it's just the medium that allows the energy to travel through it. You can see the energy moving because one part of the water pushes against the next part, which pushes against the next, and so on. 

So what exactly is energy? Well, energy is that which causes change. When your hand interacted with the still water, it caused a change in it. And that initial change then led to successive changes in the water around it, allowing the wave to spread outward. The water is just passing along the energy that was introduced by your hand pushing on the surface. 

So energy isn't some independent thing - it's connected to the will and purpose of whoever is creating the energy. It’s like a physical expression of someone's intention or goal. It's not the water that's making the wave, but rather your own willful movement that's causing the energy to spread out across the water. 

Similarly, before the beginning of the universe, empty space was like a still pool. Then the creator "pushed," on it setting everything in motion. Energy started flowing in all directions, with some forming stable energy bundles. The creator also made the rules that this energy would follow. 

If energy is an extension of God's will, how can energy and will be different substances? Your body is made of energy bundles that are an extension of God's intentions. And he has given you the ability to deflect the system’s trajectory just as he gave it to Adam. 

So, are you a dualist? This is a tough question without an easy to grasp answer. But exploring the nature of "you” and the role of will and energy can provide valuable insights.